Citrus peel for bittering?

[kingwood-kid]

I 've read that using the zest of citrus will give you citrus oils, and to never use the pith, as it is very bitter. But then I thought that citrus + bitter =american hops. Can I use the pith as a sub for bittering hops, or is it a different type of bitterness? If I could do this, does anyone have any info on time/temps, etc...

 

[Oldsock]

The dired citrus peel sold in homebrew stores provides some bitterness since it contains some pith, but it is different than hop bitterness. It certainly could augment hops, or work in a low hopped beer, but I wouldn't try to use it to bitter an IPA.

 

[ViperMan]

Are you trying to get citrus AND bitter flavor all at once? I'm not sure how well orange pith would work for this. There is very little orange flavor in the pith itself - the bitterness is so overpowering (and very, very unpleasant.) I think you'd make a much better tasting brew using standard hops and orange peel. Sometimes the wheel just doesn't need reinventing.

 

[pkeeler]

No, don't use pith. It is more astringent than hop bitter. It will ruin your beer.

 

[kingwood-kid]

Thanks for all the replies.

I am not really specifically aiming to bitter a beer this way, but I extract a fair amount of pith when I use my vegetable peeler on citrus, and thought maybe I could put its bitterness to good use.

All I've heard about pith is "don't use it, it's bitter...have you tried my 182 IBU IPA?" I was wondering what set pith bitterness apart from hop bitterness. Maybe somone else can be the brave soul to try this on their beer.

 

[Oldsock]

Thanks for all the replies.

I am not really specifically aiming to bitter a beer this way, but I extract a fair amount of pith when I use my vegetable peeler on citrus, and thought maybe I could put its bitterness to good use.

All I've heard about pith is "don't use it, it's bitter...have you tried my 182 IBU IPA?" I was wondering what set pith bitterness apart from hop bitterness. Maybe somone else can be the brave soul to try this on their beer.

Do some experiments, put some pith in water and boil it. Give it a taste every 10minutes or so and see at what level it is palatable.

 

[kingwood-kid]

Do some experiments, put some pith in water and boil it. Give it a taste every 10minutes or so and see at what level it is palatable.

If someone else had advised this, I would probably say no. Coming from you, it sounds like the noble pursuit of knowledge. Maybe I will try this when I get a day off.

 

[Oldsock]

There are plenty of things that are "common" homebrewing knowledge that are wrong. If you have an idea that sounds good to you try it, just do it in a way that won't waste a whole batch of beer (since most "common" homebrewing knowledge is pretty good).

 

[kingwood-kid]

Some googling reveals that limonin, the primary bittering agent in citrus pith and seeds, only turns bitter in the presence of acid. The reaction is not instantaneous, which is why fresh-squeezed juice tastes sweet but day-old juice is bitter (commercially produced juice is treated to prevent this reaction).

I don't see an easy way to test this idea out. Since the whole point was to turn my laziness to my advantage by peeling instead of zesting, I think I'll just use hops as suggested above.