# adding lime to beer at kegging stage or not



## BrewRod (3/8/15)

Hi I am new to brewing and just wondering if anyone has tried adding lime to flavour the beer after the fermenting stage or do you add it when it is fermenting. Cheers


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## crowmanz (3/8/15)

I did it once back when I did kit beers. I added at bottling. The beer was terrible but that could have been for a number of other reasons (e.g. not having temp control). Never tried it again.

Fermentation will strip flavours, well it does with hops, so it is usually done after fermentation finishes.


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## BrewRod (3/8/15)

Thanks I have tried it once in the fermentation process someone told me cut the lime into quaters and put them in, after kegging and tasting it for the first time. The first mouthful had a really strong bitter taste but by the next mouthful the bitter tase was gone not sure if bitter taste was from the skin of the lime?. The lime flavour at the start was nice you would only get a slight taste but got stronger as the keg aged it got way to strong. I am still at the beer kit stage and used a black rock lager as the base


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## indica86 (3/8/15)

I made a Coopers Mex Cerveza once with juice of 1 lime and 1 lemon plus the squeezed fruit thrown in.
Was not bad at all really.


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## Rod (3/8/15)

I tried to flavour some corona and added a lemon myrtle leaf to each 500 ml bottle 

a bit like the corona with the lemon wedge


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## BrewRod (3/8/15)

I have seen in a brew book about adding herbs and spices and they did have lime leaves but not sure what the flavour would turn out like


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## BrewRod (3/8/15)

Rod said:


> I tried to flavour some corona and added a lemon myrtle leaf to each 500 ml bottle
> 
> a bit like the corona with the lemon wedge


What did it taste like


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## kaiserben (3/8/15)

I'm no expert at adding fruit to beer, but I'd zest and juice the lime. Add the zest and juice but discard the rest. 

Most advice suggests adding fruit etc after ferment activity has stopped. But I've also seen a comercially made Blood Orange IPA where the brewer said they "add kilos of zest and juice late in the boil". 

It all sounds a bit labour-intensive for me.


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## BrewRod (3/8/15)

kaiserben said:


> I'm no expert at adding fruit to beer, but I'd zest and juice the lime. Add the zest and juice but discard the rest.
> 
> Most advice suggests adding fruit etc after ferment activity has stopped. But I've also seen a comercially made Blood Orange IPA where the brewer said they "add kilos of zest and juice late in the boil".
> 
> It all sounds a bit labour-intensive for me.


 I was wondering if the zest was the part that might have given it the bitter taste at the start.
I just got a small party keg so might experiment with putting it in the keg after fermenting at least that way I wont be wasting a full brew


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## Jeff T (4/8/15)

I do it all of the time and the wife really like it and it is not a bad drop especially in the summer. I use the coopers Mex and BE2 with a whole lime cut in half I then put 250mls of lime juice that i make and the brew into a keg.


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## Grott (4/8/15)

kaiserben said:


> I'm no expert at adding fruit to beer, but I'd zest and juice the lime. Add the zest and juice but discard the rest.


This is the best way, with a party keg size batch I'd put the zest and roughly chopped flesh of two limes in 500ml of water, heat to just before boiling, turn off and steep for an hour. Stir into the wort just before adding the yeast.
Cheers


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## BrewRod (4/8/15)

Jeff T said:


> I do it all of the time and the wife really like it and it is not a bad drop especially in the summer. I use the coopers Mex and BE2 with a whole lime cut in half I then put 250mls of lime juice that i make and the brew into a keg.


 I will have to try the Coppers thanks Your lime juice can I ask how you make it as I found 1/12 lime the first time I tried brewing it, the lime flavour became to strong


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## Jeff T (5/8/15)

BrewRod said:


> I will have to try the Coppers thanks Your lime juice can I ask how you make it as I found 1/12 lime the first time I tried brewing it, the lime flavour became to strong


I googled it and come up with this and it worked great.


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