Adjunct
Coriander seed
Crushed coriander seed, used in Belgian wheat beer for a lemony, floral spice quite unlike the leaf.
The seed, not the leaf, and the distinction matters more than almost anything else about it. Coriander leaf carries the aldehydes that divide people into those who taste soap and those who do not; the seed is a different flavour entirely — lemon peel, a little floral, faintly peppery — and nobody has ever tasted soap in a witbier.
It is used in small quantities, crushed rather than ground, and added late so the volatile citrus survives. Overdone it turns perfumed and starts to read as bathroom rather than beer, which is the failure mode of most spiced beer.
What it is for
Spice. Aromatic, potent by weight, and usually added late so the volatile character survives into the glass.
- Adds citrus and floral lift
- Traditional in witbier and gose
Whether it ferments
| Fermentable | No — brewing yeast cannot take it, so whatever goes in stays in. It contributes flavour, and where it is a sugar, sweetness and body that survive into the glass. |
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The seed tastes nothing like the leaf. Brewers generally prefer the smaller, rounder Indian variety for its more pronounced citrus character.
What it contributes
The contribution of the ingredient, not the profile of a finished beer. How much of it reaches the glass depends on quantity, timing and what else is in the recipe.
Styles it defines
- Witbier
A Belgian wheat beer brewed with unmalted wheat, coriander and orange peel — soft, hazy, citrusy and lightly spiced.
- Gose
A lightly sour German wheat beer with added salt and coriander — tart, savoury and unusually thirst-quenching.
Styles where this is characteristic rather than optional. Plenty of other beers use it — these are the ones that would not be themselves without it.