Zest in brew

[ibleedbrew]

i have a recipe for a saison that i would like to get going and i was thinking about adding orange zest to it. my question is do i need to sanitize the zest and how would i do that thanks

 

[pompeiisneaks]

You usually zest in the boil, the boil sanitizes it for you.

 

[HotbreakHotel]

Yes, in the boil, but I put it in at the end of the boil, like at 1 minute or knockout.

 

[ibleedbrew]

yeah i suppose i can do that i was going to add it to the secondary and let it sit but i can just add the boil. thanks any suggestion on how much to add? for an underlining taste not a orange beer flavor 5 gal batch

 

[Bacchusuga]

I made a porter with grapefruit recently and I added the zest of two grapefruits with a minute left and it gave off a great smell. I just bottled it last weekend and used some more zest in my priming sugar. I strained the zest out before adding it to the bottling bucket. Haven't tried it yet, but I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[ibleedbrew]

yeah thanks let me know cause i sorta had the same plans

 

[tagz]

I've tried both lemon and orange zest in wheat beers. If you're going to do it, you have to use quite a bit. I think I zested 6 oranges in one batch and didn't get any perceptable flavor from it.

You might go with something like this instead:

BITTER ORANGE PEEL 1 oz. $2.40 Aurantium amarae pericarpium.
Also called "Curaçau orange peel", these green-gray peels are one of the most popular specialty herbs on the market. They are used commercially by domestic brewers to duplicate the beer styles that put Belgium on the brewing map. While not very bitter, they are a key ingredient in Belgian style white beers.

or this

SWEET ORANGE PEEL 1 oz. $2.40 Aurantium dulcis pericarpium.
While a cousin to the Florida orange, this sweet variety will not give your beer a metallic taste like the domestic version. If you're familiar with the taste of Cointreau or Grand Marnier, then you will be thrilled with the flavor that sweet orange peel can add to your Belgian style strong ales and special holiday brews.

 

[ibleedbrew]

yeah i have some caracau peels left over from a wit i did hell i just add both whats the worst that could happen ha thanks tagz

 

[bigbeergeek]

My wit recipe uses the zest of four oranges and half of a grapefruit and the citrus is spot on. I add at flameout. Just wash the fruit properly to remove as much pesticides/shellac as possible.