Brewing a Orange Blonde Ale

[Bigbre04]

Is it really that complicated to use orange peel? Since I’m going to add it at the end of the boil or during whirlpool (I haven’t decided yet), I don’t think it will cause much trouble.

I think the only problem with orange peel is getting the proportions right and OJ causes more issues because it affects the final gravity (FG),

no its not, im running a single vessel and its just a pain in my ass lol.

I would get a nylon stocking or a bag and toss in your OP @ 15mins

i wouldnt ferment them since they could become very very bitter and are relatively hard to clean(sanitize).

tossing them into the boil is the traditional method.

foggy this morning after a family wedding weekend marathon...

Edited:

You calculate the total gain from the OJ from the sugar on the label. BUT generally unless you are using a concentrated extact or puree(30brix), the sugar content of the OJ shouldnt really make a huge difference.

 

[Bigbre04]

I generally fruit my sours. I dont have the notes from the belgian wit that i brewed in front of me atm.

2bbls

for my painkiller sour i used
9.45L of Pineapple juice
9.24L of OJ
1.95L coconut flavoring
250ml vanilla extract

Pitched 4.62L OJ and 3.78L Pineapple mid-fermentation
The rest went in post fermentation.
Dole Can Pineapple juice and Simply OJ

So i calculated the total sugars that i added out to be 2164g/18.69L which equals out to 11.57 brix which is pretty close to my strarting gravity. Obviously this is very rough math since the juice is not water.

 

[Uriel homebrewer]

I brewed the beer a week ago. I used 12g of orange zest during the whirlpool and added 100ml of juice before fermenting 2.8L of beer. I’ll be sharing the results of this experiment next week.

Had some efficiency issues, but that amount works fine to test the ratios.

 

[Uriel homebrewer]

The quantities were insufficient, both the zest and the juice (12g - 100ml). The zest was used during the whirlpool, and the juice was added before fermentation with 2.8L of wort. The aroma is imperceptible and the flavor is barely noticeable. The quantities should be greatly increased or an extract should be used to achieve the desired effect and the color turned out perfect thanks to the peel (it helps give some color).

 

[Dave Y]

If I may suggest, you can augment the orange flavor & aroma with yeast. Instead of US-05, try Voss Kveik or French Saison yeast.
Both will leave a citrusy aroma and flavor, the the Voss skewing towards grapefruit, whereas French Saison will have a prominent orange character.

Both ferment HOT.

 

[Zambi]

If I may suggest, you can augment the orange flavor & aroma with yeast. Instead of US-05, try Voss Kveik or French Saison yeast.
Both will leave a citrusy aroma and flavor, the the Voss skewing towards grapefruit, whereas French Saison will have a prominent orange character.

Both ferment HOT.

+ Look at the other Belgian yeast strains....

 

[Bigbre04]

If I may suggest, you can augment the orange flavor & aroma with yeast. Instead of US-05, try Voss Kveik or French Saison yeast.
Both will leave a citrusy aroma and flavor, the the Voss skewing towards grapefruit, whereas French Saison will have a prominent orange character.

Both ferment HOT.

i have had a lot of success with fermenting out OJ with Voss. it is FAST!

I just tossed 4.5#s of amoretti blood orange craft puree into a sour ale with 250g of voss, 4LPM of O2, and servo. the Lacto dropped the ph down to 3.27 in roughly 36hrs. the bubble bucket was rocking and rolling about 15 mins after i pitched everything in there!!!

 

[Uriel homebrewer]

Thanks for the tip! I’m definitely interested in trying French Saison — I just need to see if I can get it here in Portugal or maybe Spain. It’s been HOT lately, the coolest spot in my apartment is around 25-26°C and I’m losing my mind trying to cool things down with DIY methods. Sounds like Saison would actually thrive in those temps.


Do you think adding orange juice in addition to using French Saison would be worth it? Or would the yeast alone bring enough orange character?

If I may suggest, you can augment the orange flavor & aroma with yeast. Instead of US-05, try Voss Kveik or French Saison yeast.
Both will leave a citrusy aroma and flavor, the the Voss skewing towards grapefruit, whereas French Saison will have a prominent orange character.

Both ferment HOT.

 

[Bigbre04]

Thanks for the tip! I’m definitely interested in trying French Saison — I just need to see if I can get it here in Portugal or maybe Spain. It’s been HOT lately, the coolest spot in my apartment is around 25-26°C and I’m losing my mind trying to cool things down with DIY methods. Sounds like Saison would actually thrive in those temps.


Do you think adding orange juice in addition to using French Saison would be worth it? Or would the yeast alone bring enough orange character?

Any of the Kviek yeasts will be very happy and consistent for you at those temps

 

[Zambi]

I would suggest trying the saison "as is" first.
It will work in those temperatures.
Saison yeasts are definitely available within the EU, so shouldn't be too hard to find.
I love saisons and they suit the mediterrean climate (note that my saisons start of tasting like blondes and takes some time to change)
(Also note that apple juice (preserved with vitamin C) works very well on the saison trub. My simple saison cider just kicked)

 

[Uriel homebrewer]

I’m going to do a test batch with both Kveik and French Saison to see what results I get. Also, from my research, I found the typical amounts and timing for using orange zest and juice:

• Zest is usually used at 5-10 g/L, typically added 3-5 days before bottling, or split with half added in the whirlpool and half at the end of secondary fermentation.
• Juice is added in similar amounts, about 100-200 ml/L, after primary fermentation and left to stabilize for 5-7 days before bottling.

I hope this info helps anyone planning to make this kind of beer or something similar using citrus.

 

[Bigbre04]

I’m going to do a test batch with both Kveik and French Saison to see what results I get. Also, from my research, I found the typical amounts and timing for using orange zest and juice:

• Zest is usually used at 5-10 g/L, typically added 3-5 days before bottling, or split with half added in the whirlpool and half at the end of secondary fermentation.
• Juice is added in similar amounts, about 100-200 ml/L, after primary fermentation and left to stabilize for 5-7 days before bottling.

I hope this info helps anyone planning to make this kind of beer or something similar using citrus.

i would not add fruit into the fermenter. it is very hard to clean fruit.

we always added dried bitter OP in the last 15 mins of the boil.

if you feel you must add it into the fermenter, i would do a tincture of vodka and the zest. you could also boil a small amount in a tiny amount of water and then freeze it.

 

[Marley's Brewing]

in the beers ive tried that have orange zest, i mostly taste the bitterness from it.

 

[Uriel homebrewer]

En las cervezas que he probado que tienen ralladura de naranja, lo que más noto es el amargor.

Entonces estaban mal hechos. La última vez que probé una, era dulce y el aroma tenía un buen equilibrio entre el lúpulo y la malta.

Cada fuente que he investigado dice explícitamente "no uses la parte blanca"; eso es lo que le da el amargor, así que debes tener mucho cuidado con eso.

 

[Dave Y]

I would suggest trying the saison "as is" first.
It will work in those temperatures.
Saison yeasts are definitely available within the EU, so shouldn't be too hard to find.
I love saisons and they suit the mediterrean climate (note that my saisons start of tasting like blondes and takes some time to change)
(Also note that apple juice (preserved with vitamin C) works very well on the saison trub. My simple saison cider just kicked)

^^^^
THIS!

Make modifications to recipes in increments, not en masse.
Go with the French Saison yeast first. if it’s not enough orange, then you could try kicking it up a bit.

 

[Uriel homebrewer]

^^^^
THIS!

Make modifications to recipes in increments, not en masse.
Go with the French Saison yeast first. if it’s not enough orange, then you could try kicking it up a bit.

I ended up buying Kveik, it seemed more convincing to me, especially because of the temperatures at home. My pantry, which is the coolest spot, is currently at 26°C. I won’t be using zest or juice this time—just the yeast and Styrian Goldings, which is the only hop I have available right now.

 

[Zambi]

I like styrian
Kveik does well at 26 °C, it likes it even better when it is hotter
Note, your fermentation will start very very quickly

 

[Uriel homebrewer]

I like styrian
Kveik does well at 26 °C, it likes it even better when it is hotter
Note, your fermentation will start very very quickly

I’m really loving Styrian Goldings (I haven’t tried other hops yet). That citrusy/floral aroma is amazing. Right now I’m using it in a hybrid English/American porter, and later on I plan to experiment with other hops—but this one completely won me over.

I know Kveik ferments really fast, but I’m planning to leave it for around ten days to let everything settle properly, and then do a cold crash to help with clarification.

 

[Donoroto]

I’m really loving Styrian Goldings (I haven’t tried other hops yet). That citrusy/floral aroma is amazing. Right now I’m using it in a hybrid English/American porter, and later on I plan to experiment with other hops—but this one completely won me over.

I know Kveik ferments really fast, but I’m planning to leave it for around ten days to let everything settle properly, and then do a cold crash to help with clarification.

Good plans. Try different hops, the variety is astounding. And giving kviek extra time does no harm.

 

[Uriel homebrewer]

Blonde Ale Brew: Exceeded Expectations!

Honestly thrilled with this batch! It's super drinkable, has a great color (a bit hazy, but that's a fixable challenge), and a pleasant, non-invasive bitterness. That subtle citrus aftertaste and excellent foam are big wins too. Plenty to improve, but this is a fantastic starting point.

Next up: Kviek experiments, then all about those aromatics!