Zest of 5 oranges too much in a wit???

[beargrylls]

I zested 5 medium oranges down to where it was getting white, mostly light orange. It came to about a tennis ball sized clump of zest (maybe a bit smaller). I didn't weight it but it was about 5 packed tablespoons. Was this too much for a 5 gallon batch of witbier??

 

[matt99004]

I did about the same thing last weekend. Zest of 4 large oranges, came to about 2 ounces. The orange oil flavor is a bit strong, but starting to wane. I think I'll cut it in half next time.

 

[flyingfinbar]

I zested three blood oranges, two temple orange, and a lemon in a wit/hefe beer. It's pretty good! Definitely don't think the orange is overpowering at all. I didn't weight it out, but it was a good baseball sized clump that I added at flamout.

 

[TheGreatReverend]

The time you add it maters almost as much as the amount. So does if you like citrus. I've had some I thought didn't taste enough like citrus while other people hated it. It's a pretty volatile oil and mellows well with age.

Kinda

flyingfinbar, I'm looking for a nice Citrus Wit. I'm thinking looks like a Blue-Moon, so defiantly a wit and not a Bavarian hefe. I want a light, crisp drink with a very noticeable citrus flavor. Not necessarily orange, maybe a grapefruit and lemon with a little orange flavor.
How did your's turn out? Would if be a good back drop if I just changed the fruit around?

 

[Calichusetts]

I hope not...I zested 5 tangerines for my summit IPA yesterday, adding 1/3 at 5 minutes and 2/3 at flameout. I only do 1 gallon batches!

 

[flyingfinbar]

The time you add it maters almost as much as the amount. So does if you like citrus. I've had some I thought didn't taste enough like citrus while other people hated it. It's a pretty volatile oil and mellows well with age.

Kinda

flyingfinbar, I'm looking for a nice Citrus Wit. I'm thinking looks like a Blue-Moon, so defiantly a wit and not a Bavarian hefe. I want a light, crisp drink with a very noticeable citrus flavor. Not necessarily orange, maybe a grapefruit and lemon with a little orange flavor.
How did your's turn out? Would if be a good back drop if I just changed the fruit around?

I think it's really good! It's been about a month in the bottles, and it's really coming into its own, flavor wise. I used Whitelabs 380, and it worked really well with the citrus. I also added .5oz of coriander at 5 minutes, but I don't know if you'd add that with lemons or grapefruit.

The hops I used also worked well with citrus... Centennial, Cascade, and a little Citra flameout addition with the zest.

Lemon is a bit stronger of a flavor than orange, so I'm not sure if you'd use a little less lemon zest than orange, but honestly, I'm not sure! It'll definitely be good...I'm a fan of citrus beers

 

[TheGreatReverend]

Sounds good. If have it posted on Hopville, I'd love the link.

 

[kerant]

If I add the zest near the end should I transfer the zest into the fermenter?

 

[beargrylls]

i strained mine out but you could just dump everything in bc it will settle out. I'm not sure how much more orange flavor you will get from that though

 

[ylpaul2000]

I just made 5 different batches of wit over the last 3 months and I found if one is really looking for orange aromatics add an ounce to the secondary. It does wonders for flavor and aromatics. In fact the last batch I made I didn't add any of the spices until the secondary. I made a tea and boiled my coriander, orange, and chamomile then added it to the secondary with the young beer. I defiantly retained to most flavor and aroma of all the batches.

 

[TexasAggie]

just kegged a BOB White (blood orange belgian wit) using zest of 5 large blood oranges that weighed out at 2 oz. Very underwhelming for my taste. Fresh fruit is much less aromatic and flavorful than the dried processed stuff used for cooking. An addition to the secondary would be recommended if you really want a definitive orange character.

 

[tmags711]

@Aggie:

I've got a nearly identical beer in primary right now. I added four pureed blood oranges w/ 10 mins in the boil and the zest of three w/ five mins (about 1.5 oz). I will keep your advice on secondary in the back of my mind for when I rack to secondary next week.

 

[beargrylls]

i thought 5 oranges was going to be alot but i can barely taste it. Im gonna add more next time and also some to the secondary

 

[Transamguy77]

I've got a wheat in primary now that I zested 4 navel oranges and ended up with a little less than 4 oz, I hope it's not overwhelming.

 

[IkeKrizzule]

When you say made a tea, do you mean you made a cup of chamomile tea and steeped the fruit zest together with it?