Blonde Ale Squeeze My Lemon Summer Blonde

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

BLL:

What would you say the flavor profile of this is?

I am searching through the Recipe Database looking for some lower hopped summer drinking beer and this one looks pretty good.

It's very pale in color, crystal clear and definitely lightly hopped, with a light body but enough malt character to loudly declare that it ain't no BMC! I think the Safale S-04 gives it a touch of fruity and even floral flavor, but US-05 or Nottingham could be substituted if you want it squeaky clean. The lemon zest (I used fresh, off my tree) gives it a nice little bite that kind of compensates for the low IBUs, and plays off the citrusy notes from the Centennial & Cascade. Next time, I may skip boiling the zest, and instead steep it in some everclear. (Which is what I do when making limoncello.)

This recipe started life as a "housekeeping" brew, when I was clearing out some old supplies. I had the hops, a few pounds of extract, a bit of crystal and cara-pils and I threw in a pound of dextrose just to up the gravity a bit. I wasn't expecting much, but it was very nice...light and refreshing. I've since made two all grain batches, and it's a big hit with everybody who tries it. I took 2 liters to work today, and my co-workers made short work of it!

Thanks for the pic Lars.

It looks great.

I am going to give this one a try. I will report back here after I brew it.
I am thinking of doing a 10gal batch and dropping 04 and notty in and then I can compare the difference.

Do you add some lemon to your final product when you serve it?

tgrier said:

Do you add some lemon to your final product when you serve it?

Click to expand...

No, but my friend likes it with lime. Of course he's from Mexico City, and eats/drinks EVERYTHING with lime!

Made BlindLemonLars' Squeeze My Lemon Summer Blonde yesterday. Pitched Nottingham yeast this a.m. before leaving for work. Got home tonight and had good fermentation going on. The smell of lemons is incredible.:rockin: I did my first batch sparge on this beer and while I was short a little on sparge water amount I was still able to hit O.G. of 1.043. Boiled 5 gallons down to 4 but added 1 gallon of spring water to the carboy for 5 gallons. Not sure how this will affect the wort but looking forward to it anyway. I used 2 oz. of dried lemon peel along with zest from 5 lemons in the boil at 10 minutes. I will try to remember in two weeks to post a comment on the taste when I rack into secondary.

That's great, I'm pleased somebody is taking a stab at my recipe! Yes, please let us know how it turns out. I just blew out my last keg a few days ago, and am already missing it. If circumstances allow, I'll be brewing another batch this weekend, to have it ready for summer pool parties.

I should clarify my recipe...the 2oz of lemon zest is FRESH zest, not dried peel. Something tells me your beer is going to be much more lemony than mine, which has just a hint. Still, I bet it will be great!

BlindLemonLars said:

Next time, I may skip boiling the zest, and instead steep it in some everclear. (Which is what I do when making limoncello.)

Click to expand...

Okay, scratch this idea...save the everclear and lemon zest for limoncello. I tried it with my last batch, and now I have 5 gallons of beer that tastes like lemon cake.

It's actually not all that bad, just not nearly as good as my previous batches, which had the most subtle hint of lemon. This one SCREAMS lemon, where the other ones whispered. Next time, the zest is going in the boil, where it belongs.

i was thinking about making this with lime...would the zest from 1 lime be enough?

I'd think you'd need at least a few more...it took several lemons to harvest enough zest for this recipe. Remember, you're just shaving off the outer layer, leaving the white behind.

In my experience, lime zest is much more bitter than lemon. In the context of a beer that might work out OK, but I've never tried it. I did try making limoncello (which I make all the time with lemons) with lime zest, and it was undrinkable.

BTW I had been meaning to post here for awhile.


I tried this recipe, except I replaced half the cascades with Saaz hops.

It came out awesome, and the 2 cases were gone quickly.

Thanks!

shok said:

BTW I had been meaning to post here for awhile.

I tried this recipe, except I replaced half the cascades with Saaz hops.

It came out awesome, and the 2 cases were gone quickly.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Looks great! I'm sure Saaz works really well with the recipe. Yeah, in the summer I can blow through a keg of this stuff right quick. I'm gearing up for 10 gallon batches, and this is one of the first that I'll double up.

Hello all! First time poster here on homebrewtalk.com! I've been making wine for some time now and am making the leap to beer this summer. I've been looking for a summer type ale recipe for a while now and I think this is it!

I was looking for a brew that liked camping, boating, fishing, hiking, long walks on the beach.... hehehe.. you get the idea. My family's active outdoors most of the summer so I wanted a brew that would fit and be enjoyed by all!

I called the LBS yesterday and put in an order for all the ingredients! I'm upping the size a little... going with a 20gal batch! (fits my wine equip a little better than 5gal)

Hope to get it in the primary this weekend!

I've done quite a bit of research online regarding brewing and had a good long conversation with the LBS yesterday on the fundamentals but.... I was wondering if you would mind taking the time to lay out the steps for me just as you have done them....? Feel free to dumb them down a little for this newb !

ie,
Step 1: Do the first thing
Step 2: Do the second thing.... etc.

I just think this would help put EVERYTHING into perspective for me. I understand your ingredient list and what everything does, I'm still just a little foggy on the process.

Thanks for any help/assistance/guidance you may be able to provide!

rusty

Hello Rusty. Problem is, the specific steps are highly dependent upon the equipment and supplies at your disposal. I could tell you what I do, but unless you've got the same gear, it's not going to be terribly helpful.

Here's a link to a few illustrated all-grain tutorials, which do a great job of explaining the process in great detail. Have a look at them, and see if they don't give you the perspective you're looking for. Perhaps then you'll have some more specific questions, which we'll do our best to answer.

All Grain Tutorials

Link? I don't see?

cool, got the link. Nice tutorials there, that's right along the lines of what I was planning but did get a few nice pointers from looking at the tuts.

Thanks! I'll let you guys know how it turns out! If all the supplies come through I'll mash on Sunday!

Allirght! We have Fermentation!!! YAAYYY!!!

Well my first batch went without a hitch! I started around 8am on Sunday and was all done, pitched and cleaned up by 4pm.

I think this was a great recipe for my first batch, it was straightforward and to the point, Thanks to BlindLemonLars for sharing the recipe with everyone!

I used two cut-out Kegs for the cooking and a large cooler for the mashing/sparging process. I had two cookers going as well. I was really surprised as to how quick everything went. I was fully expecting to be cleaning up in the dark.

Anyways, with 20gals bubbling contently in the primary I can't wait to taste some finished product!

I did have one question though, the 2oz lemon zest.... was that by weight or volume? I kinda split the difference b/c I was unsure.

Bottled up 15gals yesterday!! I'll tell you what... for warm flat beer it didn't taste that bad at all!

Got 5 gals clearing in a carboy to bottle this week one afternoon.

Thanks again for posting the recipe and for the support! I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

wow, amazing how light the beer came out with a quarter pound of crystal 60. Must try, hope to replicate.

I know it's only been 5 days since I bottled but for the sake of me being new at this I decided to open one 12oz'r each day and taste/test/sacrifice it. I know patience is a virtue in homebrew but this was more for me to learn what the beer was doing and how it was doing.

Anyways... the first few were VERY flat (as expected) but last night I noticed that there was a good increase of dead yeast cells at the bottom of the bottle. Anyways, threw 1 beer in the fridge yesterday morning and popped it when I got home last night.... ahhh... sweet sweet carbonation.... What a tasty beer!!! Even at this young state.

Anyways, I should note that I primed part of my batch with Clover Honey and the one (three) I drank last night were all from the honey primed part.

I'm looking forward to enjoying a few tall frosty one's this weekend! Thanks again to BlindLemonLars for sharing this recipe!

I'm glad you're enjoying it Rusty. I need to get a batch going, the weather is starting to warm up here in SoCal and I'll need something light and refreshing.

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - BeerSmith Brewing Software, Recipes, Blog, Wiki and Discussion Forum
Recipe: Lemon Summer Blonde
Brewer: Michael
Style: Blonde Ale
TYPE: Extract


Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 10.00 gal
Boil Size: 11.45 gal
Estimated OG: 1.040 SG
Estimated Color: 4.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 26.7 IBU
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
9.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 81.82 %
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 9.09 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 9.09 %
0.50 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (60 min) Hops 9.8 IBU
0.50 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (45 min) Hops 9.0 IBU
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (10 min) Hops 7.8 IBU
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (0 min) Hops -
2.00 oz Lemon Peel (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale
1 Pkgs SafAle American Ale (DCL Yeast #US-05) Yeast-Ale


I am going to brew a big ole batch. I am going to tinker with you recipe slightly. I find my kegs aren't lasting even a week. They are too good and my friends and I are cashing them out in like 4 days. (and no we don't have an alcohol problem we are still in college. I've got a keggle that i plan to use for this huge batch. I am still doing extracts and all my brews have been awesome. I am going to use two different yeast just to experiment with them. One in each better bottle carboy of course.

Question:
When did you add the peel? Would you add more?
Did you add the last Cascade to the primary or just at flame off?

mpschafe said:

Question:
When did you add the peel? Would you add more?
Did you add the last Cascade to the primary or just at flame off?

Click to expand...

Remember, it's zest, not peel. Just the outer yellow layer, no white pith! I normally add it to the boil with 5 minutes to go. With my last batch, I steeped it in everclear for a few weeks, and poured it into the keg...way too lemony! I quite liked the flavor I got this way, but I'd cut the amount way down if I tried it again...a little goes a long way, and the beer should just have a slight hint of lemon.

The final Cascade addition goes in at flame out. I leave my hop bag in the kettle while chilling.

I'm guessing you use irish moss or whirfloc?

mpschafe said:

I'm guessing you use irish moss or whirfloc?

Click to expand...

Yes, whirfloc. With 10 or so minutes to go.

I always got a lot of cold break, but since I switched to a plate chiller, it's absolutely amazing how much precipitates. My freshly filled fermenter looks like a giant bottle of miso soup, but within a few hours it settles down to an inch layer at the bottom. By the time fermentation is over, it's down to 1/4" or so.

mpshafe:

I'm not sure why you are thinking about putting two different packs of dry yeast in there... but it couldn't hurt!

Mmm...I've had this recipe in my bookmarks for a while...now that it's getting to be summer (well, summer-esque) I think this might be my next batch.

Brewed this yesterday! The wort tasted awesome.

It's been about 20 hours and bubbling away nicely in its carboy.

Just as a note; zested about 15 small lemons and ended up with about 5 ounces of zest-- far too much! I would guess that the zest from about 6 small lemons would be enough. Going to make a small amount of lemoncello with the remaining zest.

Thanks for the recipe! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Llama said:

Going to make a small amount of lemoncello with the remaining zest.

Click to expand...

Do yourself a favor...get some more lemons, and make a LARGE amount of limoncello! I've been making it for many years, nothing perks up a party better than a big bottle. The ladies love it because it's delicious and sweet, and the guys love it because it's rocket fuel!

Everclear works the best and extracts more flavor, but I've also made it with vodka and it comes out fine.

How does this partial mash version look?


Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.25 gal
Boil Size: 3.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.043 SG
Estimated Color: 4.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 25.5 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
2.25 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 32.14 %
2.00 lb Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM) Grain 28.57 %
2.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 28.57 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 7.14 %
0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 3.57 %
0.65 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (60 min) Hops 18.2 IBU
1.30 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (10 min) Hops 7.2 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (0 min) Hops -
2.00 oz Lemon Zest (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale

Looks alright to me...I do kind of wonder if the 2lbs of pale malt has adequate diastatic power to convert the corn. It's probably fine though. Is that a Beersmith conversion?

Yeah I used beersmith. Here is what the direct conversion gives me.
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.25 gal
Boil Size: 3.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.043 SG
Estimated Color: 4.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 25.7 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
2.93 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 45.16 %
1.70 lb Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM) Grain 26.27 %
1.17 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 18.06 %
0.43 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 6.56 %
0.26 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 3.95 %
0.65 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (60 min) Hops 18.4 IBU
1.31 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (10 min) Hops 7.3 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (0 min) Hops -
2.00 oz Lemon Zest (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Safale S-04 Yeast-Ale

I didn't think it would work out with more corn that pale malt so I adjusted the amounts.

Pete79 said:

I didn't think it would work out with more corn that pale malt so I adjusted the amounts.

Click to expand...

I agree...your numbers look better.

Just pitched the yeast on 10 gallons of this stuff. I swapped out 5 pounds of 2-row for Maris Otter, and used .75 # of 40L malt instead of the 60, but man did this ever smell good. I can't wait to drink it. Oh and, I used Notty.

I was wondering how you think this would do if I pitched it onto a yeast cake from my Hoegaarden clone I'm kegging this weekend. I used wyeast 3944 Belgian Witbeir Yeast, this may be a terrible idea, but times are tight and Im just trying to save some dough! Just looking for some input, hell a pack of Nottingham is only like 2 bucks. Brewing this this weekend either way. Thanks folks!

Lars-
What's (in your experience) the optimim time for this one. Your recipe lists 14days primary and 14 days secondary, but no temps listed. I was thinking about brewing it on Friday 6/19 to be served on 7/18. Silghtly less than 4 weeks grain to glass. I keg and can force carb it my schedule was going to be...
6/19 Brew
6/19-7/8 primary at about 64dF
7/8 rack to secondary and crash cool to 34dF.
7/15 Rack to keg and force carb via shake method (thinking aiming for about 2.5vol).
7/18 serve at the block party.
Usually with that quick of a turnaround, I'd do a hefeweizen, but I want ot mix it up a bit. I'm hoping this doesn't need extra time for the flavors to mellow/blend...

I set my chest freezer at 62° for virtually all of my ales. Lately I don't bother with a secondary for small-medium beers, and just leave them in the primary for about a month before crash cooling and kegging. Then they generally sit in the keg at room temperature for a few weeks, until a spot in my conditioning/lagering fridge opens up. There they stay, until a keg blows in the kegerator...FIFO is normally observed.

Sorry if this is kind of vague, but my timing is driven more by production vs consumption than it is by the brewing/aging process. It's not a very big or hoppy beer, and I think the timeline you laid out would probably be fine. It may not be as clear in that short a time, but you could add some gelatin in the secondary to speed that along. I'd definitely stick with the S-04, as it ferments quickly and flocculates well.

Then again, at a block party (plastic cups?) I'm guessing nobody will care too much about clarity!

Thanks - I'm going to go for it.
If it's not ready we'll just have to sub one of my cage/conditioned kegs at the tap.
The S-04 is definately the yeast I'm going to use. Good point on the gelatin, that should hekp speed the clearing along...

I just finished up brewing 5 gallons of Pete79's partial mash version of this. Beersmith reports it'll be about 4.1% ABV, 27.5 IBU.

Not much about the experience that was particularly extraordinary to report. . . Primary for another few days, then racking to secondary. Will write with more information as I get it.

I brewed this up last weekend. onlt had enough lemon to get 1.5oz zest so I added the zest of a few clementines. I zested while my strike water was heating then so the stuff wouldn;t dry out i added a tough of distilled water to the small tupperware contanier they were in.

My hydro sample tonight was good but really lemony. Lemon was the first taste/thought... did the 3 hour water soak turn it inot lemoncheillo ot lemon cake? or is this norman anfd it will dissipate with time....