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Cooper's Wheat question


stevenh2

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I'm going to brew a batch of the Cooper's wheat with an additional 1lb of Breiss Bavarian Wheat (65%wheat/35%barley) DME. Is there orange and coriander in this Cooper's kit already? Will the addition of the extra DME make me want to add a little more orange to the boil? I definitely want the orange flavor there but don't want it overpowering. Also, I'm using White Labs WLP400 Bavarian Wit Ale yeast. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you!

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You could try:

1.7kg Wheat Beer kit

the 1lb of Breiss product

300g Dextrose

15g Saaz hop pellets

Zest from one orange

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

 

Crush coriander seeds, add to Saaz and Orange zest in a pot with about 2 litres of water (just on the boil) and allow to steep for 15-30mins. Strain it into the FV, mix with the other ingredients up to a volume of 23litres.

 

Add your Wit yeast.

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I've made a wheat beer using a competitors kit which required orange peel and coriander to approximate a Hoegaarden style. I made it, and don't like it much.

My next wheat will be a Coopers kit made to a Hefeweizen style, no fruit or spices, just wheat beer yeast making the flavour. I think it will be much better, but thats a personal thing!

 

Dan

 

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PB, thanks for the recommendations. That's about what I was thinking, so I'm heading in the right direction. I don't know where you're located, I'm in the US, trying to make something like Blue Moon Belgian White, if you know that one.

 

Dan, you didn't like the Hoegaarden style? I'm still fairly new to this and am trying to get my terms/styles straight. I'd heard a Basic Brewing Radio podcast in which Stan Hieronymus mentions a strong/bitter wheat served optionally with some type of syrup on the side. Is this the type of Hefe you find yourself preferring?

 

And the bitterness that's being referred to, is that a hops related bitter or something else? Sorry for all the questions but I'm trying to wrap my mind around this all. Perhaps I could split this kit down and do half "straight" as you're talking about, and half with the orange and coriander so I could weigh one against the other. Thanks for your help, guys!

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Steven,

 

I don't mind Hoegaarden, it's my attempt at it I don't like. The orange and coriander are overwhelming and not subtle and well balanced like in the real thing. I'm sure done well a home brew version would be great - I didn't do it well.

 

I have had a few local microbrewery hefeweisen recently, with all the flavours from the yeast, and I've really enjoyed them, so would like to do something similar. A little bit of banana and clove like esters rather than in your face fruit and spice!

 

As I said, much of it is personal preference, and I'm coloured by a bad Hoegaarden clone experience!

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OK I brewed up this baby today with the addition of the orange and coriander. I never had tasted coriander before and wasn't sure about all since it was a spice. After I tasted it though it was like 'that's the taste I was looking for'. I can't wait till this is ready to drink because I think this will be what I'm after. That's many weeks off of course but I'm headed in the right direction. Thanks for your input guys!

Steve

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Just ordered the brewmaster wheat kit today and really want to get it right, should I take from the above posts that it needs a bit of something extra to add to the flavour? also what is the best temperature for fermentation for a wheat kit as I think I have been caught out with the Lager batch I have on at the moment - coopers recommended between 21-27 (but 18 to 35 degrees is ok)and even in the how to video the temperature is 24 and he says its perfect. Mine is fermenting at 25 degrees currently and had been as high as 27 at the start but from what i've been reading today I take it that 25 is too warm and it would be better at 20 degrees? any advice on this would be great thanks

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My attempt with that kit was the opposite - I thought the orange and coriander were too strong. It is settling down with age though. It also didn't have that nice zing a wheat beer should for some reason. I think wheat beers can ferment OK a little higher in temperature, but yes, for most brews using ale yeast, you will get best results in the lower end of the temp range (20 deg as you suggest should be fine). Higher temps will work too but the flavours that result may not be as good.

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