Adding orange peel to hefeweizen

[leskohomebrews]

I like the idea of adding orange peel to my hefeweizen, but how and when is the best way?

 

[Abhishek Dewan]

Either in last 10 minutes or steep in hot water for 15 minutes or soak in vodka and then add the liquid to fermenter during end of fermentation phase. However orange flavour will come with use of little toasted and coarsely crushed Indian coriander seeds. You can add them either during last 10 minutes of boil or in the fermenter.

 

[Tallgrass]

The Blue Moon clone "lunar shock" sold by more beer uses both orange peel and coriander the last 10 minutes of boil. Taste about right to me. Not overpowering.
https://www.morebeer.com/images/file.php?file_id=27914

 

[TurnipGreen]

I’ve had better success with soaking coriander and orange peel soaked in vodka after fermentation than I have adding the orange peel at flame out.

 

[Dgallo]

If you’re going to make a tincture for it using good vodka(works great) i’d suggest zesting the orange instead. Using the zest of one large or 2 medium Valencia oranges really adds a juicier orange profile than using the peel. Sometimes the peel can add a touch of pithy bitterness in my experience

 

[DVCNick]

If you’re going to make a tincture for it using good vodka(works great) i’d suggest zesting the orange instead. Using the zest of one large or 2 medium Valencia oranges really adds a juicier orange profile than using the peel. Sometimes the peel can add a touch of pithy bitterness in my experience

Just found this old thread, but I just did this exactly this morning.
Yesterday, zested one orange, soaked that in roughly an oz of vodka.
This morning I added the vodka to the fermenter. It is a wheat beer/hefe brewed on Friday.
Fermentation was falling off, so I figured, similar to dry hopping, I would throw it in with some activity still going to hopefully keep oxygen issues at bay.

The remaining krausen immediately disappeared. There are still plenty of bubbles coming up, I can see them breaking the surface and there is plenty of airlock activity, so it looks like visible fermentation is continuing; just with zero krausen.
Did I just kill my head retention on this beer somehow?

 

[rburrelli]

There is a lot of oil in orange zest. That may have caused the issue.

 

[DVCNick]

It has actually come back somewhat after a few hours.
We'll see how it turns out.

 

[Dgallo]

It has actually come back somewhat after a few hours.
We'll see how it turns out.

I was actually just going to say tht it would most likely come back. Adding the tincture by pouring it on the krausen probably broke up enough surface tension and got enough oil in the foam to cause it to break down. Kinda like if your rub your nose with a finger and swirl it in an overly foamy solo cup of beer.

I’ve added it to the keg plenty of times and had no head issues

 

[balrog]

gotta say i studied the books too much in college and never have i ever seen the nose rub beer swirl trick mentioned.

 

[DVCNick]

I was actually just going to say tht it would most likely come back. Adding the tincture by pouring it on the krausen probably broke up enough surface tension and got enough oil in the foam to cause it to break down. Kinda like if your rub your nose with a finger and swirl it in an overly foamy solo cup of beer.

I’ve added it to the keg plenty of times and had no head issues

Do you think the keg is the better place to add it, or it doesn't matter?

 

[Dgallo]

Do you think the keg is the better place to add it, or it doesn't matter?

Ive never tried in the fermented during active fermentation, so I can’t comment on tht. I will would believe that during fermentation you would lose some aroma and have a slightly different flavor due to being metabolized by the yeast, but I just don’t know

I do enjoy the brightness from adding it straight to a purged keg before racking into it

 

[DVCNick]

Cool thanks I'll try that sometime too.

 

[bwible]

Orange and coriander are more for witbier. Not so much hefeweizen. Blue Moon listed above is witbier, not hefeweizen. Just saying. As a homebrewer you can of course do whatever you want. Just don’t try to enter a hefe with orange and coriander in a competition or anything.

 

[DVCNick]

It is 2 row, wheat, a little carapils, and WB-06... not sure if that qualifies as a hefe, but usually it seems the answer is no if you have to ask.

 

[HopSing]

Just like the marketing images, I typically serve my Blue Moon clone with a slice of orange to help accentuate the orange notes from the dried peel added during the boil. I Recently I found myself without an orange and resorted to adding 1/2 tablespoon or so of orange juice to the beer, initially as joke, however I was pleasantly surprised with the result and regularly add this splash of OJ to my pours now. I realize it may not be orthodox, but give it a try.

~HopSing.