bpa non-hop additions

Hey all, i brewed for the first time last month and am now enjoy a nice batch of blonde ale, i have a bottle in front of me this very moment.

For my second attempt i bought a bpa beer kit and am thinking about adding some stuff so it has a "unique" touch to it. I got a bpa kit in specific because i didnt want something heavily hopped, so im thinking fruit or spice additions. With something bitter i was thinking either something acidic like grapefruit or lime. Any suggestions? Also how is this done, do i dry the peels and then boil them in the wort?

 

You can get grapefruit flavors from Cascade, Chinook, or Riwaka hops, although grapefruit juice can be a pleasant addition (see, for example, Shiner Ruby Redbird). Lemon flavor can come from Sorachi Ace. Lime, on the other hand, needs lime zest. Orange flavor also tends to come from peel or zest. You don't have to dry them first - the essential oils are what you're after. For spices, you could add coriander, cardamom, cinnamon (stick), black pepper, and/or grains of paradise, to the boil, near the end, as you might in a witbier.

You might look at SD-Slim's Lemon-Lime Hefeweizen for inspiration. There's also an Hibiscus Mango Blonde that you can look at.

 

i read that blueberry is a good pairing with pale ales. Because this is my second batch i think im going to just try a plain english pale ale so that i have something to compare it against.