Orange Peel Spice

[CiderJoe]

I want to do a Belgian white, but I'm having trouble finding Sweet Orange Peel Spice in my neck of the woods. I finally found coriander at a specialty store. The Basque are much on spices other than salt.

So, is it possible to take a knife or something and carefully "zest", if that's the right word, an orange and use that in my recipe? Any and all help would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Cider

[BrewDog]

Yes. Just be careful of the thin coating of wax that some oranges have on them to keep them pretty. You may need to take this off if you can't find unwaxed oranges.

I'd throw it in the fridge to cool it down, and then roll the orange on a flat surface with my hand pressing down hard enough on it to crack the wax a bit. I find that a bunch comes off this way.

I'm sure there are others out there that can find better ways to get the wax off of the oranges, but at least this is a starting point for you.

HTH-

[Beefsteak]

You could definitely use a zester to get the orange peel. Just be sure not get down to the white part as it's extremely bitter.

[CiderJoe]

Thanks guys. I'll just have to search for a zester now. Time to pull out the Spanish-English Dictionary and hope that one is in there.

BrewDog, Thanks for the warning about the wax! Knowing me, I probably would have ended up putting 2 ounces of wax and only a half ounce of orange peel in the beer. Probably not so good for the beer.

Thanks,
Cider

[Mill Rat]

A kitchen grater with a fine grating section (holes about the diameter of a swizzle stick) works perfectly well for me. I grow my own coriander. It's the seeds of the cilantro plants that I grow for slasa and then forget about.

[corkybstewart]

I just did a similar beer and I love it, it's better than I hoped for. For 10 gallons I used 1 oz of red and white pepercorns, an oz. of coriander seed, and the zest of one large orange and a lime. The pepper and coriander flavor come through more than the citrus, but it's not overpowering at all. I used WhiteLabs saison yeast and just a couple of ounces of Saaz 3.3 AA hops at 60 minutes.

[danno]

so Corky, do I get to take credit for the pepper idea? :D

any fruits/vegetables I buy from the store I just wash off with warm water and a touch of dish soap. takes the wax right off...

edit: 2500 posts, whew! and think, I'm only 20% of where Chaz is...

[corkybstewart]

Hat's off to ya Danno, I based my recipe somewhat on your suggestion. PM me and I'll send you a sample.