It's not authentic as such, as a few cost corners are cut and the mashing process is simplified. But this is the closest i have come in terms of colour and thickness, and i believe the taste is similar but better (more citrus without the need to pollute your glass with lemon slices, which would also kill your head!)
A few points:
-The use of oranges rather than Curacao peel is for cost and convenience, and IMO imparts plenty of orange
-Coriander seeds, for those who haven't used them before, are cheaply available at most Indian cash'n'carries/supermarkets for about £1 for 100g. I put these in a glass and use a hand blender to crush them. A food processor or pestle and mortar would also work.
-Pils malt would be more authentic than lager but i have tried both and in this beer i honestly believe there is no difference. As lager malt is cheaper i have used that, but feel free to swap it out
-The steeped Bobek is optional, but that is my secret ingredient for adding lemon/citrus aroma and flavour without sullying the glass with lemon slices.
-For wheat beers, liquid yeasts are usually recommended. I do not believe that this style of beer has much yeast character though, so IMO WB-06 is fine - and cheap, as is the challenge!)
So , the recipe:
For 23l
2000g lager malt
2000g flaked (unmalted) wheat
1000g wheat malt
500g porridge oats
30g Saaz - full boil
2 oranges (standard oranges!) - 15 minutes
10g crushed coriander seeds - 15 minutes
20g Bobek - flameout steep
Yeast: WB-06
I mash this at 67 ish, as i believe it should be slightly thick and sweet
The oranges are added at T-15 mins, but then also fished out and added to the fermenter.
I ferment at about 20c and bottle straight from the fermenter. FG should be about 1010. It will be cloudy, but of course that is what we want! 120g of dex used to prime.
The total spend is about £7.50, or 18p a pint.
