How to add lemon/orange zest

[LimerickBrewCo]

I'm in the process of brewing a Wheat beer and the recipe calls for adding the zest of 2 lemons and 2 oranges. I'm familiar with how to zest citrus fruits but am wondering should I dump the zests straight into the boil or should I put it in a small hop bag to keep the bits out of the wort? I know with a wheat clarity isn't an issue but I would prefer not to have big bits of zest in my beer when I drink it.

Thanks for the help, this forum has given me so much knowledge.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

either way.. I would just dump it in however...it will settle out with the trub.

 

[kmos]

I usually just dump it into the boil. If you are worried about it, you can just pour through a sanitized strainer into your fermenter. I've never had a problem with it.

 

[jwplessner]

I haven't had a problem with zest gumming up the works or staying in suspension.

Zesting is a lot of work; to get the most out of it, I would add the zest at flameout to keep the aroma and flavor intact.

 

[MikeinCT]

I added a half ounce of orange zest to last batch of pale ale. Jury is still out on if it was worth it cuz I have not sampled beer yet. Point is I did get a piece of zest in the siphon when transferring to bottling bucket. It was right at the end and in the process of getting it out I mixed up the sludge with a couple of bottles of beer. Not the end of the world but next time I would be more careful with zest in the fermenter.

 

[McGreen]

I've zested in the secondary and dumped it in. It sinks and never makes it to the bottle. I agree with all of the above.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

Just so you guys know, you can buy zest at the grocery in the spice aisle. mcCormicks Sweet valencia orange peel works like a charm.

 

[andrewmcd11]

My fourth batch is in primary right now. It's an American Pale Ale kit.

In a week or two, I'm thinking about taking a gallon out of the primary and putting it in secondary with some orange zest.

Do I need to boil the zest first? sanitize the orange with star-san?

Does anyone have some experience with this? Thanks for the help.

 

[menerdari]

Just so you guys know, you can buy zest at the grocery in the spice aisle. mcCormicks Sweet valencia orange peel works like a charm.

I used it in my Blue Moon clone, luckily it was on sale when i bought it for $5 for a 1.5 oz bottle. normally $8
Pricey but adds a nice flavor.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

My fourth batch is in primary right now. It's an American Pale Ale kit.

In a week or two, I'm thinking about taking a gallon out of the primary and putting it in secondary with some orange zest.

Do I need to boil the zest first? sanitize the orange with star-san?

Does anyone have some experience with this? Thanks for the help.

I would probably soak it in a SMALL amount of vodka for a few days then strain the liquid into the secondary