First time addition of frut to secondary

[brewkinger]

I have about 10 brews under my belt at this point in time but I am poised to add some oranges to a batch of Centennial Blonde Ale that I made 2 weeks ago. I had a sample from my local brewery a couple of months back that the owners told me that they had added a single orange to a 5 gal batch and the taste of orange was there but not overpowering.

I am planning on soaking the fruit in vodka prior to adding and racking to secondary.

The plan is to peel and break up the pieces of a single large navel orange and let it soak.

Should I use more than one orange? How long should it soak prior to using?

I read that the white pithy part of the peel can impart a bitterness, but can I (should I??) use the orange outer portion of the peel?

Any help with this would be great.
Thanks

 

[brewkinger]

Please.

 

[Captain Damage]

For citrus you should use only the zest, not the whole fruit or whole peel. The zest is the outer, colored part of the peel. Avoid the pith, the white, fibrous inner part of the peel. Soak the zest in just enough vodka to cover for 2-7 of days and add the zest and the steeping vodka to the beer.

 

[brewkinger]

Well.... I wanted to get this done yesterday, so I did it.
Peeled orange zest off leaving most of pith behind and then peeled and chopped up remaining orange wedges.
Soaked in vodka for about an hour or so and then dumped everything into bucket and racked.
It is bubbling slightly today and I have sincere hopes that all is well.
Does it really need to soak in vodka for that long?

 

[jeffjjpkiser1]

Yeah you only need the zest of the orange. The additional sugar from the wedges will increase your alcohol but the acidity will stay behind as well. In other words, don't be surprised if your beer is tart. If you want that orange essence, next time makes these additions in your boil. And add only the zest in the secondary. Good luck

 

[brewkinger]

Truth is, this beer can probably benefit from an alcohol boost. It was a tad on the low side OG at 1.030 or so and finished 1.004ish.
My previous batch of the same had an oz of sweet peel as 40 min addition, so I was experimenting with secondary instead this time.
If this batch is anything like the last, it was very easily drinkable. I polished off 2 cases in about 3 wks and had to make another.
Lesson learned. Does it have to soak for longer than an hour before using?

 

[brewkinger]

Does the time in secondary on the fruit play a role at all?
I guess what I am asking is if I bottle after a week would the possible tartness of the beer be less than if I left it for longer?

 

[jeffjjpkiser1]

The tartness of the beer is derived from the acid that exists in that fruit. Once the yeast has continued to do its Jon which is to ferment the sugars from the fruit, all that's left is the acid from that fruit. It's hard to determine how much you will get. Did a Cherimoya Wheat and left the very sweet pasteurized fruit in for 1 week, my beer has the flavor but also a unexpected tartness too which is very nice. It all depends on the fruit. Some are more recommended then others based on their natural properties. Raspberries are great.

 

[brewkinger]

Bottled after a week and waiting patiently for 2 weeks before I open one of them.
I did taste my gravity sample and it had an orange taste that was not too overpowering. Hopefully it all melds together nicely.

 

[Superdown]

The tartness of the beer is derived from the acid that exists in that fruit. Once the yeast has continued to do its Jon which is to ferment the sugars from the fruit, all that's left is the acid from that fruit. It's hard to determine how much you will get. Did a Cherimoya Wheat and left the very sweet pasteurized fruit in for 1 week, my beer has the flavor but also a unexpected tartness too which is very nice. It all depends on the fruit. Some are more recommended then others based on their natural properties. Raspberries are great.

I am planning a Cherimoya wheat brew day next week. I was looking for something that reminded me of mangosteen and my local asian grocer turned me onto cherimoya. How did yours turn out? I'm very excited considering the fruit itself kinda blew my mind when I tasted it.