hmm... Brewing with .. Orange Juice?

Ok.. I scoured the forums... and I've seen just about all kinds of recipes being made from tomato to jellies... But nothing with orange juice.

Is the acidity too strong to allow fermentation? would it just taste rank?

Since hard limonade can be done, I have to think that OJ could also be turned into a drink.. I imagine cointreau and all that started that way.

So.. anyone know anything about this? Anyone willing to try it and compare notes? ;-)

Well, fermented orange juice tastes like vomit, so it can only be used in small quantities, and is rarely used in beer (I've never had an orange beer). However, orange peel or zest is quite commonly used in some styles like Witbier.

I'm feeling kinda froggy tonight, and have actually been thinking of some origional receipes I could come up with to start a "line" of bears I can start making and report on my blog.

I'll try to come up with an orange juice based beer. Are we talking just the juice, or using the fruit as well? Maybe we can try both

I'm baking a cake for my daughters 3rd birthday this weekend ( and the wife said it can't be beer based), so we can touch base maybe early next week? I think we can Pm each other and then maybe come up with a new thread to chart our progress?

-dave

I ment beers, not bears....hunting season isnt for a few months yet

Actually orange juice can be made into wine and it does not taste like vomit. Orange wine is a beginners wine it is made of the juice only, no orange slices because they will make the wine bitter.

dsoto75 said:

I'm feeling kinda froggy tonight, and have actually been thinking of some origional receipes I could come up with to start a "line" of bears I can start making and report on my blog.

-dave

Click to expand...

if you make your own line of bears i think that deserves to be reported on a blog

Looking for some PRUNO????????????????

nomadjanet said:

Actually orange juice can be made into wine and it does not taste like vomit. Orange wine is a beginners wine it is made of the juice only, no orange slices because they will make the wine bitter.

Click to expand...

I was just about to say... if you want to take a juice and make it into a drink? you're probably safer with wine.

though... if you took a light ale or even a lager and had orange and lemon peel/zest in the mix somewhere? it may work.

just.. yeah.. I doubt an Ale would be as accommodating.

nomadjanet said:

Actually orange juice can be made into wine and it does not taste like vomit. Orange wine is a beginners wine it is made of the juice only, no orange slices because they will make the wine bitter.

Click to expand...

Do you have a recipe for this? Because all the orange juice I've ever had ferment smelled like puke (and the one time I tried it it tasted like it too.)

Whenever I want an orange flavor I use a zester and peel the colored part off the skins.

Yeah, I would have bet heavily on "puke" being the inevitable outcome of orange beer. Though I've also lost count of the number of times people on here have proved me wrong in my blinkered assumptions, so I'm sure it's worth a try.

I've come across many an orange wine recipe but never tried one.

It really grates me that when orange juice is mentioned pruno gets brought up quicker than Godwin can close a religious argument. (Not a jab at you eschatz)

If you want to go for it do, and be sure to post here with the results.

One I've been meaning to try is:

Orange Wine

10 lbs very ripe oranges
6 lbs granulated sugar
2 gallons water
½ teaspoon grape tannin
2 teaspoons yeast nutrient
1 ounce wine yeast

Boil the two gallons of water in a large stockpot. Peel the oranges, carefully removing all of the pith. Separate the oranges into sections and remove the seeds. Place orange sections into a blender and liquefy. Place liquefied oranges, sugar, tannin, and yeast nutrient into primary fermentation container. Add boiling water and stir until sugar is dissolved. Cover and cool until mixture is room temperature. Add yeast, cover, and ferment for one week. Strain liquid through a finely meshed bag, and transfer to a glass secondary fermentation container. Seal with airtight lid, and rack once a month for four months. Stabilize, wait one week and rack into bottles. Age at least one year before drinking.

My notes say it was taken from:
Making Homemade Orange Wine

EvilTOJ said:

Do you have a recipe for this? Because all the orange juice I've ever had ferment smelled like puke (and the one time I tried it it tasted like it too.)

Whenever I want an orange flavor I use a zester and peel the colored part off the skins.

Click to expand...

Are you talking about a wild ferment? I mean if you're talking about just discovering your juice has fermented that's basically prison wine, but maybe if you use a nice wine yeast and sanitary conditions you get something good.

I've had orange muscatel wines that were awesome, I don't know what the juice/grape mix was but they were great.

ya tried a quick experiment - 2 cups of OJ - some live yeast from a batch (used a white wine yeast) - i spiked a bit of sugar... and no action.. i think the acids may be too much... would be curious to hear more about the wine...

How do they distill stuff from oranges then? cooked down and heavy sweeteners and then ferment or just essences?

I don't know about using orange juice, but there's an extract recipe for Blood Orange Hefe in Extreme Brewing. I did a quick search and someone here had brewed a batch and posted some great pictures. Looks pretty interesting. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f85/blood-orange-hefeweizen-98579/

I have a very old wine makers book Guide to Beter Wine and Beer Making for Beginners S.M. Tritton
Orange Wine
made from fresh juice, strain 2 pints of juice
make up to nearly one gallon in shich 3 lbs of sugar have been disolved.
stir to desolve then add another 2 pints of cold water.
the volume will now be about 7 pints.
add to 1 gallon jug
add one level tablespoon of citric acit
add one crused Campden tablet
1/2 teaspoon yeast nutrient
add yeast
if it is not sufficently acidic add lemon juice or citric acid.
Put under airlock.
after a few days the brew will go milky the jar can be given a slight
shake at intervals for the first two or three days.
After about a week of vigbourus fermentation move the jar to a cooler room for the fermentation to slow down. If airlock action ceases, taste wine, if all sugar is gone, feed wine with sugar syrup 1lb sugar in 1/2 pint boiling water. Add 1/2 pint of syrup
at a time just enought to bring it to start fermentation again. Allow wine to complete fermentation rack etc.... Lots of other directions detailed because it is a begginer wine.

Awesome. It seems a key difference to my quick test is the addition to an equal or more amount of sugar- which makes sense based on the acidity of the oranges.
turning oranges alcoholic is particularly enticing, I think I will have to do another 1G experiment.
I also wonder if I could use em in a secondary of a batch of cider/cyser.

Hmmm... well now I may just try this, just for fun! I wonder what a tea of Sorachi Ace hops would taste like in it too.