Don't have coriander for wheat beer

[Transamguy77]

So I'm in the middle of a wheat beer right now and I just went to get the coriander out of the pantry and it's not there! Since I usually add it around 15 I'm not sure what to do.

I guess my question is can I just finish the brew and add it tonight or tomorrow and still have it add what I'm looking for? Or just forget about it at this point?

 

[Calder]

I think I'd soak it in a little vodka for a few days and add it to the fermenter.

 

[naturebrew]

I've never used it in a wheat and they turn out great, maybe I should give it a try, have you brewed a wheat without coriander?

 

[brewguyver]

Skip it. Traditional German wheat beers are wheat, pilsner malt (2 row works too), water, hops, and wheat beer yeast. The flavor comes from the yeast itself. If you're using a good German hefe strain you should get plenty of flavor.

Typically coriander etc is more of a Belgian ingredient.

 

[Transamguy77]

@calder, I like the vodka idea.
@naturebrew, I have used coriander I'm many of my wheat beers and it adds something in the undertone of the beer.
@brewguyver, I was going for a Belgian style beer, a hoggarden clone, I made it last year and it was close to the original (wasn't really worried if it was or not) but it was a really good beer so I was trying to make it again for this year.
Thanks for your prompt responses I'll post back in the next few days and let you know what I ended up doing.

 

[naturebrew]

I think I will give it a try on my next batch, how much and when do you normally add it on a 5 or 10 gal batch?

 

[user 141939]

Use cilantro, it's the same thing.

 

[user 141939]

jk

 

[Calder]

Use cilantro, it's the same thing.

Same plant (one is the seed, the other is the leaf), very different flavors.

 

[user 141939]

Same plant (one is the seed, the other is the leaf), very different flavors.

I think leaves are also called coriander in some parts of the world. And also, did you know it's the most used herb in the world? Ok I'll stop now.

 

[phug]

Do you have lemongrass to add? Or citrus zest? If you add coriander in the fermenter, just e sure to get it all out

 

[Transamguy77]

I think I will give it a try on my next batch, how much and when do you normally add it on a 5 or 10 gal batch?

I typically add it at 15 and 1/2 an oz for 5 gallons.
@phug, I added bitter orange peel at 15 and no I don't have lemongrass but that sounds tasty.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Use cilantro, it's the same thing....I think leaves are also called coriander in some parts of the world. And also, did you know it's the most used herb in the world?

McLaughlin - the seed and the leaves do come from the same plant coriander; however, the flavour of the seed and the flavour of the leaves are most definitely quite different, have very different characteristics and will definitely give you different reuslts.

 

[brewguyver]

@brewguyver, I was going for a Belgian style beer, a hoggarden clone, I made it last year and it was close to the original (wasn't really worried if it was or not) but it was a really good beer so I was trying to make it again for this year.
Thanks for your prompt responses I'll post back in the next few days and let you know what I ended up doing.

Yea ... You kinda need it for that!

Assuming you're bottle conditioning, another option would be to crush and boil it with your corn sugar prior to bottling. Or do the same with the vodka mix to taste (sanitize the tasting vessel and stirring spoon after each addition.

Note that this could be WAY stronger than adding it at the boil, since some aromatics are blown off during fermentation. Instead of winging-it like I suggest above, the scientific way is to measure out a specific amount of wort, add a little bit (e.g. with an eyedropper) of the coriander extract, and see what you like best. Scale that up and add to your bottling/kegging volume.

 

[Transamguy77]

Yea ... You kinda need it for that!

Assuming you're bottle conditioning, another option would be to crush and boil it with your corn sugar prior to bottling. Or do the same with the vodka mix to taste (sanitize the tasting vessel and stirring spoon after each addition.

Note that this could be WAY stronger than adding it at the boil, since some aromatics are blown off during fermentation. Instead of winging-it like I suggest above, the scientific way is to measure out a specific amount of wort, add a little bit (e.g. with an eyedropper) of the coriander extract, and see what you like best. Scale that up and add to your bottling/kegging volume.

I will be kegging this and it could be added then, I didn't think of that. Well if I go that route I could just keg as usual and then add it to taste at that point. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Calder]

I think leaves are also called coriander in some parts of the world. And also, did you know it's the most used herb in the world? Ok I'll stop now.

In the USA there is very much a distinction between coriander (the seeds) and cilantro (the leaves), and the two are not interchangeable. I'm not sure anywhere else in the World makes that distinction.

Cilantro is the Spanish word for Coriander

 

[jason1973]

And also, did you know it's the most used herb in the world?.

I can think of a herb alot more widely used :rockin:ipe:
and it comes from same family of plants as the hop

 

[user 141939]

I was joking when I said use cilantro, hence the jk post after the first post. Good point about that other herb!

 

[Transamguy77]

So I'm going to throw something else into the mix. I made 10 gallons of this beer and I had 2 packs of Wyeast 3068 in the freezer and figured I'd roll the dice and see if they would work (I forgot I had them or I would have made a stater over the past week) so I defrosted and smacked them and pitched them. Well after a day I had NO activity so I again went to the freezer and had som lager yeast and pitched that.

Half this beer has an ale yeast and half a lager yeast, so some will be ready in a few weeks and the rest in a few months.

I love home brewing!!!!

 

[Calder]

What are you doing keeping them in the freezer? Freezing liquid yeast will kill it.

If you have a defrost freezer (like the normal side-by-side units) the yeast will probably be completely dead due to the freeze/thaw cycles.

If you have a deep freezer (big box with a top lid) you might have some viability, but way less than desirable for a straight pitch.

 

[TycoRossBrewing]

I would just forget about it at this point. If you use the correct yeast the flavor should still be there. Totally agree with Brew Guyver on this one. You could do the vodka infusion method but soaking the coriander in alcohol will bring out a lot of the aromas so if you do that i would go on the lighter side.