Summer Citrus Wheat

[brew]

Did this one last night:

http://www.craftbrewing.ca/brewblog/index.php?page=brewBlogDetail&id=6&filter=brew

Used a Ringwood slant from the library...

[Kyle]

congrats on going all grain! Looks very good.

[Richard]

Yup, definitely looks good. I'd be curious to see what the ringwood brings to the table in this one.

[brew]

Yeah should be interesting - got some airlock activity at around 12 or 13 hours so the starter must have worked!

[Dave Savoie]

Just an opinion I would soak some Orange zest in some Vodka and add after fermentation has completed as the 1 OZ you added with 5 min left in the boil will lend no flavor due to fermentation eating it all up but thats just me

[brew]

Interesting - so the dried orange peel would be mostly sugar(s) then? Maybe soak another 1 oz in say a couple oz's of vodka?

[Dave Savoie]

I would get a few more opinions then proceed

[brew]

Good think I checked on this earlier this afternoon, needs a blow off tube!

[Shawn]

That's a fair amount of sweet orange peel (I'm assuming you mean the dried...?)... I don't think all the flavor will be out of your beer. The later you add it in the boil, the better, but 5 minutes is a very reasonable time, assuming your wort was cooled fairly quickly.

Fermentation doesn't scrub out flavor/aroma as much as you'd think. Late hop/spice additions can still add quite a bit of both, depending on the beer.

[pliny]

To add a bit to Shawn's; you will get some decent citrus with your hop bill (Cascade, Cascade, Cascade).

[Richard]

Yeah I find that the flavour doesn't get blown off - aroma does to a large degree, though.

[brew]

So this finished super cloudy    I did put it in the fridge for a couple of days but - nothin - still pea soup. It has CO2 in it now, but I've taken it out of the fridge and gassing off the carb...

Tastes like it looks... a bit "orangy" but bitter and thick - perhaps there is some pith in the orange peel from Scoop and Save?

Must be the orange peel - I'm going to try and clear it - going to put some pectin enzyme and then gelatin. Maybe the enzyme for a couple of days first - wonder if I should try putting it back into the fermentor or just leave it in the keg?

[Richard]

Avoid oxidising it (as a transfer would potentially cause). Only reason to move to a carboy would be for visual, but you can probably manage that with a wine thief or whatever.

[Kyle]

The wheat can also cause alot of cloudiness. Did you use whirlfloc? I find that at least 1/2 tab of it is the most effective way to prevent opaqueness in wheat beers that are done grain to glass relatively quickly.

[brew]

Indeed with this batch I did forget the whirlfloc... so I added the pectin enzyme (2 tsp) for about 4 days - nothin - then added gelatin and it cleared significantly - it now looks like a wheat beer (some haze, but more what you'd see in a Garrison wheat). I also forgot it after hooking it up to the CO2 - 30psi for 5 days... if I want a glass, I take a growler... The taste is much better, but there is something there I don't think belongs - I'll bring some tomorrow - hope to gain some insight...