Avoiding additional bitterness from Grapefruit zest

[Tamir]

Hi

This Tuesday I'm about to brew a Simcoe Pale Ale.

I thought of dry zesting it with grapefruit zest, so I zested 4 of them (33g of zest) using a zester tool to avoid the white pith.

Despite the fact I was careful, the zest is definitely bitter, not sure if this is supposed to be like this. I soaked the zests in vodka tonight, and it will sit for about a week and a half.

Is this normal? I thought the whole purpose of using zest instead of peels is to avoid that harsh bitterness (my brew is going to be at 37 IBUs).

Any recommendations?
I planned to add the whole vodka-zest solution and let it sit with the dry hops for 7 weeks.

 

[Calder]

Grapefruit does have a somewhat bitter flavor. You have done the right thing. The zest will not add any noticeable bitterness to the beer.

I recently did the same thing, but I added the zest to the boil with 15 minutes to go. You are trying to extract the oils, I think boiling is probably more effective than making an extract with vodka. Your extract method will work.

 

[Natdavis777]

I did a Grapefruit Blonde where I zested 2 Grapefruits and 2 Oranges in the last 5 min of the boil. I didnt get any extra bitterness from either, despite how they tasted raw. I tell what, the hop spider after the fact smelled like fruit loops... Amarillo and Ahtanum were the hops I used. Unfortunately I didnt get much citrus from the zest additions as I had hoped.

 

[WarmGas]

I just used the zest from two grapefruits from rubbing them on a cheese grater recently. I soaked it in vodka several days or so and then dumped it in the primary for a week in the Grapefruit Pulpin' clone I made. It was amazing: great grapefruit floral aroma and no bitterness at all.

I think the vodka extracts the oils and after melding with the beer for a week or more any perception of bitterness disappears. You will be happy with the result!