Grapefruit questions

[1977Brewer]

I have the following recipe in primary right now. It's the Nierra Sevada session APA from the recipe session here, with my Hop Schedule, and dry hopped, because brewing is like jazz for me. It's been cranking right along since Sunday. Smells amazing so far. I'm contemplating racking a gallon over some grapefruit zest, because I can and I wanna.

8 lbs. Pale 2 Row
.5 Carafoam
.5 Crystal 60

Single step mash @ 155, 45 minutes

.5 oz. Willamette (5.2 aa) 60
.5 oz Willamette (5.2 aa) 30
1 oz Cascade (7-ish? aa) 30
1 oz Cascade FO - Hopstand

I'm planning on dry hopping 1 oz. Cascade for 5-7 days. Here's the question. Should I pull off .2 oz. of Cascade, and dry hop my gallon with the grapefruit, or dry hop the whole batch, and rack the gallon to the grapefruit afterward? Simplicity and laziness are telling me to dryhop the whole batch, rack the gallon over the grapefruit, and bottle it all a couple of days later, but I don't want to leave the remaining 4.5 gallons or so with that much headspace for very long at all.

I knew it wouldn't take me long to try and overcomplicate things.

 

[Eh_Modern_Drunkard]

Why wouldn't you just put the zest into the secondary when you're doing your dry hopping? That's the way I've usually done it...but perhaps I've missed something that will shortly be corrected by other posters

 

[1977Brewer]

Why wouldn't you just put the zest into the secondary when you're doing your dry hopping? That's the way I've usually done it...but perhaps I've missed something that will shortly be corrected by other posters

You're getting corrected by me. I only want a gallon of Grapefruit, of the 5.5 gallon batch. No secondary, except the grapefruit version, because I don't beleive in secondary.

 

[Eh_Modern_Drunkard]

Hahaha
Well fair enough! In that case, I'd do it after you've dry hopped.
I'm still one of those folks that out of habit and pure stubbornness, still secondary about half of my brews.
Sounds like a tasty brew, you should post a pic when it's done and let us know how it turned out!

 

[scottballz]

Just a heads up with the grapefruit zest. It will impart a very bitter flavor for a good month or so after it has been carbed. It usually dissipates a little, but a little goes a long way so don't over do it. as far as your dry hopping issue goes, I would just dry hop the whole batch then rack your gallon to a secondary and bottle the remaining 4.5. this way you don't have to worry about your headspace issue.

 

[1977Brewer]

Just a heads up with the grapefruit zest. It will impart a very bitter flavor for a good month or so after it has been carbed. It usually dissipates a little, but a little goes a long way so don't over do it. as far as your dry hopping issue goes, I would just dry hop the whole batch then rack your gallon to a secondary and bottle the remaining 4.5. this way you don't have to worry about your headspace issue.

That's what I was thinking, both about being insanely bitter and just doing it before I bottle the main batch.

Curveball # 2. What if I do it straight into the bottle? Prime and bottle the whole batch, and when I get to, oh, say 36 bottles of regular, I toss in a tincture of grapefruit and Everclear (becasue I have Everclear for some reason), stir, and continue bottling.

 

[scottballz]

If you want to make your own extract I would use vodka and let it sit for a few days prior and taste it first. I think everclear might be a little harsh.

 

[1977Brewer]

Good idea. I'll grab a half pint of cheap vodka.

 

[scottballz]

👍 let us know how it turns out.

 

[RM-MN]

I have the following recipe in primary right now. It's the Nierra Sevada session APA from the recipe session here, with my Hop Schedule, and dry hopped, because brewing is like jazz for me. It's been cranking right along since Sunday. Smells amazing so far. I'm contemplating racking a gallon over some grapefruit zest, because I can and I wanna.

8 lbs. Pale 2 Row
.5 Carafoam
.5 Crystal 60

Single step mash @ 155, 45 minutes

.5 oz. Willamette (5.2 aa) 60
.5 oz Willamette (5.2 aa) 30
1 oz Cascade (7-ish? aa) 30
1 oz Cascade FO - Hopstand

I'm planning on dry hopping 1 oz. Cascade for 5-7 days. Here's the question. Should I pull off .2 oz. of Cascade, and dry hop my gallon with the grapefruit, or dry hop the whole batch, and rack the gallon to the grapefruit afterward? Simplicity and laziness are telling me to dryhop the whole batch, rack the gallon over the grapefruit, and bottle it all a couple of days later, but I don't want to leave the remaining 4.5 gallons or so with that much headspace for very long at all.

I knew it wouldn't take me long to try and overcomplicate things.

I think the combination of Cascade and Citra for dry hopping may give you all the grapefruit you want. Try an ounce of each.

 

[David_Trucks]

Is it really necessary to sanitize the peel at all? I've currently got a few gallons of IPA in primary and will soon add grapefruit zest. I zested(?) the grapefruit about a month ago and froze it in preparation for this.

I'm shying away from sanitizing the zest in anything, because I did a stout with vanilla beans soaked in vodka a while back and it really changed the flavor in a bad way.