Orange zest...

[justinrphillips]

This may be a dumb question but how long can you keep orange zest before you should use it to brew, or are the ways to keep store it? I am curious if I need to go crazy with oranges right before I brew or if I find specific oranges can I keep the zest for a bit? I want to make a Witbier and I want to experiment with the zest from different kinds of oranges such as clementine, blood, etc... and I was curious if I can keep it in the freezer or somewhere else before I use it. Any feedback would be awesome, thanks!

 

[BigJack]

Properly dried commercially available peel bought from a spice vendor lasts a very long time- or at the very least I've never had any go bad before I got around to using it.

I would think that stored in an air-tight bag or container, frozen zest done yourself should last a year or more- especially if you have a vacuum sealer.

 

[Limestone_Cowboy]

freezing any citrus peel is a bad idea. I'm not sure where your concern is, because it you want to use zest, then just grate it when you want to use it. I might be jaded, oranges are all over the place here. They do keep fairly well, maybe not as good as a potato, but it's not like a tomato either. I would just buy a single orange (sweet valencia) near brewday. Don't try to save this stuff.

edit: or as the post above relates to.. just use dried peel. It's not the same, but it's going to produce an orange-y taste even in small quantities.

 

[BigJack]

freezing any citrus peel is a bad idea.

I'm a "learn something new everyday" kind of guy, especially when it turns out I'm wrong about something. Can you tell my why freezing orange peel is a bad idea?

(I really want to know. This isn't a snarky come-back.)

 

[justinrphillips]

I am in Wisconsin so Oranges are not always available....well at least a selection

 

[Limestone_Cowboy]

Fruit and cold are just diametrically opposed, every fruit that I've ever freezed turned out like shit. Admittedly, that mostly concerns the flesh of fruit, but why shouldn't that extend to the peel? Lower moisture in the peel? Maybe.. But when oranges (and other fruit) are widely available year 'round, it's not worth storing. I was actually anticipating somebody taking issue with zest vs. dried. That one is analog vs. digital.

 

[Limestone_Cowboy]

I am in Wisconsin so Oranges are not always available....well at least a selection

Well, now you've got a seasonal beer..

 

[justinrphillips]

Lol yes I need to get why the getting is good

 

[BigJack]

Fruit and cold are just diametrically opposed, every fruit that I've ever freezed turned out like shit. Admittedly, that mostly concerns the flesh of fruit, but why shouldn't that extend to the peel? Lower moisture in the peel? Maybe.. But when oranges (and other fruit) are widely available year 'round, it's not worth storing. I was actually anticipating somebody taking issue with the peel vs. zest. That one is analog vs. digital.

I would think that the fruit itself would freeze poorly, but the oils in the peel or zest should, I would think, react like other volatile oils (like those in hops) in a freezer setting.

And yes, you can get basic oranges, limes, and lemons year-round in most grocery stores- but Meyer Lemons and Blood Oranges are only available during certain seasons in my neck of the woods.

 

[Limestone_Cowboy]

I would think that the fruit itself would freeze poorly, but the oils in the peel or zest should, I would think, react like other volatile oils (like those in hops) in a freezer setting.

And yes, you can get basic oranges, limes, and lemons year-round in most grocery stores- but Meyer Lemons and Blood Oranges are only available during certain seasons in my neck of the woods.

It's possible, there's really only one way to find out. Those volatile oils are pretty delicate tho... at which point, why not use dried peel?

Considering the OP is Wisconsin maybe these things aren't always easy to get. I'll retort to that conundrum by saying sometimes I'd like to do an English ale.. and well, it was 95 today and that's not going to change anytime soon.

 

[MB331]

This may be a dumb question but how long can you keep orange zest before you should use it to brew, or are the ways to keep store it? I am curious if I need to go crazy with oranges right before I brew or if I find specific oranges can I keep the zest for a bit? I want to make a Witbier and I want to experiment with the zest from different kinds of oranges such as clementine, blood, etc... and I was curious if I can keep it in the freezer or somewhere else before I use it. Any feedback would be awesome, thanks!

Whatever route you take, be sure to use the Microplane Classic Zester. It removes a huge amount of zest in no time.

 

[Yreval]

While I'd recommend just zesting them right before use, you can store orange zest or orange peel in your freezer with no issue. Just bag it up and squeeze most of the air out.

 

[Newsman]

Also, should be able to zest the oranges and put them in a little bit of vodka (or other neutral spirit) to sanitize, so that would probably keep in the fridge.

 

[justinrphillips]

Wouldn't the vodka extract all the flavor of the zest?

 

[Newsman]

Wouldn't the vodka extract all the flavor of the zest?

Possibly, but you can put both the vodka AND the zest in there. Chances are there's going to be some flavor left in the zest, unless you keep it in the vodka for weeks, in which case, you could still dump it all. A couple ounces of vodka or other neutral spirit isn't going to change the gravity of 5 gallons of beverage in any measurable way (at least not "measurable" by homebrewer standards... scientifically measurable, sure, but we're not going there! )

 

[orangemen5]

I've zested oranges a week before brewing and froze them without issues. Beer came out nice and citrusy.

 

[tracyk]

I dry and vacuum seal the blood and valencia oranges. I have used them a year later with no problem. Those 2 oranges are only here for a few weeks. Sure I can get the slightly bitter navel oranges year around, but prefer the other two when making an ale with orange zest.

 

[justinrphillips]

I dry and vacuum seal the blood and valencia oranges. I have used them a year later with no problem. Those 2 oranges are only here for a few weeks. Sure I can get the slightly bitter navel oranges year around, but prefer the other two when making an ale with orange zest.

Thanks for the input, great idea!