My buddy gave me a bottle of homemade Limoncello for Xmas. I was thinking of doing a beer with it and giving to him. Has anybody tried such a thing? If so, what was the outcome and what kinda recipe did you use? I found a few on Youtube that looked somewhat interesting, but thought I would pick your collective brains to see what you thought. Any input is welcomed. Thanks in advance
The best way to approach a new recipe is to first envision the outcome. “Taste” it in your mind. So what do you want from a limincello beer? What would it taste like?
Limoncello has a fair amount of sugar, but the beer yeast will ferment that. It’s really just going to be that lemon zest flavor that you’ll be adding for the most part, and none of the sweetness. There are quite a few styles that would work well with that kind of straightforward citrus note. The ones that come to mind for me are Pale Ale/IPA, American Wheat or Blonde Ale, Witbier, and Saison.
Which style to choose depends on your preference, really. When I want to accentuate an ingredient, I tend to brew a “milder” version of whatever style I’m going for. For an IPA, I’d use less late/dry hops to let the limoncello fill that role. In a Wit, I’d use just a touch of coriander and ferment a couple of degrees cooler to keep a lower level of yeast expression. Or I’d choose a style like American Wheat where the base beer is pretty straightforward and will get out of the way of the ingredient you’re adding.
Awesome. Thanks guys. I am not sure what I am going to do yet. I was thinking a wheat like beer would be best. I will do a bit of looking around and see. Just looking to try and enhance the already flavor of the beer, not overpower it with just an alcohol taste if that makes sense.
Add the limincello to a glass of beer
LOL. I was thinking about that. But that is no fun. But, you are right, probably easier that way. Thought it would be a cool gift for my buddy who gave me the bottle for Xmas.
Easier, more accurate, more flavor.