Cedar Rapids Brewing Society

I'm wondering what the best method to add Bitter Orange into a beer. Initially I was thinking about adding to the primary or secondary, something like a 'dry hop.'

But looking more into the other recipes apparently they are mostly added in the last 5 minutes of boil. If I do this just keep them in during the chilling of the wort, and keep them out of the primary?

I haven't ever had much luck with the dried orange peel. I like to put fresh citrus zest in instead. I usually use two different citrus fruits (oranges and tangerines for example), zest them and throw them in 5 minutes before flame out. I've also thown in some orange marmalade in the last five minutes for the citrus addition.

I also usually throw in something else with this 5 minute addition. Some grains of paradise, and/or chamomile flowers are both great, in addition to the traditional coriander.

Oh, and yes these are boil additions, and you don't want to transfer them to your fermenter.

I just did a Orange Wit on big brew day with a 5 min addition of bitter orange peel. Earlier this week when I kegged it I thought about adding rehydrated sweet orange peel as the orange character had really faded.

It did provide some residual citrus pith type of bitterness that melded with the hop bitterness rather well though.

I'm pretty sure I'll just add a slice of fresh orange at serving time.

If you want orange flavor in your wit I have found the best way is to rack to a secondary and add orange zest. In fact, many times I want to add a particular flavor to a beer I find it works best to throw it in the secondary. I do it just like a dry hop, throw it in the secondary, no sack, just toss it in. I have had great results with hops, orange zest, and recently coffee.

i can attest to the coffe,
for orange/lemons i have tried couple things

in the primary or the secondary add the zest to it, works well or i have also tried adding fruit such as orange/lemon to the secondary. i get all the fleshy fruit stuff out of the fruit, make a mini mash to about 160 to paturize, cool add to to secondary, worked pretty good, wife even liked the beer.

Is it too early to be thirsty for a Belgian wit?




On May 26, 2012, at 8:22 AM, bf514921 <brew-recipes@crbeernuts.org (brew-recipes@crbeernuts.org)> wrote:

i can attest to the coffe,
for orange/lemons i have tried couple things

in the primary or the secondary add the zest to it, works well or i have also tried adding fruit such as orange/lemon to the secondary. i get all the fleshy fruit stuff out of the fruit, make a mini mash to about 160 to paturize, cool add to to secondary, worked pretty good, wife even liked the beer.



Brandon Franklin - The other Franklin

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it never to early to be thirsty, its hard to drink all day without starting in the morning