Two Questions

[yso191]

1. The recipe I am working on calls for 2 oz. of Sweet Orange Peel.  I have Dried Orange Peel from a spice company.  On the jar it says it is equivalent for volume measurements for zest (1 tsp.=1 tsp.), but doesn't mention weight.  Anyone have an idea of how much dried peel is equal to 2 oz. of fresh?

2. I understand that one can use Lactic Acid to lower pH, but that there is a flavor threshold, over which one begins to taste the Lactic Acid, so any additions need to be under that.  But what I don't know is the ratio.  For a 5 gallon batch, what is the max I can use without affecting the taste of the beer?

Thanks, Steve

[mtnrockhopper]

1. The recipe I am working on calls for 2 oz. of Sweet Orange Peel.  I have Dried Orange Peel from a spice company.  On the jar it says it is equivalent for volume measurements for zest (1 tsp.=1 tsp.), but doesn't mention weight.  Anyone have an idea of how much dried peel is equal to 2 oz. of fresh?

I would guess that up to 90% of the peel's weight is water. If that were true - 0.2oz dry = 2oz fresh.  Most recipes that call for dry orange peel (although most are for bitter) use 0.5 oz.
 
Don't know about lactic acid.

[Joe Sr.]

Most recipes that call for dry orange peel (although most are for bitter) use 0.5 oz.

You want to be sure that you have dried sweet orange peel.  I think what I have at home is dried bitter orange peel.

The differences are obvious.

[euge]

What is the purpose of the lactic acid? Flavor or are you wanting to affect the mash pH?

[yso191]

What is the purpose of the lactic acid? Flavor or are you wanting to affect the mash pH?

Mash pH.  I want to avoid the flavor of lactic acid.

[dcbc]

Some people are probably more sensitive to the lactic flavor than are others.  I make a lot of light German lagers and treat my mash using lactic (88%).  On my German Pils, I use 5.2 ml of lactic to 11.5 gallons of mash water followed by 3.6 ml in 7 gallons of sparge.  After boil off and losses, I end up with around 11 gallons to transfer to the serving kegs and don't detect any sourness from the lactic in the finished product.   

[erockrph]

What is the purpose of the lactic acid? Flavor or are you wanting to affect the mash pH?

Mash pH.  I want to avoid the flavor of lactic acid.

If you're not using Brunwater or some other similar water adjustment software/spreadsheet, I highly recommend doing so. This will get you in the right ballpark for any necessary acid additions.

I highly doubt that the amount of lactic acid needed to get your mash pH down to the 5.2 range is going to leave a detectable flavor.

[dcbc]

Worth mentioning that the above example I gave was calculated in Bru'n Water 1.13.

[euge]

What is the purpose of the lactic acid? Flavor or are you wanting to affect the mash pH?

Mash pH.  I want to avoid the flavor of lactic acid.

Ha ya'll beat me to it!

May I suggest:

https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mash_pH_control

[yso191]

Just a follow-up here.  I threw caution to the wind and dumped the whole bottle (1.9 oz.) of Spice Islands dried Orange Peel into the boil (at 5 minutes to the end of the boil) for my 5 gallon batch.

The beer is just now ready to drink and the orange flavor is good.  Not too much - not too little.

Steve

[euge]

Well there you go!

Happy it turned out well. Almost always does...