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Author Topic: Two Questions  (Read 5076 times)

Offline yso191

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Two Questions
« on: October 23, 2012, 03:07:35 pm »
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
Steve
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Offline Jimmy K

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Re: Two Questions
« Reply #1 on: October 23, 2012, 03:16:27 pm »
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.
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Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: Two Questions
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2012, 04:00:45 pm »
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.
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Offline euge

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Re: Two Questions
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2012, 04:10:42 pm »
What is the purpose of the lactic acid? Flavor or are you wanting to affect the mash pH?
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

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Offline yso191

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Re: Two Questions
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2012, 06:19:31 pm »
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.
Steve
BJCP #D1667

“Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.” ― G.K. Chesterton

Offline dcbc

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Re: Two Questions
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2012, 07:05:03 pm »
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.   
« Last Edit: October 23, 2012, 07:18:49 pm by dcbc »
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Offline erockrph

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Re: Two Questions
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2012, 07:07:08 pm »
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.
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Offline dcbc

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Re: Two Questions
« Reply #7 on: October 23, 2012, 07:19:30 pm »
Worth mentioning that the above example I gave was calculated in Bru'n Water 1.13.
I've consumed all of my home brew and still can't relax!  Now what!

Offline euge

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Re: Two Questions
« Reply #8 on: October 23, 2012, 07:19:55 pm »
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
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Offline yso191

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Re: Two Questions
« Reply #9 on: November 24, 2012, 01:45:45 pm »
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
Steve
BJCP #D1667

“Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.” ― G.K. Chesterton

Offline euge

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Re: Two Questions
« Reply #10 on: November 24, 2012, 01:58:08 pm »
Well there you go!

Happy it turned out well. Almost always does...
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis