Best way to add orange flavor?

[okiedog]

After tasting an orange wheat beer at Harry's Hofbrau, my wife asked me to brew an orange wheat beer for her. What are the best ingredients and the best way to add them to get real orange flavor in a weizen/wheat beer?

Thanks for any help or comments.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Short answer, add oranges.

Long answer, add sweet orange peel or zest (avoid the albedo (the white part)) to the end of the boil or as you would dry-hop. Or you can add orange extract at bottling. To me extract flavor doesn't seem to last as long and has a fake feel to it.

 

[giraffe]

I agree with the above.
Fresh zest is what I would go with. It is citrus season, there is a variety of types of oranges, blood oranges, tangelos, etc, available if you go to a produce market, pick something with a nice smell. Id carefully zest the orange avoiding the white as indicated. Toss in in the last couple minutes of boil to flameout.

 

[edroberts]

If you are looking for hops that mimic oranges, Summit hops maybe get you in that vein as well a few new hops such as Belma or Wai-Iti (although I have no experience with them). Still, your best bet is zest like what others have suggested.

I've had good success with Cara Cara orange zest. It has a very high oil content. Blood oranges can also be a good option. Otherwise, find whatever orange has the most aroma.

 

[grizzly2378]

I'm planning on brewing a blood orange saison this weekend. I'll add 2 oranges worth of fresh zest at flameout. My question is, is it better to transfer the zest to the fermenter (I usually strain out the bulk of the hop sludge during transfer). Or will the oils from the zest be absorbed into the wort in the relatively short time between flameout and transferring to the fermenter?

 

[vinnythering]

I've added Naked juice to a beer before. Turned out okay and didn't get the vomit flavor I've read about. I added two pints to a heavy porter. Only had a hint of flavor. I'd recommend an extra pint or two if you go that route.

 

[aStoutObserver]

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2011/05/homebrewing-how-to-brew-with-spices.html

 

[okiedog]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have used a small amount of orange zest to the boil kettle for a Saison, but did not get much orange flavor. Maybe I needed more zest, or didn't add it late enough in the boil. I'm considering adding fresh zest at flameout, and zest sanitized in a small amount of vodka after fermentation. Also, I'm looking at Citra and Smaragd hops for flavor, and Citra and Saphir for aroma.

 

[brrman]

I once flavored a porter with mandarin orange zest. It came out really well flavored. Not boiled. In the fermenter (sanitized with vodka).

 

[okiedog]

Mandarin oranges do have a really great aroma. I am looking to add orange flavor as much or more than aroma I'll have to try adding the zest to the fermenter. Did you add the zest to the primary after fermentation, or in secondary?

 

[vinnythering]

I've also tried the zest method but it doesn't work for me. I just don't like the flavor it imparts, which to me is reminiscent of Gojo. Maybe I screwed it up.

 

[riceral]

If you are looking for hops that mimic oranges, Summit hops maybe get you in that vein as well a few new hops such as Belma or Wai-Iti (although I have no experience with them).

Maybe use some mandarin hops. Not quite orange but tangerine.

https://www.hopunion.com/german-mandarina-bavaria/

I haven't used these and just know on what others have said.

 

[BlkWater_brewer]

My vote would be for the yeast/hops combination as opposed to juice/zest.

 

[vinnythering]

My vote would be for the yeast/hops combination as opposed to juice/zest.

Mine too. Juice is risky and I don't personally like zest.

 

[tagz]

I recently had someone ask me how I infused the tangerine flavor into my Citra PA. So, Citra could be an option.

 

[okiedog]

It sounds like I may have to tweak my Orange Wheat recipe over a few batches to get a satisfactory orange flavor. I'm not apposed to tangerine, and there are a few hops varieties that have at least some tangerine character. I should be brewing this soon. What I'm thinking is: Use hops selected for their citrus, orange/tangerine flavor and aroma, plus a small amount of zest in the fermenter. Please keep the suggestions/comments coming if you have more to add. They give me more food for thought. Thanks.

 

[bobbrews]

1. Adding fresh squeezed juice and zest to the secondary.

2. Using hops with orange qualities, like Ahtanum.


While some candied zest might offer a little benefit in the boil, adding fresh oranges to the secondary is what is going to yield the most prominent orange character. Boiled zest comes off as more bitter and the heat destroys the aromatic oils.

 

[okiedog]

Have you done this? Adding fresh squeezed orange juice to the secondary, I mean? It had occurred to me to add sliced oranges to the secondary,but I was kind of iffy on doing that. I've read that some orange juice is added to Hitachino's Nest, and that is a good tasting beer.

 

[tonesmith]

Intriguing topic, I'd like to try an orange wheat one day. Around here there is A local brewery who has basically created its own booming industry with one orange wheat beer, Hangar 24. Here is an article that somewhat describes how they make their orange wheat beer. It looks like they add whole puréed oranges throughout the brewing process perhaps this is something you can consider and maybe try to find the beer if it's available in your area. It is quite good, the only one they make that I enjoy.

http://www.kcet.org/living/food/socal-spirits/hangar-24-brewery-likes-to-keep-it-local.html

Cheers,
Anthony

 

[dobes]

I've tried several ways to add orange flavor. My favorite was using an orange tea. I used this in a wheat and turned out really good. Basically used the zest and squeezed the juice and pulp into a bit of water. Heated it up a bit let it sit and added it to the primary a few days into fermentation.

I think I used about 10 blood oranges for a 13 gallon batch.


It gave a strong Orange flavor and was smooth not bitter. The only down fall I noticed was the flavor faded over time. After about 4 months the orange flavor was only a hint in the background.

 

[okiedog]

Hangar 24 makes some good beers. Tonesmith, thanks for the tip and link.

Dobes, I'm not worried about orange flavor fading after 4 months. Unless I bottle some and hide bottles, it'll probably be gone in 2 months or less.

I'll let you guys know how this turns out. It's well into the boil as I write this. The Citra hops sure smells good. Guess I'll have to try an little Citra dry hops. Anyone know what dry hopped Citra is like?

 

[bobbrews]

Dry hopped citra is extremely juicy and tropical. Especially when mixed with Amarillo, which elevates the flavor with it's citrusy peachy-ness. Both of these hops are like peas and carrots if you're into that sort of mango/pineapple/citrus character.

 

[okiedog]

Those tropical fruit flavors are nice. Iv'e tasted a couple of brews that had that type of flavor profile. What I'm looking for in my Orange Wheat though, is to bring out any orange type of citrus flavor and aroma. I would love to dry hop with some German Mandarina hops, but I brew all organic. I haven't been able find any organic Mandarina.

 

[bobbrews]

What I'm looking for in my Orange Wheat though, is to bring out any orange type of citrus flavor and aroma.

Besides using juice and zest...


Ahtanum hops

They offer a sort of floral orange spice, which would go well with a lowly bittered American Wheat Ale. Plus, they're only about 6% AA. You can use it during the boil, at flameout, and in the dryhop.

 

[zippybasher]

ahtanum hops

they offer a sort of floral orange spice, which would go well with a lowly bittered american wheat ale. Plus, they're only about 6% aa. You can use it during the boil, at flameout, and in the dryhop.

+1!!!!

Straight up orange juice! Dry hop with ahtanum! most orange flavored hop i have ever tasted. Really good.

 

[okiedog]

Thanks! Trying to find organic Ahtanum hops ins't easy though. Does anyone know where Hopworks Urban Brewery gets the hops for their Organic IPA?

 

[brewshki]

Intriguing topic, I'd like to try an orange wheat one day. Around here there is A local brewery who has basically created its own booming industry with one orange wheat beer, Hangar 24. Here is an article that somewhat describes how they make their orange wheat beer. It looks like they add whole puréed oranges throughout the brewing process perhaps this is something you can consider and maybe try to find the beer if it's available in your area. It is quite good, the only one they make that I enjoy.

http://www.kcet.org/living/food/socal-spirits/hangar-24-brewery-likes-to-keep-it-local.html

Cheers,
Anthony

You must be in Southern California. I go to school in Orange but am
From riverside

 

[bobbrews]

Thanks! Trying to find organic Ahtanum hops ins't easy though.

Any reason for this preference?

If you read up on this topic, you will likely find that the only real difference is cost.

 

[okiedog]

I prefer organic. I brew all organic beers and share them with friends and family and can honestly tell them it is organic. Cost certainly is a factor, but for me, it's worth it to avoid hops that have been sprayed with pesticides or treated with other chemicals or compounds. Same goes for organic grains: no GMO's, no herbicides, no pesticides.

 

[okiedog]

Perrault Farms in Washington has organic Ahtanum hops, but it looks like all their sales are to breweries.

 

[uncleleon]

Corriander! Duh!

 

[okiedog]

Corriander? It's good in Witbier, has a nice citrus aroma, but orange flavor? I don't know. Maybe I'll have to make a little corriander tea and try it.

 

[okiedog]

Last night I racked my Orange Wheat to secondary on top of 1 pound of sliced Mandarin oranges. A taste sample yielded slight orangey citrus flavor. Hopefully the fresh Mandarins will kick up the orange flavor.

 

[tonesmith]

You must be in Southern California. I go to school in Orange but am
From riverside

Yes, in the same city actually.

Any updates on the orange brew?

 

[tonesmith]

You must be in Southern California. I go to school in Orange but am
From riverside

Yes, same city as the brewery.

Any updates on the orange beer?

 

[tonesmith]

You must be in Southern California. I go to school in Orange but am
From riverside[/QUOTE


Yes, same city as the brewery.

Any updates on the orange beer?

 

[okiedog]

Sorry I took so long to update this. I was waiting for it to be ready to drink. I'm calling it Mandarin Orange Wheat because it was made with 2 lbs. of Mandarin oranges. I used Citra, Smaragd and Saphir hops in the boil+ some fresh orange zest added at flameout. In the fermenter, I added 1-1/4 lb. thinly sliced Mandarin oranges. Then I kegged it on top of fresh orange juice from 3/4 lb. of Mandarin oranges (about 5 - 6 fluid ounces).

It's St. Patty's Day, and a good day to try a new brew with family and friends. All who tried it really liked it. My wife, who requested I make it, just loves it. The aroma is awesome. The flavor is very orange citrus. It's bound to get better.

 

[tonesmith]

Cool, any pics?

 

[okiedog]

I can probably post some pics. It might be a day or two though. I'm recovering from some kind of respiratory infection that has sapped most of my energy. I can tell you that this brew has a nice yellow orange color to it, and a big frothy head. It's a big hit with the women, especially my wife.

 

[okiedog]

Yesterday I quickly snapped a few pics. I'm not sure how to get pictures from my computer into this post. I've added them as attachments.