Anyone ever 'dry hop' a belgian wit with Fresh Orange Zest?

[Stevorino]

I'm thinking about adding a touch of Orange zest aroma to my belgian wit by adding some orange zest directly to the keg and then serving it off the keg.

My plan before getting your feedback is to wash the oranges, zest them, flash the zest in a tablespoon or two of boiling water, and then add it directly to the keg -- hopefully adding orange scent and maybe a touch of flavor directly as the beer is being poured.

Any thoughts or experiences to share?

[BrewChemistinCO]

I'm thinking about adding a touch of Orange zest aroma to my belgian wit by adding some orange zest directly to the keg and then serving it off the keg.

My plan before getting your feedback is to wash the oranges, zest them, flash the zest in a tablespoon or two of boiling water, and then add it directly to the keg -- hopefully adding orange scent and maybe a touch of flavor directly as the beer is being poured.

Any thoughts or experiences to share?

I haven't done this but with my last wit I used the orange zest 5 min left in the boil. I have great aroma and flavor in the final beer but I am glad I added when I did. The amount of orange aroma that came out in the boil and out during the ferment and into my fermentation fridge was kinda crazy. Everytime I opened the fridge door I got punched in the face by the smell of oranges. I used 4 clementines and a valencia orange just to give you an idea. I think your idea will work just be very, very careful not to overdo it.

[BlueLoon]

I've not dry hopped with zest but do it all the time in the boil. The zest is pretty fine and you might get floaties. I usually use a mix of bitter orange and fresh zest however I've used just zest before also. I'd think you could also put the zest in a little vodka to sanitize it. You could even do a tincture where you soak the zest to extract the flavor.

[dunleav1]

I'm thinking about adding a touch of Orange zest aroma to my belgian wit by adding some orange zest directly to the keg and then serving it off the keg.

My plan before getting your feedback is to wash the oranges, zest them, flash the zest in a tablespoon or two of boiling water, and then add it directly to the keg -- hopefully adding orange scent and maybe a touch of flavor directly as the beer is being poured.

Any thoughts or experiences to share?

I've done it a couple times when my wit comes out a little less orangey than I want.
I make an "zest tea". I boil a cup of water and take it off the heat. Drop in grated grapefruit, navel oranges, tangerines and cover. I let it sit until it cools and them pitch in the keg.
Works great!

[ziggy]

I think you should just serve with an orange slice. Squeeze it skin side facing the glass so that the oil comes out into the glass. I just add a good handful to the boil and get plenty of aroma.

[Stevorino]

I'm thinking about adding a touch of Orange zest aroma to my belgian wit by adding some orange zest directly to the keg and then serving it off the keg.

My plan before getting your feedback is to wash the oranges, zest them, flash the zest in a tablespoon or two of boiling water, and then add it directly to the keg -- hopefully adding orange scent and maybe a touch of flavor directly as the beer is being poured.

Any thoughts or experiences to share?

I've done it a couple times when my wit comes out a little less orangey than I want.
I make an "zest tea". I boil a cup of water and take it off the heat. Drop in grated grapefruit, navel oranges, tangerines and cover. I let it sit until it cools and them pitch in the keg.
Works great!

That's perfect -- exactly what I wanted to hear. Any suggestions? I'm trying this Tues/Wed

[Broners&Brewbies]

Let me know how that turns out because I had the exact same plan/idea that you had. My wit is bubbling away right now so I still have some time but I'm thinking 1 grapefruit + 2 clementines zested should be enough. Or is that overkill?

[BrewQwest]

it is best to make your own zest from fresh oranges in order to obtain maximum effect for the dry hopping. Or, the zested orange can be treated with vodka to make a fantastic extract at bottling time if you don't want to dryhop zest in the secondary. boiling orange peel in the BK is a waste of time IMHO. note.... the dry hopping of the zest can be contained with one of those small grain bags that many kits come with.