lemon zest - difference between @ boil or in secondary?

My experience is with orange zest, and IMO it's best to add it in the boil. I have added in the secondary (keg) with good results, but only because the taste was "under-oranged" . . . would prefer to get it right in the kettle. As to the chemical reactions that take place . . . no real idea.

 

Kind of like dry hopping/flavor additions...both are better in most cases, IMHO. Just make sure there is some spice to counter.

 

I like boil, the heat really brings out the oils, which are what you want. Add it at flame out, or 1 min left so you ensure it's in contact with hot wort.

Take a rind, and hit it with a lighter.. smell that? Yeah, thats the good stuff you want.

 

You got a problem.

 

One great trick for getting more out of fresh squeezed lemons/oranges/limes is to throw them in the nuke box for a few seconds. Based on my experience with that, I would guess that the last 5 minutes of the boil would get you more bang for your buck, so to speak.

 

My experience is @ the last 10-1 minute of the boil, any other way involve the risk of introducing some unwonted "guys" into your secondary. As well as, heat will get the most out of the oil or high level of alcohol around 25% plus.

 

I agree with the whole heat probably gets you more argument, but will note that some of the aroma from the boil addition will be driven off by fermentation gas off. So if you want a huge citrus nose, I'd recommend doing both.

 

I'd say do it like folks are using hops nowadays. A fair amount <180*F for a nice steep before cooling, (you're going for the essential oils just like hops, after all) and then some into the fermentor after the yeast has done its stuff. A touch of orange blossom water in the bottling bucket can help as well.

A side note: Why haven't more homebrewers invested in a microplane? It's the easiest way to just get zest without any pith. Multiple other uses around the kitchen as well. They're only like $12.

 

Doing this is to get more juice yield, not to boost the flavor. It works by causing the cell membranes in the segments to rupture. Doesn't do anything for the zest.

 

I won't admit it.

 

Agree . . . you want your zest as fine as frog hair. Plus you get to suck on a tasty orange/lime/kumquat while you're chillin' the wort.

 

It makes sense to me that a short cooking period would release more of the oil from the zest, too. You seem to agree with that, at least.

 

No, I don't. Pro cooks add zest at the very end of cooking in liquid preparations, same as you would a flavoring extract.

 

Oh, I see, you just want to be disagreeable. Carry on, then.

 

I'm not trying to be disagreeable, I'm trying to share knowledge. In this case, its that heat drives off aromatic compounds, and the manner in which it is handled in a field related to brewing, where it comes up far more often.

I'm sorry if I have somehow offended you, it was not my intention.

 

Well, I was only trying to say that I thought you would get more out of heating the zest up in the wort at the end of the boil. Since you also suggested a 180° steep, it seemed you agreed that getting it hot would be of benefit. If you simply believe that 5 mins before the end of the boil is too hot and too long, I couldn't say you would be wrong. But I have used several different additions at 5 min before the end of the boil and it didn't seem to boil off the aromatics too much when it was all said and done. Maybe the aroma would be even stronger if done another way, but I kind of know what I will get the way I'm already doing it.

In the end, I would do the late boil addition first, then add some zest soaked in a neutral spirit in secondary if it still didn't have enough zing to it.

 

Actually a good discussion: This is what I've done in the past, added in the keg when I discovered the orange aroma was lacking. Reviewing my notes, this was a result of boiling my zest for a longer period of time (score one for good notes).

For MrOH, for what I'm picking up, your technique is to add zest after flame out? Are you whirlpooling just like a late hop addition? Time? I also had poor experience with shaving off zest with a paring knife, the microplane makes quick work of the fruit. Do you zest as fine as the microplane allows?

For the OP: From your activity record it looks like you aren't getting much out of this.

 

I have brewed with lemon zest a few times, primarily in IPA recipes. I have always added it with 5 minutes left on the boil. I have heard others complain that when the zest was added after fermentation, the beer tastes like lemon Pledge smells. Also, the essential oils in the zest can be detrimental to head retention.

 

Yep. Possible time waster. Good discussion though. FWIW I think I have always added citrus zests at 1 minute or at flameout, and it seemed to work well, but I have nothing to compare to.