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Hi everyone, I need some advice on using orange peel or zest.

I want to get an orange flavour and aroma in a beer I'm bastardizing. Right now it's in the primary and I would like to rack it onto some orange peel, zest, and maybe some orange puree, My only options are the grocery store unless there's something you recommend from NG.

Should I get some clementines and / or navel oranges, zest them with a grater, simmer a bit with some water to sanitise, and add to secondary?

If you've done something like this before please elaborate.

Thanks,
-Rob

And I don't mind adding fermentables. What about frozen orange juice concentrate?

And to kind of answer my own question I hit the books. In Radical Brewing, Mosher says to use the zest. End of boil and secondary are fine.

I've used orange, lime, lemon and clementine zest before but always at the very end of the boil. Maybe just steeping it in water awhile will do the job and then add it to the secondary. I have soaked coconut in rum before and added that to the secondary. Good luck.

+1 for adding at flame out. Maybe soak the orange zest/peel in some vodka for a day then add to secondary. Steeping may also work but soaking in vodka or rum would be best.

Also remember that the white stuff under the zest is super bitter so peel it very carefully. I use a sharp carrot peeler and really take my time.

Thanks, guys.

I always used flameout or a hopback with zest.

. I use a sharp carrot peeler and really take my time.

that's a good idea - the one time I tried, I got frustrated with a zester so I switched to a cheese grater. resulted in a lot of pith going in the boil.

NG also has sweet and bitter orange peel for sale. It just won't be as fresh. I just used some of their sweet orange peel in my cream ale. TBD how it works out.

FWIW, I think the pith issue only applies to food. All commercially sold orange peel includes the pith.

I have a whole bunch of bitter orange peel if you want to try some. We used it in a wit back in the summer that turned out great. I'm pretty sure X is right and that it does include the pith, but also doesn't really matter in this instance. The bittering is minor in relation to the hops. I have also read that bitter orange peel is better than peel from naval oranges (which is what you'll get at the grocery store). I haven't done an a/b comparison of the two myself though.

I have some of the black seville orange peel is anybody would like to try some.

I've not heard of black seville orange peel... what's different about it?

edit - a quick google comes up with seville oranges but nothing about black. Though PC makes a black label seville orange marmalade..? Otherwise though, sounds like when people refer to bitter orange peel, it's Seville oranges.

The peel looks black when it's dry is what I meant, very dark.

I used the peel from NG @ 3 min before flame out...steep for 20 min then removed...when I was making my Wit

Noble Grape sells both bitter and sweet orange peel.