Experimental wheat....help please!

My recommendation, if you want pineapple - ditch Sorachi Ace. Grab Falconer's Flight and add that instead. I did an American Wheat last year using 7 oz Falconer's Flight and it was a Pineapple Bomb (also added a whole pineapple in secondary with the dry hops as well). I'd say do 1 oz of FF @ 15-20 and 1-2oz FF @ FO (bitter to whatever IBU you want on top of that), and add the coconut in secondary (or even add some coconut rum for the fun of it). I am doing something like this for my wife using a Tripel w/ FF and the Belgian Wheat strain f/ WY and doing a little coconut rum and oak aging to mimic a drink we had 10 years ago on our honeymoon.

 

Agreed. You'll get dominant lemony-ness from using a lot of Sorachi Ace on its own.

Perhaps adding some fresh pineapple juice or concentrated pineapple syrup during the end of secondary fermentation would be a better option. You have to be careful with real coconut since it's quite oily. And the amount of rum you would need to add to impart decent coconut flavor may also end up ruining the beer. Coconut water is a viable option, but it's not that flavorful. I'd say stick with fresh pineapple juice/syrup.

Edit: Schlafly 08' Reserve Barleywine had great toasted coconut flavor, but I think it got those subtle, but obvious notes from the malt or the barrel.

 

I had thought of trying coconut water as the main source of liquid in a beer or even as 10-30% of the total liquid, but when its fermented out, its gross.

Another pineapple option... Fresh chamomile also gives major pineapple flavor, and has the bonus of not being fermented out.

 

FF is definitely going to give you lots of pineapple. My wife has a nifty contraption that cores and spirals a pineapple and I used that (sanitized it and the knife) then cut it into chunks straight into the bottom of the bucket. I racked the beer on top of the pineapple and let it go for 2 days. I then added 2oz of FF to the bucket in a mesh bag for DH. After 1 week in secondary I racked out from under the hops and fruit into my bottling bucket and bottled. It was awesome. Just don't eat the pineapple afterwards, very bitter.

Can't comment on how to do coconut. I have yet to use it in a beer, but will probably do it this fall in a Porter (unless I end up adding it to the Tripel).

 

Not to thread jack but does anyone have good advice on using toasted coconut flakes? I was going to do so for a porter I have in the primary right now. I understand that they can ruin the head and no not impart strong flavors. Would I be better off just using extract?

As for the pina colada wheat I would love to hear how this goes. I am surprised to hear that pineapple flavor comes through so well. Also these FF hops sound really good, might have to grab some for a pale.

 

A little Malto-Dextrin over rules oils. I put the zest of 6 oranges in a stoit and MD @ bottling and the head was great.