In my Belgian Wheat it came with an orange peel packet to add in after the boil right. A buddy at work said I could add a bit more after the first week of fermentation to give it a bit more flavor. What do you think of this? I like the idea of tinkering with it a bit personally. Thanks! Daniel
Personally I would throw it in at flameout. If you really want to add it post fermentation, I would suggest making a tincture in vodka, to sanitize it.
I did throw the initial packet that came in the kit at flameout. Sorry I am fairly new what is "tincture in vodka" mean?
Sorry, I misread, I thought you were debating when to add the orange peel. Just soak the orange peel in a small amount of vodka for a few days to sanitize. You could probably just strain out the chunks and add the vodka. I've not done this with orange peel, but I have with coriander in a wit that I was a bit lacking.
Dried sweet orange peel probably won't be catastrophic if you tinker with the beer. It's not SUPER flavorful, so (following the vodka thing, of course) I wouldn't have to hyperventilate into a bag if you did this.
I don't think I'd bother with vodka. 1. I hate vodka. 2. I hate lists. This beer shouldn't sit around that long and should be drank fresh. I wouldn't worry about infection, and an infection would probably be slow to show up in the taste. Throw the peel in late primary, or zest some orange peel in late primary if you aren't getting enough orange flavor. Wash the orange first, if you do this. That said, I think most people would throw the orange peel in in the last 5 min of the boil or at flameout. Both would yield a similar outcome.
I'd use some fresh zest. Since you've boiled it already, which adding it at flameout would be the best idea, the fresh zest would be your next best option really. If you are worried about infection and want some piece of mind, then zest it, and add to some neutral spirits like vodka. Add the "tincture" which is really just a now homemade extract to the beer and taste. Not enough.. add more.
1. You could toss them in some grand marnier. 2. just sayin'. 3. I think I'm going to pick up some grand marnier today. I rarely do liquor but for occasional treat
I hate that hot boozy taste in most beers, and try to age it out of oaked beers. I hate to think about that flavor in a lighter style beer like a wit. Tinctures be damned.
Actually a TINY bit of grand marnier in a witbier with sweet orange peel sounds tasty to me. Although mostly I agree, the hot boozy taste is something I can almost always do without. In fact, I can't think of a single beer where I say "oh yeah! that hot boozy taste!"
