Lemon hops??

Hi all,
What are the hops that give off a lemony/citrusy( is that a word?:cross: ) type flavour?

maxy007 said:

Hi all,
What are the hops that give off a lemony/citrusy( is that a word?:cross: ) type flavour?

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A number of American hop varieties have a citrusy flavor, such as Cascade, Centennial, and Amarillo. I personally think Stone IPA has a distinct lemony flavor, so whichever hops they use for that would be good as well, although I'm not sure exactly what they are.

Here are some:


Alpha Acid % 4% to 6.3%
Typical Beer Styles
Possible Substitutions
Flavor DescriptionFloral, citrus, sharp, and piney.

Name Amarillo
Alpha Acid % 8% to 9%
Typical Beer Styles Ale, IPA
Possible Substitutions Cascade, Centennial
Flavor DescriptionCitrusy, flowery.

Name Cascade
Alpha Acid % 4.5% to 7%
Typical Beer Styles Pale ale, IPA, porter, barleywine
Possible Substitutions Centennial, Amarillo, possibly Columbus
Flavor DescriptionPleasant, flowery, spicy, and citrusy. Can have a grapefruit flavor.

Name Centennial
Alpha Acid % 8% to 11.5%
Typical Beer Styles All ale styles, has been used with wheat beer
Possible Substitutions Cascade, possibly Columbus
Flavor DescriptionMedium with floral and citrus tones.

Name Chinook
Alpha Acid % 10% to 14%
Typical Beer Styles Pale ale, IPA, stout, porter, lager
Possible Substitutions Nugget, Columbus, Northern Brewer, U.K. Target
Flavor DescriptionMild to medium-heavy, spicy, piney, and grapefruity.

Name Galena
Alpha Acid % 10% to 14%
Typical Beer Styles Ale, porter, stout, ESB, bitter
Possible Substitutions Nugget, Pride of Ringwood, Chinook
Flavor DescriptionMedium but pleasant hoppiness, citrusy.

Name Olympic
Alpha Acid % 11% to 13%
Typical Beer Styles
Possible Substitutions Chinook
Flavor DescriptionMild to medium, citrusy aroma, spicy.

Name Sterling
Alpha Acid % 6% to 9%
Typical Beer Styles Lager, ale, pilsner
Possible Substitutions Saaz, Polish Lublin
Flavor DescriptionHerbal, spicy, pleasant aroma, hint of floral and citrus.

Thanks so much for the info. I really appreciate it. I'm looking at dry hopping something in a corona clone.
What sort of aroma etc does glacier have?

Sarachi Ace is reputed to be very lemony

brewt00l said:

Sarachi Ace is reputed to be very lemony

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It tastes like the backside of a lemon peel. You can interpret "backside" as meaning either "pith" or "ass"; both are equally applicable.

Definately lemon, but with a REALLY bad bitterness, not like a hop bitterness, not quite an astrigency, just really like citrus pith.

the_bird said:

It tastes like the backside of a lemon peel. You can interpret "backside" as meaning either "pith" or "ass"; both are equally applicable.

Definately lemon, but with a REALLY bad bitterness, not like a hop bitterness, not quite an astrigency, just really like citrus pith.

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A local brewpub did a sarachi ace pale that was supposedly very citrusy and lemony..and tasty. Unfortunately I went the night that the keg kicked and didn't get to sample.

I've always liked Cascade for a nice citrus'y' flavor.

newguy said:

I've always liked Cascade for a nice citrus'y' flavor.

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I havent tried all the hops that were listed as having a citrusy flavor...but of the ones I have used, Cascade is the best in my opinion.

Cascade is the workman's hop: dependable, versatile, and mid-strength. Gets used all the time.

I forgot about Sarachi Ace. It has a major lemony component, and if that's all you're looking for, use that. There's also Summit, one of my favorite hops, which is about 18% alpha acids, and has an orange/tangerine flavor. It is awesome in IPAs.

brewt00l said:

A local brewpub did a sarachi ace pale that was supposedly very citrusy and lemony..and tasty. Unfortunately I went the night that the keg kicked and didn't get to sample.

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The beer that I had prominantly featured the Socachi hop. It was a homebrew from someone here whom I have a tremendous amount of respect for, so I have a great deal of confidence that the harshness, the pith-flavor was a direct result of the hop, not a brewing flaw or crappy base recipe. Now, used in conjunction with a Cascade or an Amarillo or something else classicly citrusy, it might be fine and lend some nice overtones (it's unmistakably lemon), but let's just say that I won't be buying any myself.

Simcoe is citrusy. I used amarillo & simcoe to get a citrusy APA & IPA.

I've heard Simcoe & Amarillo go together like peanut butter and jelly: a classic combination.

I can see this is old, but I stumbled across the wiki article that says Pride Of Ringwood is a lemony hop, and since you're from Australia and it accounts for 90 percent of Oz hop production, it might be what you're thinking of. I know you're long gone but this is for future HBT searchers.

Disagree POR is mainly a bittering hop. Tastes quite dirty/earthy when used later.

Reasoning behind being so popular in Australia is it's the bittering hop of nearly all megaswill Which is flavourless crap IMO Most Aussie homebrewers will use it for bittering only purposes.

Despite what you may have "read in a blog" or "heard from a mate", taste is subjective and there are people who enjoy flavours that you don't. There are some people like the coarse, earthy, citrus taste provided by POR, just like there are some people who like "horse blanket", "leather" and "barnyard" overtones in their Brett beers.

Yes, POR is usually used for bittering, but all you do with your post is stifle curiosity and creativity.

To those seeking citrussy hops, POR might not be the best option, but worth a try if you're looking for a unique citrus character, or are looking to add a bit of citrus complexity in conjunction with the other hops mentioned in this thread.

What i've read or heard from a mate? You have revived a 5 yr old thread from the dead with a bit of information which was written on another wiki.

Yes POR may have some citrusy notes but it " once again IMO ( this is a forum and we are entitled to right?)" is closer to the earthy side.

I cant see why it was worth your while posting in this thread there is a lot more accurate replys when the thread was left for dead.

Ps. I am also Australian and have brewed with POR quite alot so I guess I can speak from experience instead of just reading on another thread.

I didn't post to start an argument I just wanted to give my 2c being someone with experience with said hop.

#Edit# :corrections after seeing 'pith' is also Aussie.

Despite all that, stifling creativity by saying what "most Aussie homebrewers" do is really not the best thing to do at all. It's just another example of the schoolyard peer pressure paradigm. I assume you're actually an adult. RDWHAWB.

I havent gotten lemon with any of my hops,but i think citra is describe with this and sorchi ace.I like nugget hops and i typically dont get a general citrus like you do with the c-hops and many others like palisades.

You sound like a school teacher!
If creativity is reading something somewhere and reposting in a dead thread then you can have a gold star. In fact have a couple as I see this is something you do more then this post.

How about you show your creativity and brew a beer adding POR late or even dry hopping then let people know your results.

My suggestion is if you want to be taken serious get of your computer for a bit and brew some beer. You can read 1000 articles on brewing but without actually brewing beer you still have no idea. Join one of the many brew clubs in Sydney. Better yet get on to ahb. Com. Au. And I'm sure you will find other brewers in blue mtns/ Bathurst region.

Ps. You assumed right I am an adult 25 actually. 2 yrs brewing maybe 50 batches so no expert.

jonmohno said:

I havent gotten lemon with any of my hops,but i think citra is describe with this and sorchi ace.I like nugget hops and i typically dont get a general citrus like you do with the c-hops and many others like palisades.

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I used Citra and got mango as the flavor. At bottling it was definitely citrus aroma and perhaps with a bit of lemon zest the beer flavor could be turned to lemon. I'll let someone else try it though, a repeat of that isn't in the lineup since I have half of that batch left and just bottled one using Citra and Cascade for a decidedly grapefruit aroma.

thedingo said:

You sound like a school teacher!

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I'm studying to be a school teacher so I'll take that as a compliment.

thedingo said:

If creativity is reading something somewhere and reposting in a dead thread then you can have a gold star.

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I never said that I was exercising creativity by passing on information that future brewers may have missed. I said you were stifling creativity by saying that the aforementioned info was invalid and not worth considering.

thedingo said:

How about you show your creativity and brew a beer adding POR late or even dry hopping then let people know your results.

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You're not the boss of me.

thedingo said:

My suggestion is if you want to be taken serious-

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It really doesn't bother me at all if the likes of you don't take me seriously.

thedingo said:

-get of your computer for a bit and brew some beer.

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I'm satisfied with the amount of brew I have at the moment. I don't brew profusely because I don't drink profusely. However, I won't judge you for brewing an average of twice a month. To your face, at least.

thedingo said:

You can read 1000 articles on brewing but without actually brewing beer you still have no idea. Join one of the many brew clubs in Sydney. Better yet get on to ahb. Com. Au.

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Weren't you just asking me to "get of your computer"? OOPS.

thedingo said:

And I'm sure you will find other brewers in blue mtns/ Bathurst region.

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I have met many brewers and learned many things, from discussions, brewing, and reading. Yes, reading. You can learn things from reading, as well as just brewing. Try and stay sober enough to read something. You could learn something.

thedingo said:

Ps. You assumed right I am an adult 25 actually. 2 yrs brewing maybe 50 batches so no expert.

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You're likely enjoying a drank right now then. Nice. RDWHAHB. I don't expect a reply.

Well you can't set the bait and not expect a bite now!
try to bring this thread back to topic for a minute first.

I disagreed with you saying POR would be Maybe something you would use if you where looking for lemon.
That's my opinion and I'm entitled it.
Call it what you want But i think You seen that as an attack on yourself which is understandable as you read it somewhere else And everything you read on the Internet is the 100% truth! So I must be calling you a lier!
You decided to show off your wide teaching vocabulary and basically tell me i shouldnt be entitled to have an opinion. Which bottom line is what forums are for sharing opinions whether agreeing or disagreeing with each other.

Now to get off topic again
I don't think making an average 20-30 litres of beer a month gives the means to call me an alco. Believe it or not I'm not the only one who drinks it either. Generous guy I am.
And no I'm not drinking now I'm actually at work. On break so no need to start calling me a bludger now too. But when I get home I will most likely crack one!


There's my reply anyway tried to bring this thread back on topic before its banished to the depths where it came from.

If you don't have anything to say about said topic theres no need to post here again.
instead send your personal attacks to my message box. Where we can bicker as much as you would like.

Ps. Saying you sound like a teacher shouldn't be taken as a compliment not in the context I had in mind anyway.

I'll leave you to blabber your non-sequiturs elsewhere. I'm finished here.

old thread, but ill post for others. ive been drinking a lot of stone ipa and ruination lately. very dominant lemon and grapefruit pith character IMO. ive heard mitch steele talk and say both beers are dominated by centennial. i use a fair amount of centennial and never get this flavor. i wonder where there actual source of centennial is, cause i love this ****....

Sorachi Ace does have lemony flavor, but apparently using it requires some finesse I just developed yet. I say this because after tasting Brooklyn Brewery's aptly named saison Sorachi Ace, I was quite interested in making a beer featuring this same hop. Unfortunately, although kind of lemony, it tastes more like the white part of lemon. Perhaps I overhopped. I also didn't quite get much of the aroma I expected from smelling the hop pellets themselves. Not quite as pleasant as sniffing simcoe or centennial hops, for me. It smelled like a pungent bittering hop.

I would go with Cascade and/or Centennial hops

With the Sorachi Ace, a little goes a long way. I've used in for a wheat where I wanted a lemony flavor at the end. It worked great as a finishing hop. I'm doing the brew again.

I would not use it as a bittering hop as it will get very bitter very quickly. I generally use a backbone of Cascade with it. Cascade to bitter, Sorachi Ace to finish.

I can't keep the brews I've made this way in the bottle long - SWMBO pilfers them all!

Something often overlooked in "citrus" taste is the fermentation process. Many of the american ale yeasts accentuate the citrus flavor on the cooler end of their temp range. If you aren't getting that citrus flavor for a hop others characterize as citrusy, that might be a place to look for the variation.

GO WITH MOTEUKA. It's pretty delicious and smells great. Sort of a lemon-lime character. It might be perfect for you corona clone

"More specifically,some acentuate the malt flavors while others acentuate the hoppy side of things. Some sites list these pecuarities in the yeasts' description."

Actually, that isn't the same - or at least not in my experience. eg Wyeast 1056 - always accentuates the hops for me, but the same hops are more citrusy fermenting at 63 vs 68.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Citra yet. I used this in an IPA and loved it. Very lemony with hints of grapefruits and other tropical fruits. Great for aroma and flavor.

the_bird said:

It tastes like the backside of a lemon peel. You can interpret "backside" as meaning either "pith" or "ass"; both are equally applicable.

Definately lemon, but with a REALLY bad bitterness, not like a hop bitterness, not quite an astrigency, just really like citrus pith.

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Great description for Sorachi Ace. I have an IPA on tap now that's all Sorachi Ace hopped and while it has some lemon flavor and aroma it does taste bitter like grapefruit peel. I'm going to throw some Citra hops in the keg and see if that helps.

As several folks have already stated, Sorachi Ace is definitely lemony. I've used it in a summery blonde ale with good results. I finished with Citras for 5 minutes and then an ounce of Sorachi at flameout, and the beer had a nice citrus/lemon flavor and aroma. BUT I've been told it can give a "cat piss" flavor if added with more than 15 or 20 minutes left in the boil. Just what I've heard- no personal experience to back it up.