Citrus to Secondary/Late Primary: Juice, Peel, or Both?

[Lucky137]

I have a hef in primary, and want to add some citrus flavor to it. What part(s) of the fruit should I use for best results? I know zest changes flavors tremendously during baking, does it in brewing as well?

Also, should I be careful to leave out the pith (the white stuff, correct term?)? I would imagine it would add a pretty bitter flavor to the brew.


Thanks!

 

[AmandaK]

I would use only the zest. Any juice flavors will most likely get stripped out by fermentation. If you want to keep the "juice flavor", add it in the bottling bucket.

And you're right, stay away from the pith.

 

[beerkrump]

+1

Zest only. I usually add it at the end of the boil, but a week in the secondary should get you plenty of flavor. I'd guess the zest of one lemon/orange/lime per gallon would be a good ratio.

Since you are doing this in the secondary, you could always check after a couple days and adjust it.

 

[Fish826]

+1

Zest only. I usually add it at the end of the boil, but a week in the secondary should get you plenty of flavor. I'd guess the zest of one lemon/orange/lime per gallon would be a good ratio.

Since you are doing this in the secondary, you could always check after a couple days and adjust it.

I'm also considering adding zest to a Belgian Tripel I brewed 3 weeks ago. I'm going to rack to a secondary this weekend, but didn't know how to go about adding the zest. Do I just dump it in after racking or should I put it in a muslin bag?

 

[Lucky137]

Ok, thank you all!

One more thing: Sanitizing. I have some crappy vodka lying around, is this my best bet? Just soak the zest in it for a few minutes? And if so, do I add the vodka into the fermenter as well, or strain and just use the rest of the zest?


Thanks!

 

[Lucky137]

Update: took the zest of 4 lemons, and one orange. soaked it in vodka for about 15 minutes, then throw it all (in a hop bag) into my primary. It was smelling very strong after only 24 hours, so I took it out, let it sit, tried it 24 hours latter (it was delicious, perfect amount of lemon with just a touch of orange), and bottled on Saturday!

I'll let you all know how they come out in a couple weeks! Thanks for all the help!