How Can I Tame This Orange Flavor?

Hey guys...quick question...

I added a tad too much of the orange zest(and, on top of that, I think I got too much pith in the zest), so it is quite orangy-bitter. Is there a way to mellow that without brewing another small batch with no orange and adding them together?

recipe from memory, so could be a little off..
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Batch Size: 5gal
Boil Size: 3gal
SG: 1.045
FG: 1.008

5 lbs Pilsen Light DME
1 lb flaked wheat
1 lb Weyerman's Wheat
1 oz Cascade - 60min
.5 oz Cascade - 30 min
.5 oz Cascade - 5min
1 oz Corriander - Crushed
Zest from four oranges - produced about a baseball-sized hunk of zest
White Labs California Ale yeast
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steep Wheat at 150-160 for 30 minutes in 3 gals.

Drain steeping bag and add DME. Bring to boil. Add 1 oz cascade. At 30 minutes, add .5 oz Cascade, 1 oz corriander, and half the orange zest. At 5 minutes, add remainder of zest and .5 oz cascade.

Cool to less than 80 and pitch yeast, no starter.

Ferment at 68-70 for 10 days...that's where I'm at now. It's done fermenting.

I will secondary this to help it mellow, but is there anything you guys can recommend?

Thanks

well, it will mellow with time. however, you could add something to counteract the orange flavor in the secondary. umm, how about crushed black pepper or something like that. you need to balance with something not sweet. think about adding another spice... read randy mosher's Radical Brewing for some ideas

hey! i just realized that you're in Indy! i'm over in terre haute. i need to get over to Great Fermentations sometime soon.

It will mellow with time....With my Ginger Orange Dortmunder the orange pretty much has faded by the time I'm down to the last half a case...And that is with 3 ounces of Orange peel....I wouldn't add something to contradict it, or mix it, I'd just stick it in the back of the closet for a month or 2...believe me you won't taste the Orange by then.

I was thinking coriander, Or even I would say dry hop it with an ounce of cascade. That and as said before, TIME.

yeah, all great suggestions. dry hopping it with something floral like cascade would be nice, or even something spicy like saaz. but i've never dry hopped with saaz... who know. i'd just let it sit. revvy and arneba know what they're talking about.

eschatz said:

hey! i just realized that you're in Indy! i'm over in terre haute. i need to get over to Great Fermentations sometime soon.

Click to expand...

Yeah man, they're great over there. Anything you need, they have it. Very helpful, as well.

Thanks for all the answers, by the way. I'm going to let it sit in secondary for a month or two...see what happens. I have a Wit in primary to tide me over.

I dryhopped a wheat with Saaz, just 1 oz, and it was delicious. Can't go wrong there. The Saaz might mellow the orange just a bit.

Otherwise, mellowing with time is fo' sho' the way to do it.

eschatz said:

hey! i just realized that you're in Indy! i'm over in terre haute. i need to get over to Great Fermentations sometime soon.

Click to expand...

long time lurker here, and fellow indianapolis area brewer. great fermentations is a great place. Helpful staff, well stocked, and everything is neat and orderly. what else can you ask for?

I brewed belgian tripel kit two months ago and just cracked open the first bottle last night. It is freaking awesome. highly recommended if you are into belgians and an extract brewer.

sorry for the thread hi-jack.