Tangerine peel addition

[faithie999]

I'm brewing Tangerine Ravine from Northern Brewer (all grain). The kit includes a 2 oz. packet of tangerine peel. It is to be added to primary after fermentation completes.

1) Is it "best practice" to sanitize the peel by soaking in vodka for a few days?

2) Should I just add the peel to the fermenter, or should I put the peel into a muslin mesh bag and suspend it in the fermenter with a length of monofilament line?

Thanks

Ken

 

[50calshooter]

just dump it in.

 

[faithie999]

soak in vodka first or not?

 

[50calshooter]

soak in vodka first or not?

No. Just dump it in.

 

[hotbeer]

soak in vodka first or not?

That's up to you. I'm sure you'll find some that will always soak it in vodka and those that don't.

You washed it first before zesting or peeling it didn't you? I'd not be as concerned with late additions as I would if it was an early addition to the fermenter. But heck, I add hops to the fermenter without sanitizing them in vodka.

I'd just drop them in. Any other thing you do like a net bag or such is just another risk for infection. And the peel will either be floating at the top or trub on the bottom when you rack the beer.

 

[faithie999]

You washed it first before zesting or peeling it didn't you? I'd not be as concerned with late additions as I would if it was an early addition to the fermenter. But heck, I add hops to the fermenter without sanitizing them in vodka.

this is a northern brewer kit. it came with a sealed packet of dried tangerine peel.

 

[Leezer]

As said above, you’ll likely get various opinions. If it were me, I’d soak them in a little vodka and put them and the vodka in the fermenter. The vodka may help draw some of the flavor out of the tangerine. This is the method I use to add cocoa nibs to my chocolate stout.

 

[govner1]

When I use grapefruit or other types of citrus I make a “tea” by putting the zest into a couple of cups of water, bring it to a boil for a few minutes, then let it steep until cool.
I add it at kegging. You can adjust to taste easily.
Avoid the pith as it will give you a bitter taste.

 

[mashpaddled]

You can dump it in without doing anything to it. Whatever small amount of bacteria or yeast on the fruit after drying is going to have to survive the ph and alcohol in your beer. Then it has to be bacteria/yeast capable of consuming the remaining complex sugars and try to reproduce enough to make any kind of notable difference in the beer. I guess if you plan to age these bottles for 100 years I might think about dipping it in a sanitizer.