Hmmmm sounds like I should experiment with el dorado in a batch or two. May even try dry-hopping a very small portion of my honeydew melomel with it, just for fun.
I don’t know about Bravo, but that is a dead-on description of Apollo. Fantastic hop if that’s what you’re looking for.
I brewed it yesterday, 10 gallon batch. I’m going to try Bravo next week. It’s for the tasting room so not worried about being forced to drink 10 gallons of it myself. Someone out there will love it and everyone will want to try it.
Great feedback, though! Thanks folks!
Firestone Walker makes an all-El Dorado barleywine called Hell Dorado and it is definitely full of that sort of life saver/jolly rancher fruit candy flavor.
I love everything out of firestone (until easy jack), but I don’t know if I would want to try that.
For me, these new crazy/fruity hops are at their most interesting blended into a traditional IPA blend, like with Centennial , Amarillo, Chinook, Columbus, etc. For example , El Dorado is really interesting for a pint or two, not so much after (to me) because of the sweet fruitiness. But it makes makes a really cool addition to a traditional IPA blend, where people are trying to put their finger on what quality is different but good, and wanting more.
I totally agree with this. I like the new hop varieties better when mixed with some of the old standbys instead of by themselves. I even use them in smaller ratios when mixing with C hops and I think it gives an interesting complexity to the piney, citrusy flavor.
I agree. It is fruit overload by itself.
I used El Dorado hops for the first time and sampled the beer this past weekend with some fellow homebrewers. For a point of reference, here is the recipe to the IPA (tasting notes below the recipe)
18 pounds 2 row (96%)
0.75 pounds carpils (4%)
mashed at 153F for 60 minutes
Hops:
1 oz Millenium 12.9% 60 minutes
1 oz Willamette 4.2% 20 minutes
2 oz El Dorado 15.6% 20 minutes
1 oz Willamette 4.2% 10 minutes
2 oz El Dorado 15.6% 10 minutes
1 oz El Dorado 15.6% 0 minutes
WLP001 (top cropped - 2nd generation)
Original Gravity 1.064, Final Gravity 1.010, IBU 84 calculated
Tasting Notes:
There wasn’t as much aroma as expected. I needed a good carbonation after kegging to get a faint hop aroma. I smelled a slight tropical hop aroma. My fellow homebrewers thought the aroma was closer to watermelon rind.
The taste was very pleasant with no harsh bitterness. I quickly picked up the taste of the El Dorado hops as most closely resembling a pear. This was seconded by one of my friends. It is possible that the Willamette hops played into taste, but largely I felt the El Dorado dominated. It is a very palatable hop, but it isn’t an aggressive one. I think this would be a good base of hop oils with other combinations of hops. Definitely one to tinker with in IPA recipes.
Tried el dorado IPA at a brewery in pasco Washington last night and it was fruity for sure, but I enjoyed it. Didn’t find it overpowering. That said, not sure I’d want to drink 2 of em. But not an unpleasant experience at all.