First BIAB Brew - citrus peel questions...

[bill402]

Hello Gents,

I'm doing an IPA this weekend (just a 3 gallon kit from NB), and I want to kick it up and make it a citrus IPA. It features Rahr 2-Row and caramel malt for the brewing grains and Centennial for the hop additions. Am I too far outside the box on the citrus peel? Would I just wait until primary is complete and put the peels/zest in the secondary?

 

[wilserbrewer]

I would suggest zest once fermentation is complete. Akin to a dry hop.

Just the outer most portion for zest, not the white part of the peal, I believe that is called pith and is bitter. Afaik the nice oils are in the outside of the skin shaved fine, zest.

 

[McKnuckle]

Sounds fine, as citrus is one of the most popular and complementary hop descriptors. But don't use peels - use just the zest.

I have just brewed a Mosaic IPA with pure orange oil from a citrus shop in Florida. I added one drop per 6 oz. volume, and it's just stunning in aroma and flavor. So the general concept of ameliorating an IPA with citrus is definitely sound IMHO.

 

[bill402]

So how much zest for 3 gallons? Subquestion: Any particular combination of citrus? I'm a grapefruit fan, but I don't want to do one particular variety. I feel like lemon and lime would be better in a saison or shandy. I don't know if blood oranges are available locally right now (South MS). Might be too late.

Subsubquestion: Would you suggest doing the steeped vodka route, McKnuckle, similar to what you suggested with the oil? A drop or two in at bottling?

About 7 days in a secondary?

 

[McKnuckle]

Thing is, with the oil, it's professionally extracted and extremely concentrated. So I determined how much to use by measuring out flat beer with an ounce shot glass, a medicine dropper, and some trial 'n' error.

I've never worked with zest other than chucking it in at flameout for a witbier. For an IPA, I'd definitely use it in secondary to preserve the delicate flavor and aroma compounds. But I don't know how well it will react to the vodka extraction process (which I've done with cacao nibs).

Why not start by experimenting with that? Zest an orange, and put it all into an oz of vodka. Leave it for a week, then try dropping some of the extract into a measured serving of pale beer. Some research is in order...

 

[TorMag]

Jumping to add on to this thread. So how do you sanitize the peel before putting it in the fermenter?

 

[McKnuckle]

If you use vodka, you certainly don't need to. I would probably live dangerously in any case. It's highly acidic, so less of a happy environment for bacteria in general.

 

[bill402]

Jumping to add on to this thread. So how do you sanitize the peel before putting it in the fermenter?

I had that thought, too.

 

[RedlegEd]

If concerned about sanitized peel/zest, you could always buy sweet or bitter orange peel from your LHBS. It's dried and ready to add to your secondary. There's a really good Kolsch recipe (BierMuncher's Orange Kolsch) that uses a combination of sweet/bitter orange peel and a touch of coriander seed. I don't see why that would be hard to add for your IPA. You'd just have to figure the balance of sweet & bitter and how much to add. You can add it at the boil, or into your primary/secondary as well, though I think you'd get the best flavor contribution in the secondary.

 

[bill402]

RedlegEd, do you suggest drying the zest before adding?

 

[RedlegEd]

Honestly, I've never used fresh zest. It's so much easier to buy/store/use the dried orange peel. Call me lazy....

 

[bill402]

Honestly, I've never used fresh zest. It's so much easier to buy/store/use the dried orange peel. Call me lazy....

Not lazy at all. Looking for the best flavor on this end!

 

[RedlegEd]

Not lazy at all. Looking for the best flavor on this end!

Then I think you can control the amount and consistency much better with a dried, packaged product. Granted, fresh might seem more appealing, but I think it may be hard to know exactly how much to put in and have a consistent result. Using a given amount of the packaged peels (sweet and/or bitter,) on the other hand, should give you a level of consistency that is repeatable. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you good luck and a happy, tasty brew!

 

[TexasWine]

You could go this route.

http://www.condoblues.com/2011/04/how-to-make-orange-essential-oil-from.html?m=1

Perhaps skip the step where they evaporate the alcohol.

 

[NeoBrew]

It's always a bit of a crap shoot when I do it. I've made a variant of the Northern Brewer La Petite Orange several times. I'm sure the technique would work for other citrus.

I've tried various methods all of which worked. Dried, boiled peels, zest, zest made into a tincture with vodka.

I've pretty much settled on zest in vodka now. I put the fresh zest of two oranges into about 1/2-3/4 cup vodka (just enough to cover the zest) one to two days before I add it in secondary. I dump the whole thing in.

The vodka just helps me feel a little better about not introducing an infection. It seems to extract a nice orange flavor in the finished product.

 

[bill402]

It's always a bit of a crap shoot when I do it. I've made a variant of the Northern Brewer La Petite Orange several times. I'm sure the technique would work for other citrus.



I've tried various methods all of which worked. Dried, boiled peels, zest, zest made into a tincture with vodka.



I've pretty much settled on zest in vodka now. I put the fresh zest of two oranges into about 1/2-3/4 cup vodka (just enough to cover the zest) one to two days before I add it in secondary. I dump the whole thing in.



The vodka just helps me feel a little better about not introducing an infection. It seems to extract a nice orange flavor in the finished product.

I like that idea.

 

[tennesseean_87]

You can add zest to your priming solution if you bottle. That way you can do it just like a flameout addition or a 5 minute, etc.

 

[bill402]

So, we're on day four of the primary, and it's finally beginning to quiet down a bit. Went to my LHBS (not local, given that it's 65 miles away) and we discussed dry-hopping options that would give the same taste and aroma and ended up with a couple of ounces of galaxy hops to pitch in during secondary. We'll see how it turns out!