Tropical hop bill for summer ale

[Bramstoker17]

Hi everyone!

This weekend I'm planning on brewing a hopped up golden ale for the summer. I'm shooting for it to be between 4.5 and 5 % abv. and about 35 to 40 IBU. The grain bill is just 2-row, a bit of crystal 10, and a bit of white wheat for head/body.

Here's where I need some ideas. I have a bunch of Citra and Zythos already in stock, so I'll be using those for sure. What's one or two other types of hop that will pair well with those? I'm shooting for a very tropical fruit aroma and flavor. I was thinking Galaxy, but is that redundant with Citra or are they different enough? I know my LHBS sometimes has Mosaic, but not always. They usually have Nelson Sauvin, I haven't used those yet. Any other ideas? Thanks!

 

[Pappers_]

Love using Nelson Sauvin - I make a pale ale that features Nelson Sauvin, its one of my favorite beers I brew. Won a prize at a competition last year, too. http://www.singingboysbrewing.com/Nelson-Sauvin-Pale-Ale.html

 

[masonsjax]

I have an all Citra pale on tap now that tastes like pure fruit juice. Lots of grapefruit, apricot, peach, and light mango and melon notes. It's pretty fantastic.

 

[Bramstoker17]

Will Nelson, Zythos, and Citra go well together? That could be an interesting combo!

 

[Bstein5]

Citra and galaxy, dry hop with first gold...godly combo

 

[Yooper]

I had a calypso hopped beer a while back- that screamed tropical to me. That, with citra, sounds like a pineapple/mango bonanza to me.

 

[Bramstoker17]

I've heard good things about Calypso too Yooper, sadly I don't think my LHBS stocks that one. So Bstein5 galaxy is different enough from citra that it would be worth using both? I've never used galaxy but I've liked it in commercial brews.

 

[Bstein5]

yeah i just recently brewed a smash recipe using both and dry hopped with First Gold. It turned out really good. The flavors blended together very well. Alot of tropical flavors with some citrus and apricot from the first gold.

 

[Roadie]

I've heard good things about Calypso too Yooper....

She didn't say it was a good thing and I'm betting she didn't like that beer.

How about Amarilllo which is one of my favs.



Almost Famous Brewing Company

 

[Bramstoker17]

She didn't say it was a good thing and I'm betting she didn't like that beer.

How about Amarilllo which is one of my favs.



Almost Famous Brewing Company

Well she said screams tropical which is what I'm going for, so I'll take it as a good thing. I really like Amarillo hops too, but I have a ton of Zythos I need to use. Not that they are the same, but Zythos is close enough that I'll use that instead since I have a bunch already

 

[Bramstoker17]

Here's what I've got so far....


Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 6.98 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.98 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.75 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.75 gal
Estimated OG: 1.045 SG
Estimated Color: 3.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 34.8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 76.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 76.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
8 lbs Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess) (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 87.0 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 2 5.4 %
8.0 oz White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 3 5.4 %
3.2 oz Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.2 %

0.25 oz Zythos [10.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 9.3 IBUs
1.00 oz Zythos [10.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 7 13.4 IBUs
0.75 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 8 12.1 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 0.0 m Hop 9 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Galaxy [14.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 0.0 Hop 10 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Nelson Sauvin [12.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpoo Hop 11 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Zythos [10.90 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 0.0 Hop 12 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Zythos [10.90 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days Hop 15 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Galaxy [14.00 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days Hop 16 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Nelson Sauvin [12.00 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Da Hop 17 0.0 IBUs

S 05 dry yeast

 

[Bramstoker17]

So I brewed the above recipe a couple days ago. The only change was I used .75 lbs of wheat since that's what I had and didn't want to keep a quarter pound sitting around. I'm still dialing in my efficiency on some new equipment, and got higher efficiency than expected. My og came in at 1.050, so it won't be quite as light as I'd hoped, oh well. I'll post an update for anyone interested when I crack one open.

 

[Bramstoker17]

For anyone interested, I bottled this brew a couple nights ago. I got very good attenuation with my 05, so between the OG being higher and the beer drying out, the ABV is 5.5% I was shooting for about 4.8, but oh well, no big deal. I think I boiled off more than I anticipated, so I'll have to adjust for next brew.

Anyway, the hydrometer sample was very tasty! It was a nice clear golden color, and had just a touch of malty sweetness. The flavor from the hops was just what I was going for, very fruity tasting. I'll be interested to see how the hop flavor develops with some carbonation. I'll try a bottle after a week to see.

 

[mlafnitzegger]

Looks like a good recipe. Why did you use acid malt? Was it for conditioning the ph or for head retention?

 

[Bramstoker17]

Looks like a good recipe. Why did you use acid malt? Was it for conditioning the ph or for head retention?

After reading the water chem primer on here, I always throw about 2% acid malt in my light SRM grain bills to help control mash PH. So far I've liked the results!

 

[Bramstoker17]

Update

This beer was definitely a success. Turned out a nice gold color. The taste is hop forward without being overly bitter, just lots of tropical fruit flavor. the finish has some light malt sweetness. Very nice summer beer, just wish it would have been a bit lighter ABV, and I'll have to adjust the recipe for that, but overall I'm very pleased with the outcome.

For anyone in the Chicagoland area in IL, I'd say the closest comparison to a commercial brew is Two Brothers Sidekick. Thanks to everyone for you're help!