Hey everyone,
I am currently developing a Pale Ale recipe which I want to have a potent but not overpowering lemon flavor and aroma.
I’ve had great success with my classic IPAs and PAs in the past mostly going for US-05 yeast and having developed a maltbill and hop profile that I enjoy a lot and mostly everyone else seems to agree.
This time I want to add lemon zest since I have a lemon tree in my garden which smells amazing. The problem that arises is how should I handle the hops around it. I haven’t ever used Lemondrop which is an obvious lemon choice and by looking around I am really intrigued by the Sorachi Ace hops which I have no experience with either. Other than that a lot of the classic Pale Ale options should also be great, but I just want to make the right choice for the whole lemon concept.
I will make the question clear now since I 've said much. If you 've ever done something similar or are familliar with options I am not please give me your suggestions. My only non negotiable is the zest. I am looking for a bittering hop that will suit the style and for hops that will add to the lemon flavor but not make it unbearable. I was thinking maybe some grass or pine tones for the freshness or some other fruit to add to it and make it more interesting and go alongside.
It’s been forever since I last used Lemondrop hops (maybe once, ages ago?)…I recently used Sorachi Ace, and it’s worth giving them a sensory once-over before incorporating them into your beer. They have a reputation as having a very dill-like character. The power of suggestion is a powerful thing and I definitely think many homebrewer opinions are more about what they think they’re supposed to sense versus what they actually do sense, BUT…I can comfortably say that the hops I used definitely had a dill aroma. Lemon and dill are a good combo, but maybe not what you want in a pale ale. Others will likely have ideas on other hops that might work for this concept.
You didn’t ask about zest handling, but my unsolicited recommendation for that is to make a tincture – a few lemons’ worth of zest into a few ounces of vodka can then be strained and added to the beer upon packaging. You’ll quite likely get some droplets of citrus oil up top, too, which is pretty neat. You can strain those off if needed. (we use a similar technique to make limoncello - so tasty!)
I think you should explore hops with complimentary flavors; other fruits. Lemon drop are ok, but their main flavor is lemon, which you will already have. I’m thinking Citra, Ekuanot, El Dorado, Galaxy, things in that vein.
Good luck, sounds like a fun and delicious project!
I used 2 oz of lemon zest in a 5 gallon batch once and it did absolutely nothing for the flavor. Either I needed a lot more or I should have processed them differently. In any case, I am back to using Lemondrop hops in that recipe again.
I made a lemon lager (recipe from AHA site) that used both lemondrop hops and lemongrass. I thought it was excellent. Great lemon flavor without any of the artificial or “lemon Pledge” character that sometimes comes across in lemon beers.
I brewed it partly for a couple of relatives who like Leinie Summer Shandy, and they both enjoyed it. Personally, I thought it was better than Summer Shandy… crisper / cleaner tasting.
Thank you all for the replies, I think i will use lemondrop as well as zest and these will be my lemon flavorings. I guess the quest now is to find a solid bittering hop to work well with them.
IDK if you have seen this, but this older thread has some useful info. concerning Lemondrop hops. I’ve not used them, but the consensus seems that the lemon flavor is fairly subtle.
I have not made a lemon pale ale but made an American Wheat beer with lemon zest in it (hops were Cascade and Saaz). Have never used used Lemongrass or Sorachi Ace hops. That said, I used lemon juice and a tincture made with lemon zest in the beer. The juice and zest gave me the aroma and flavor I was looking for.
iMHO, I would use no more than an ounce of each in the beer and maybe a bit less of the juice so you don’t overwhelm the hops. You may have to experiment a bit to get it the way you want it.
Good luck and welcome to the forum
