Any experience with orange zest?

[saeroner]

I did this m-80 ipa recipe from morebeer. AG

it's a 12 gallon batch and i cut the recommended "oranges chunks" to half. I cut them up very clean trying not to get any white rind. soaked in grey goose for 20 mins added primary after 4 days

I also added a bit of zest from the peel (just the orange stuff using a zester)

Just kegged it and the 1st taste (un-carbed 20 days primary) tasted zesty and bitter... i'm hoping maybe this will mellow out.

any experience with this?

 

[giraffe]

Does it taste bitter cause its an IPA? Ive used citrus zest many times, but mostly in wits and the like, and never got any real bitterness.

I think its important to use fresh citrus that smells good. I usually go to a produce/organic market. Some supermarket oranges are often coated with a food safe wax to preserve them. I have no idea on its effect on the beer if you didnt remove it.

 

[bknifefight]

The white stuff is call pith and it is bitter. If you were carefully and only had the zest in there, you should get a sweeter flavor than if pith was included. Either way, adding pith will not make your beer add a ton of bitterness. Since it's an IPA recipe, I bet that's the bitterness you speak of, as giratte mentions.