Couldn’t get my hands on any dried sweet orange peel, which I’ve used in a few beers before at flameout. Instead I want to try peeling some mandarin oranges (just the orange part, no pith) and adding at flameout to a 6% abv saison. I don’t wanna overdo it though, just a nice citrusy touch in the final beer. Any suggestions as to how much? I know there are a lot of variables here, but let me know if you’ve had any experience. I’m thinking the peel from 4-5 oranges should do the trick, but again, opinions welcome. Thanks in advance!
In Radical Brewing the author recommends 1 orange for a 5 gal batch added at flameout. I find an adult-sized orange is ~0.4 ounces. I tend to add 1 full ounce in my Belgians, either at 5 minutes, or FO, or combo. If possible you want sour oranges (the ugly ones), but they can be hard to find. Suggest you don't guesstimate on number of oranges but use your scale and weigh the zest. My 1 ounce addition (sweet orange) has always been subtle, not overwhelming at all.
I added the zest from 2 fresh oranges (tangerines, no pith) to an east coat IPA (8% abv) shortly after flame-out. I thought there was a threshold to the amount of bitterness that could be detected, and the bitterness level of the IPA was over 85, but the bitterness from the added orange zest brought it to a level of bitterness that I've never experienced before. It was way over the top. It did add a nice orangey flavor, but I had to add Xyla (an unfermentable sugar) to balance the level of bitterness. In the end it turned out quite good. The point is, to expect bitterness from the orange zest and adjust for it if possible - perhaps the zest from one orange will be enough. I haven't tried mandarin oranges - perhaps they are less bitter.
“Sweet orange peel is popular in holiday beers and pairs well with other holiday spices such as cloves and cinnamon. You can purchase the product dried, or you can always zest oranges from the supermarket. Just pick one you like, and make sure to use only the colorful outer layer and avoid the white pith underneath, which is bitter in a not-so-good kind of way.” https://beerandbrewing.com/orange-appeal/ Cheers!
Thanks guys for all of the info! @PortLargo I'll most likely go with your suggestion of 1 oz of fresh sweet orange peel at flameout. Do you find it imparts a lot of bitterness, like OldBrewer mentioned?
Reviewing my notes I find I'm closer to 0.5 - 0.75 ounces, usually at five minutes. My saisons are bittered to 23'ish and pretty much come in at that level. I wouldn't be afraid to use 1.0, but do recommend you scrounge up a Zest'er . . . you want the peel as fine as frog's hair. I also find about a ½ ounce of coriander is a good complement.
I also went back to my notes and found that I used two small navel oranges, rather than tangerine oranges. I haven't seen any comparisons of how the zest of one type of orange compares to another type. I have also used the zest from tangerine oranges, but that was some time ago, so I was unable to compare the two. I also had made some notes about the zest from various sources, if that is of any interest (take them as generalities): 1. the zest of 3 Valencia oranges yields about 1.5 oz. (thus about 0.5 oz. per orange); 2. add zest after flameout when the temperature reaches about 180-185 F.; 3. 2 ounces of zest is too much; 1 ounce should be enough; 4. 4 medium sized oranges yields about 2.2 ounces of zest (thus about 0.5 oz. per orange).
Thanks again, guys. Appreciate you going back and checking your notes. I'll most likely settle on 0.75–1 oz of sweet orange zest at flameout/whirlpool. I'd rather have it not be enough citrus flavor than too much. @PortLargo I considered coriander, but oddly enough am leaning towards 1-1/2 tsp black pepper. I've used it before and really liked the results. The other half of this batch is going to be a pilsner, and instead of going with a simple saison like I always do, I figured I'm gonna add something more interesting on the hot side for this saison
