Way To Much Lemon Flavor "Help"

[spudsuds]

I found this receipt online and thought I would try it out. Fallowed it to the T.

Im getting ready to keg the beer and took a little sample taste after doing FG. Its so damn bitter I couldn't drink it. Other than leaving it age about 35 years does anyone have any ideas how to mellow out the lemon flavor before I keg it or am I going to have to dump it?

Thank You

All-Grain - Squeeze My Lemon Summer Blonde

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Safale S-04
Batch Size (Gallons): 6.25
Original Gravity: 1.043
Final Gravity: 1.009
IBU: 25
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 4.9
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14

Recipe: Squeeze My Lemon Summer Blonde (AG)
Brewer: BlindLemonLars
Style: Blonde Ale
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.25 gal
Estimated OG: 1.043 SG
Estimated Color: 4.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 25.0 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item
5.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
2.00 lb Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM)
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)
0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)
0.50 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (60 min)
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (10 min)
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (0 min)
1.00 Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 min)
2.00 oz Fresh Lemon Zest (Boil 5.0 min)
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04)

Total Grain Weight: 8.25 lb

Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Mash 76 minutes @ 150.0 F

Ferment @ 62-65° F

 

[billl]

When it comes to flavorings, you can always add more, but you can't take them out once they are in.

Besides aging, the other option in blending. A shot of lemony in a plain wheat beer would be a good fit.

You could also go the route of a sour summer brew and use a little simple raspberry syrup to sweeten it up.

 

[RonPopeil]

i agree with bill. you could try to back sweeten it with something to cut the sour or blend it with a half batch of higher gravity wheat.

 

[AnthonyCB]

2 Oz fresh lemon zest? My guess is that the right number is probably closer to 2 g. I can't imagine how many lemons you needed to zest to get 2 Oz. 30?

 

[Double_D]

Regardless of weight, my money is on it was lemon peel and not just the zest. The pith is bitter ****. I will say though, even measured in volume that would be a lot for 5 gallons.

I second blending with a wheat beer.

 

[SpeedYellow]

2 oz is a little bit high, but not crazy. I like 1 oz at flameout and another ounce at secondary (along with other citrus), for a very citrus-y beer. +1 to blending it with another beer, especially a wheat.

Back sweetening makes little sense to me since beer doesn't taste sour from fresh lemon zest. If you used too much pith, it could get a bit astringent, but lactose probably wouldn't help that either. You may want to back sweeten for other reasons, but I don't see how it would impact the strong lemon flavor, it would just make it sweeter.

 

[AnthonyCB]

2 oz is a little bit high, but not crazy. I like 1 oz at flameout and another ounce at secondary (along with other citrus), for a very citrus-y beer. +1 to blending it with another beer, especially a wheat.

Back sweetening makes little sense to me since beer doesn't taste sour from fresh lemon zest. If you used too much pith, it could get a bit astringent, but lactose probably wouldn't help that either. You may want to back sweeten for other reasons, but I don't see how it would impact the strong lemon flavor, it would just make it sweeter.

How many are needed to give you 1 oz of zest? The zest is really just the flavorful yellow outer covering, not the bitter white pith.

 

[SpeedYellow]

How many are needed to give you 1 oz of zest? The zest is really just the flavorful yellow outer covering, not the bitter white pith.

Correct, you only want the very outside, and a micro-plane grater does this well. 1 oz lemon zest is about 1.6 lbs of fruit, which is just like 3-4 lemons depending on size.

 

[slymaster]

Carbonating your beer and letting it sit for a few weeks will probably mellow the bitterness a bit. Hope you just used the yellow part of the lemon peel and not the white bitter part. If so, you found the problem. As others said, blending with a wit will help.