Boil additions for flavor in no chill batches

[Sunfire96]

I had a question for @Trialben about no chill additions, but figured I'd make it public for everyone to see and contribute too.

I'm brewing a honey lime pseudo lager and am figuring out how best to get lime flavor and aroma. My initial plan was to soak lime zest in vodka and add it as a dry hop addition. Then the "guy at the homebrew shop" recommended adding zest in the boil at 5 minutes or less so it doesn't get bitter.

But the catch is that this is a no chill batch, so the wort will stay hot longer than usual. I'm worried that adding zest at 5 mins, or even less, will contribute unwanted bitterness due to the increased time at high temps. I usually set my hop additions 20 minutes back to compensate for this increased time, but that might not work for lime zest.

So I'm curious what does the brain trust think? (That's all of you )

 

[Over The Cliff Brewing]

Since it is a lager, I would add it before you bring up to 70F on the final days of ferm. I'm sure others have better suggestions. Are you pressure fermenting?

 

[GFHomebrew]

So my limited understanding with zest is its supposedly the pith that gives the bitterness.
I'd imagine with the zest ( I've used lime zest once in a lager ) your aiming for that lime flavour so I'd treat it like hops.

The ginger beer where I add lemon Myrtle leaves and last batch a kafir lime leaf I've been getting wonderful extraction of flavour by just adding the leaves in a paint strainer bag tied with string in the kegmentor.

I rack my boiling flameout wort straight into kegmentor with the bag a flavour addition and or hops and leave this to no chill steep overnight.

I'm not getting any overly vegetal flavours with the lemon Myrtle leaves they can give vegetal flavour but I've lernt thats by adding too many sorta like with hops.

I'm looking forward to what others recommend and what you end up doing with the zest.
Cheers

 

[dmtaylor]

Add post-fermentation. Use a vodka tincture.

 

[Sunfire96]

Add post-fermentation. Use a vodka tincture.

I think this is the way to go. I'm mashing the grains now, and just used a vegetable peeler to get long strips of lime peel with as little pith as possible from 2 limes. I added vodka to submerge the peels and will let it hang out until primary fermentation is complete. Then I'll "keg hop" the lime peels and add the vodka tincture to the beer. I might take them out after a few days or leave them in for the duration of drinking the keg. If there's not enough lime flavor I'll serve the beer with lime wedges

Thanks for the advice everyone! I will make sure to post an update on the finished beer.

 

[Herm brews]

I think this is the way to go. I'm mashing the grains now, and just used a vegetable peeler to get long strips of lime peel with as little pith as possible from 2 limes. I added vodka to submerge the peels and will let it hang out until primary fermentation is complete. Then I'll "keg hop" the lime peels and add the vodka tincture to the beer. I might take them out after a few days or leave them in for the duration of drinking the keg. If there's not enough lime flavor I'll serve the beer with lime wedges

Thanks for the advice everyone! I will make sure to post an update on the finished beer.

View attachment 21149

I think you got too much of the bitter pith. Essentially, you want only the thin green of the skin. I have a fancy zester that cuts just barely into the skin, so no pith. If you have a fine cheese grater, that might get less you less of the bitter pith.

 

[Sunfire96]

I think you got too much of the bitter pith. Essentially, you want only the thin green of the skin. I have a fancy zester that cuts just barely into the skin, so no pith. If you have a fine cheese grater, that might get less you less of the bitter pith.

I appreciate your concern Herm I can see lots of light through those peels and the limes have almost all the pith remaining. Also I don't think I'll extract any bitterness at room temperature. The alcohol will hopefully extract the essential oils. I'll taste the tincture before adding and if it's too bitter I'll try it again

Edit to add: I also have a fancy zester, but don't trust the zest not to escape through the mesh into the beer, hence the long strips

 

[Sunfire96]

I added the lime peel and tincture today! I tasted the lime peel yesterday and didn't like the flavor; maybe too much pith, maybe too much vodka, not sure. So I carefully zested 2 limes (instead of peeling) and remade the tincture.

I added the concoction today and already love the flavor it added to the beer. I'll let it ride for 3ish days and pull the zest out. Based on the color of the tincture, a lot of the essential oils were dissolved into the vodka anyway.

Tincture and adding during secondary ferm was definitely the way to go