Lime zest/juice

[richross]

So I am planning my next batch to be a take on Uprights Fatali Four which is a sour wheat beer fermented with peppers. To add an extra layer of complexity, I want to include lime zest or possibly juice. I am familiar with the practice of adding zest as a late boil addition or at flame out but has anyone used juice as well/instead. The Commons Brewery in Portland has a beer, Eidolon, which was brewed with meyer lemon zest and juice but I'm not sure how they did it. Any advice?

 

[JDFlow]

Juice and zest the lime into a pan. Add just enough water to cover the lime zest. Boil and add to secondary.

 

[dbennett78]

I like to add zest in a nylon bag right in the serving keg for a day and then remove right after racking, or in fermenter for a day before racking. Gets alot more flavor that way and less zest goes a lot further with it.

 

[TopherM]

Be careful not to add any pith. Pith is very bitter, and just a little bit will change your flavor profile.

 

[ktblunden]

I like to add zest in a nylon bag right in the serving keg for a day and then remove right after racking, or in fermenter for a day before racking. Gets alot more flavor that way and less zest goes a lot further with it.

That seems like the best way to go. Add it as close to serving as possible. One of the local breweries runs their bitter through a Randall with orange peels and it tastes amazing.

 

[richross]

Adding to secondary sounds like a good way to go. Hoping for a subtle to medium lime character. Mainly why I was thinking of going the Belgian wit route and adding at the end of boil. In the experiences mentioned above, how prominent was the lime flavor? And how do I get a nylon bag out of a carboy once it's in?

 

[Calder]

Adding to secondary sounds like a good way to go. Hoping for a subtle to medium lime character. Mainly why I was thinking of going the Belgian wit route and adding at the end of boil. In the experiences mentioned above, how prominent was the lime flavor? And how do I get a nylon bag out of a carboy once it's in?

Forget the nylon bag and just put it in the fermenter. The nylon bag (I assume) is to stop it getting in the keg lines.

I usually steep zest in a little vodka for a week before adding. Just enough to cover it. The vodka sanitizes it, and the higher alcohol hleps extract the oils. I then add both the zest and the vodka to the secondary.

 

[richross]

Forget the nylon bag and just put it in the fermenter. The nylon bag (I assume) is to stop it getting in the keg lines.

I usually steep zest in a little vodka for a week before adding. Just enough to cover it. The vodka sanitizes it, and the higher alcohol hleps extract the oils. I then add both the zest and the vodka to the secondary.

Thanks for the input/suggestion. I just zested 3 limes and used about 1 1/2 ounces of vodka to cover it. In about a week I'll add the zest & vodka along with the juice from the 3 limes into secondary and rack the beer. Hope all goes well with this experiment.