Question

[Tivoilos]

I am a semi amateur brewer I've made beer before an enjoy it. I am now thinking of using a new type of recipe I am thinking instead of using like grains using oranges. I know sounds different and sounds more like a wine then a beer but I think it could be done but I have a question. Would I still need to use hops? I know it's part of the grain but is there a substitute for hops in making beer? Or would I replace the hops with the oranges and just use the crystallized malt

So tell me what you think!

 

[kombatkoala]

AFAIK hops add bitterness and aroma - it seems like you'd want to look more in the Lemonade/Cider categories. I think those would be more like what you're trying to do.

 

[ChshreCat]

I have no idea what you're trying to do, but let me try to help.

Hops aren't a grain. They are the flower of a plant which is totally unrelated to barley or other brewing grains.

Hops add bitterness as well as aroma and flavor.

If you replace the hops with orange juice, you will have something very sweet.

If you replace the grains with orange juice, you will have a hop flavored wine.

Now, if you add orange juice/orange zest to a beer, you get a fruit beer and many people make those.

There was a time when hops weren't used in beer at all and other herbs were used to bitter and flavor the beer. Do a quick search for "gruit" on here or google and you might find some information towards what you're trying to do.

 

[Tivoilos]

well I am not wanting to use actual juice, but I mean brew the orange slices in during the steeping process. An remove them when your getting ready to put your "beer" into your fermentation

hope that helps you understand what I was wanting to do.

 

[BigB]

I think I get what you mean... Try this recipe/link: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f85/blood-orange-hefeweizen-98579/

I believe the actual recipe is post #11 on page 2.

 

[lumpher]

no hops if you're just using oranges

 

[Tivoilos]

thank you all for your insights, and thoughts much appreciated thumbs up for this community ^_^

 

[malkore]

no hops if you're just using oranges

in which case its a gruit...an un-hopped beer that uses something else (like bitter orange peel) for the spice to offset the malt.

I had a very interesting gruit on Sunday made with...mugwort, fennel and something else. It was good but quite different. not very 'beery' but herbal.