Grapefruit

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phlawrence

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I have read some things saying never to make a grapefruit beer... but what about the peel? I want that bitter citrusy flavor without the stomach acid taste that I hear accompanies grapefruit in your fermentation. Should I try peel or just abandon the grapefruit IPA idea?
 
Welcome to HBT !!! :mug:
Did you dig the don't use grapefruit fact from a wine related source? I'd not heard that, interesting.
If your looking for a grapefruit flavor I believe there are some hops that can get you there, Centennials for one can be very grapefruit to me.
Personally I would not use zest of any fruit in an IPA but please come back here and post your trials if ya do.
Ben
 
One of my standby's uses grapefruit. The version I'm now drinking went something like this:

Wit's End

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 20.00 Wort Size (Gal): 20.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 36.00
Anticipated OG: 1.047 Plato: 11.70
Anticipated SRM: 3.5
Anticipated IBU: 14.8
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
50.0 18.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 77.91 2
41.7 15.00 lbs. Flaked Soft White Wheat America 73.58 2
8.3 3.00 lbs. Flaked Oats America 71.41 2

Potential represented as Yield, Fine Grind Dry Basis.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.00 oz. Simcoe Pellet 12.00 14.8 60 min.


Extras

Amount Name Type Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.00 Oz Corriander Seed Spice 5 Min.(boil)
4.00 Oz Grated Grapefruit Peel Spice 5 Min.(boil)
16.00 Oz Rice Hulls Other 60 Min.(mash)


Yeast
-----

WYeast 3944 Belgian White Beer



I subbed 2 oz 9% AAU amarillo for the simcoe and juiced the grapefruit (texas ruby, very ripe and pungent) along with the peel add. The coriander is the indian variety, freshly ground (with a pepper grinder fitted into the drill chuck!)

This is a statutory beer if ever I've tasted one, and I don't even feel guilty...
 
I made a Grapefruit/Honey/Ginger Tripel sorta beer some years back that did very well in competition. It used not only grapefruit peel but also some small amount of juice (if I remember correctly, straight into the mash). I'm staying on the coast right now and don't have my notes available so can't really help so much. I'll see if I can find the recipe and notes sometime in the summer when I'm back home. But, point being, I'd say you definitely don't need to fear the peel at least. I don't think I'd use the juice in an IPA though. But that's me.
 
I will not fear the peel! I am super excited.... More than likely I'll tweak one of my past IPA recipes to use some of the more grapefruity hops and then add some peel to the wort... at flameout? Or should I be adding it with one of my hop additions?
 
I'm told summit hops have a very grapefruit-like taste. I haven't had the opportunity to try them yet. Amarillo and Cascade are definitely both very citrus-like, but I'd put them closer to orange than grapefruit.
 
dude.. grapefruit peels in the secondary..i did an ipa with orange peels in the secondary for 3 weeks (half a large orange) and it was there kinda but i shoulda used a whole orange.
DO IT!!!!!!! itll be good.
 
Amarillo and Simcoe hops....Dude's Lake Walk Pale Ale (in the recipe DB) uses those two varieties and you'll swear it has grapefruit juice in it. It's a taste that really grew on me.
 
I just brewed an IPA with Amarillo & Centennial hops & it's great! Kind of a lemoney/grapefuitey flavor and aroma.
 
I would stick with hop choices for the flavor you seek. Centennial has a very grapefruit forward flavor, cascade- kind of a grapefruit orange mix, amarillo- nice orange flavor, sorachi ace- very lemony and summit(my favorite) a tangerine flavor. Be careful when flavoring with high alpha hops I have found that its easy to overdo it even though we are talking late additions or dry hopping.
 
I too am getting ready to brew with some grapefruit (honey ale)....question, if I put the grapefruit peel in the secondary what if anything should I do to avoid some kind of infection? I'm new to brewing and have never put any additives into the secondary. Thanks!
 
We did a Kiwi Pale Ale (kiwi fruit) which combined with citrus flavored hops yielded a grapefruit flavor in the end. I think in the end we just pulled the tartness of the Kiwi.
 
Personally, I'd go with the citrus-like hop flavors for beer, but as an fyi the "don't use grapefruit juice" is really a "don't try to make a citrus fruit cider" rule. Too much citric acid will stop your fermentation.
 
I will add my two cents since this thread picked up again.

We have been using Matueka hops (New Zealand) in our "Debutaunte" beer and this hop gives off a light grapefruit flavor that dissipates fairly quickly but lets you know it's there in a light fashion. Most everyone that tries this beer we make always looks at us and says: "Do I detect grapefruit?" For the summer we get a lot of complements on this beer.

In 6 gallon batch we are using 4 ounces during the boil (Break up the additions throughout the boil time) and a 3 day dry hop in the secondary with 2 ounces.
 
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