Ok to set the stage, my uncle and I are brew partners and the brewing is all done at his house. I just received a text message from my aunt asking me to brew a beer like Abita Lemon Wheat… Fair enough since she puts up with our shenanigans and doesn’t drink the beer we normally brew. Anybody ever brew a lemon wheat and would like to share the recipe?
Normally I would create a trial recipe, but she has endured enough to have a solid and proven beer on tap.
Leinenkugels Summer Shandy. Wheat beer blended with lemonade or you can simply make a traditional hefeweizen and serve with a slice of lemon. Ferment it on the cold side to reduce the banana bomb effect.
Sorachi ace hops are supposed to produce a lemony citrus flavor as well
I recently brewed a saison with zest of 1/2 large lemon in the last 10 minutes of boil (5.5 gallons). It was subtle and barely noticeable. Added zest of 1 large lemon for 2 days in secondary and lemon flavor is at a nice level. Complements the saison yeast nicely at that level. I’d say add a little at a time to secondary until you get it where you want it. Don’t leave the lemon on the beer for more than a couple days or it will start to taste bitter. Have patience and infuse a little at a time for a short period of time. The last thing you want is to add too much and have 5 gallons of Pledge Wheat.
Good luck!
How lemony is that? Like witbier lemony or shady lemony. If you leg, you could always make a wheat beer and blend it with lemonade.
I’ve never had it. I have to try it next time I go over there. I want to say it’s more witbier lemony as opposed to shandy lemony. I say this because last summer she drank a butt load of Summer Shandy. I heard her say last weekend that “that stuff is too sweet”
:: sigh of relief ::
Yeah no kidding. I still somewhat abide to the old man rule of not fruiting the beer lol. I’ll add fruit to the mash, boil, or ferment the beer on top of fruit, but i try and avoid adding fruit to finished beer.
I would go the zest route personally. About an oz at flameout for 5 gallons. Using some citrusy hops would help as well.
I have made saisons in the past with citrus zest and it turns out great! If you are going with lemon alone, for a five gallon batch I would use the zest of two to six lemons, depending on the character you want. 0.5 oz. of ground coriander added to the end of the boil will add a nice zing as well, alone or in addition to.
+1. You could finish with some Sorachi Ace, to enhance the lemony aromas as well.
I’m nervous about using hops because she is not a huge fan of hops… Hence the reason why I was asked to brew this beer. I’m heading to their house to do some racking, bottling, and kegging today. I will try out this beer today and will have more of an idea if what to do. Thanks for all the advice!