Adjunct
Bitter orange peel
Dried peel of the bitter Curaçao orange, contributing citrus aroma and a soft bitterness to Belgian wheat beer.
Dried peel of the bitter Curaçao orange rather than the sweet fruit, which is why it contributes aroma and a soft bitterness rather than sweetness. Belgian brewers have used it alongside coriander in witbier for long enough that the pairing now defines the style's aroma more than the wheat does.
The bitterness it adds is different in kind from hop bitterness — softer, quicker to fade, and sitting alongside the citrus rather than underneath it. That is part of why a witbier can taste bright without tasting hoppy.
What it is for
Fruit. Brings flavour and its own fermentable sugar, so it changes the strength and the finish as well as the aroma.
- Adds citrus aroma and a gentle bitterness
- Traditional in witbier
Whether it ferments
| Fermentable | No — brewing yeast cannot take it, so whatever goes in stays in. It contributes flavour, and where it is a sugar, sweetness and body that survive into the glass. |
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What it contributes
The contribution of the ingredient, not the profile of a finished beer. How much of it reaches the glass depends on quantity, timing and what else is in the recipe.
Styles it defines
Styles where this is characteristic rather than optional. Plenty of other beers use it — these are the ones that would not be themselves without it.