I have been enjoying a beer from New Belgium. CITRADELIC, Tangerine IPA. I am quite impressed with it. It would fit in my home brew lineup because I enjoy citrusy beers, Citrus Mistress is another. I would like to take one of my existing recipes and infuse some orange or tangerine peel. My question is, at what stage of brewing do I add the puree or pieces of peel and approximately how much per 5 gallon?
Have not done it myself, but I would suggest near end of primary or in secondary if you can purge the secondary. If you add it during the boil, most will say that you will lose a lot of the aromatics during fermentation. Surprised no one else has chimed in yet. I’m sure those with experience will have more informed answers for you tomorrow. Good luck, as I liked Citradelic myself
I did an APA with sweet orange peel added with 5 min left in the boil. I had some orange flavor, but I do think I lost a lot of the flavor and aroma in the last few minutes of the boil and then during fermentation. When I brew it again, I will still add it in the boil, but also plan to add a few ounces of peel that has been soaked in vodka when I dry hop to get more from it.
I have had great luck with hop additions at 170 degree whirlpool. In fact, FWH and that later addition is all I ever do anymore for Pale Ale’s and IPA’s. I wonder if that would be a good time to add the puree or even sooner to aid the cooling process.