Ok, I admit it, I like the Miller Chill and BL Lime beers. They are light and refreshing and easy to drink. My parents and older sister are hooked on the stuff and buy lots of it, and I like to drink it with them(don't actually buy it myself of course). Now I do not want to make a beer that is a total copy of these kinds, most likely a light ale with some lime flavor to it. My first thought is to use the Cream of 3 Crops recipe as a base for this, use Notthingham to ferment and then rack it on top of a couple of cans of limeade concentrate and the zest and juice from a couple of fresh limes to secondary on for a couple weeks. Anyone think this would get me in the ballpark but without trying to do a piss beer lager like most of the BMC?
Lime Beer - What to use?
- Thread starter BrewFrick
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Light Lagers are harder to get right that many other styles... there just isn't enough there to cover up any mistakes. Outside of that, that lime taste almost has to be a chemically additive. Have you ever done any lagers before? Light lagers? If you can get that right, maybe you could experiment with adding some lime concentrate like you would dry hop in a keg (if you keg)?
That's all I got...
That's all I got...
Ecnerwal
Well-Known Member
Rather than Limeade (more fermentables, and those are typically corn syrup) perhaps lime juice. Perhaps Key Lime juice. You're basically after flavor. Of course, what the BMC product is trying to be is Corona with a lime wedge, without the lime wedge, so you could just brew your light ale and cut up a lime at serving time - but that might be too simple and prone to working...?
Just use lime zest, the juice and the pith will just contribute sour and bitterness, respectivelly. The zest of lemons/limes are pretty potent in beer so I'd try adding just the zest of two limes for a 5 gallon batch at flameout and leave it in the primary.
To start off, Ecnerwal, sarcasm is not helpful, reading the post for what I am trying to do is your best approach. Anyone can lime-up a beer with a lime wedge, duh. I am going for a recipe here, not serving steps. To quote Randy Mosher - "Brewing is a direct creative act . . .", I want to make something myself, not add to what I have already made at a later time. I only want to approximate the taste, not actually to do a lager at all, I don't have all the equipment for that anyway. I want a light american ale with a descernable lime flavor to it, but not overpowering.
My only reference is mead I have done with lemon/lime zest and juice, but that is not quite done yet and only has a bit of citrus aroma. I think I will try the guidance of ericd on the lime zest at flameout and through the primary only. I will rack onto the juice of two limes and the prime with limeade concentrate that I have filtered the pulp out of. Sound like a decent plan to any of you? Still get too much lime flavor/sour in it?
My only reference is mead I have done with lemon/lime zest and juice, but that is not quite done yet and only has a bit of citrus aroma. I think I will try the guidance of ericd on the lime zest at flameout and through the primary only. I will rack onto the juice of two limes and the prime with limeade concentrate that I have filtered the pulp out of. Sound like a decent plan to any of you? Still get too much lime flavor/sour in it?
Chriso
Broken Robot Brewing Co.
I think you're being a bit too quick to criticize Ecnerwal for what he said. Sarcasm or no, he has two good points.
1) Corn syrup doesn't belong in this equation, it is my utmost recommendation to stick to peel/zest/juice and not some sugar-laden concentrate crap... and
2) A slice of lime is a nice start. Why not, in order to decide what style you want to make with limes in it, you go and buy a mixed 6 pack of different micros that you think might make a good style to add lime to. Maybe you figure out that a Kolsch tastes like crap with lime in it, but an American Wheat tastes really good that way. Once you've narrowed which style or which example you want to add lime to, then you can pull the trigger on brewing 5 gal of it, knowing that you've done the research.
I like the zest, I like the juice... I just think you're going to regret the limeade concentrate.
And before you say it, I'm no hater, I've had both BL Lime and Miller Chill in the past month. I've bought both of them more than once. So don't accuse me of being a hater. I'm just trying to help you accomplish the end result you have in mind.
1) Corn syrup doesn't belong in this equation, it is my utmost recommendation to stick to peel/zest/juice and not some sugar-laden concentrate crap... and
2) A slice of lime is a nice start. Why not, in order to decide what style you want to make with limes in it, you go and buy a mixed 6 pack of different micros that you think might make a good style to add lime to. Maybe you figure out that a Kolsch tastes like crap with lime in it, but an American Wheat tastes really good that way. Once you've narrowed which style or which example you want to add lime to, then you can pull the trigger on brewing 5 gal of it, knowing that you've done the research.
I like the zest, I like the juice... I just think you're going to regret the limeade concentrate.
And before you say it, I'm no hater, I've had both BL Lime and Miller Chill in the past month. I've bought both of them more than once. So don't accuse me of being a hater. I'm just trying to help you accomplish the end result you have in mind.
King of Cascade
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2008
- Messages
- 656
- Reaction score
- 7
+1 on too quick to criticize
good point made by Ecnerwal but a little smart a$$ish at the end:cross:
Try adding the lime zest to the secondary or if you don't secondary add it to the primary after fermentation is finished
Ecnerwal
Well-Known Member
One thing you may not be considering, which I am:
When you brew some "traditional style of beer", you can pretty much do things that the traditional style of beer was done with, even if it's mostly being produced in huge factories by some other means now.
When you try to brew a "malt beverage based food product" which has only ever been manufactured in a large factory using techniques not available to the home brewer who lacks a sizable monthly lottery check, it may be nigh-on to impossible to replicate (or even emulate) the manufactured product.
Look at the threads on brewing Zima at home. While you are not trying to get quite that out there (make it clear!) you are very much in that ballpark - and the closest thing (I know of, beer trivia artists set me straight if I'm dead wrong, please, and you'll also be helping to point to a style of beer to investigate for the project at hand) to a "traditional style lime-flavored beer" is a beer with a chunk of lime in it. The index to the "New World Guide to Beer" has no lime entry, but it is probably not a definitive reference, just the one I have handy.
If you can get some sort of natural lime flavoring/extract, that is probably the closest thing to what the manufactured product is being flavored with, rather than any sort of juice or peel. BLL says natural lime flavor. But many flavorings are fairly vile in my personal experience, so you'd want to find a good one before proceeding.
Pasteurize, add flavoring, force carbonate and bottle. The effect, ideally, is indistinguishable from open a bottle and drip in the right amount of flavoring, so that might be a testing method. Why Pasteurize? Those live yeast might want to alter the lime flavor if left alive with it in a bottle - and the product you are basing this on is surely Pasteurized.
When you brew some "traditional style of beer", you can pretty much do things that the traditional style of beer was done with, even if it's mostly being produced in huge factories by some other means now.
When you try to brew a "malt beverage based food product" which has only ever been manufactured in a large factory using techniques not available to the home brewer who lacks a sizable monthly lottery check, it may be nigh-on to impossible to replicate (or even emulate) the manufactured product.
Look at the threads on brewing Zima at home. While you are not trying to get quite that out there (make it clear!) you are very much in that ballpark - and the closest thing (I know of, beer trivia artists set me straight if I'm dead wrong, please, and you'll also be helping to point to a style of beer to investigate for the project at hand) to a "traditional style lime-flavored beer" is a beer with a chunk of lime in it. The index to the "New World Guide to Beer" has no lime entry, but it is probably not a definitive reference, just the one I have handy.
If you can get some sort of natural lime flavoring/extract, that is probably the closest thing to what the manufactured product is being flavored with, rather than any sort of juice or peel. BLL says natural lime flavor. But many flavorings are fairly vile in my personal experience, so you'd want to find a good one before proceeding.
Pasteurize, add flavoring, force carbonate and bottle. The effect, ideally, is indistinguishable from open a bottle and drip in the right amount of flavoring, so that might be a testing method. Why Pasteurize? Those live yeast might want to alter the lime flavor if left alive with it in a bottle - and the product you are basing this on is surely Pasteurized.
Having actually brewed a lime beer last summer...
In my lime cream ale I used half a jar of this (for a 2.5 gallon batch) in the last 15 minutes of the boil.
Rose's key lime marmalade...I had a half jar, which I diluted with boiling water before pouring it in the kettle.
Plus the zest from 2 limes...
It came out nice, but next time I will double, at least, the lime ingredients. And maybe "dry zest" with some more later, like in secondary.
It was limey, but I would like more of it...and maybe kick up the flavor hopping with some more cirtusy hops....My friends who like BLL really liked the beer.
For a base beer do something like biermuncher's centennial blonde, or Cream of the three crops...Something with some corn in it to approach the crispness of a light lager...but as an ale, brewed at the bottom of your yeast's temp range.
Here's my original recipe...remember for a 2.5 gallon batch...
I bought a bunch of argentine cascade really cheap and was looking for a reason to try them...can't really say much about them, I can't tell if the lime sort of masked them or not...I'll have to brew with them again in something plain, to get a better taste of them...and replacing them withing something knowingly citrussy.
You are better off using something with a known lemon/lime/citrussy taste, like centennial or cascade rather than the crappier Argentinian Cascade.
In my lime cream ale I used half a jar of this (for a 2.5 gallon batch) in the last 15 minutes of the boil.
Rose's key lime marmalade...I had a half jar, which I diluted with boiling water before pouring it in the kettle.
Plus the zest from 2 limes...
It came out nice, but next time I will double, at least, the lime ingredients. And maybe "dry zest" with some more later, like in secondary.
It was limey, but I would like more of it...and maybe kick up the flavor hopping with some more cirtusy hops....My friends who like BLL really liked the beer.
For a base beer do something like biermuncher's centennial blonde, or Cream of the three crops...Something with some corn in it to approach the crispness of a light lager...but as an ale, brewed at the bottom of your yeast's temp range.
Here's my original recipe...remember for a 2.5 gallon batch...
I bought a bunch of argentine cascade really cheap and was looking for a reason to try them...can't really say much about them, I can't tell if the lime sort of masked them or not...I'll have to brew with them again in something plain, to get a better taste of them...and replacing them withing something knowingly citrussy.
You are better off using something with a known lemon/lime/citrussy taste, like centennial or cascade rather than the crappier Argentinian Cascade.
I really wasn't trying to get into a discussion of styles here or a discourse on what the big BMS guys do, just trying to get some feedback with real information in it. I have that now and I will be testing out the lime wedge on a newly brewed Cream of 3 Crops recipe to see if it is even any good like that before I brew up 5 gallons, and thanks Chriso for the idea on that one. Revvy, you really helped me out with your post, very glad to get feedback from someone who has tried this one before. Where did you come by that Key Lime marmalade by the way? I noticed also that you had Argentine Cascade in your recipe, are those a citrusy hop? I know the original is and the Argentine variety is much lower AA but do they retain the same aroma?
Yeah, I noticed you were getting beat up, so I thought I'd come in and actually gove you some information....as I noticed mi amigo Chriso did as well!
Don't let anyone EVER dissuade you from brewing what you want, even if it's a BMC clone, (hell if you can master that then you would be far ahead of most of us on here, especially me) nor from experimenting...anyone who pimps another person for trying something new, or brewing what THEY want is going against the brotherhood of the brew as far as I'm concerned.....This is a hobby built on camaraderie and innovation, not about a$$hole-ness. Doesn't Pappa Charlie even brew light lagers on occasion? Doesn't he have a recipe for something like it in TNCJOHB? Let's remember the ethos that this hobby was founded on....
Papa Charlie would HELP you brew...not trash you on what you want to brew.
/rant
Roses is pretty common, it can the international foods aisle of major grocery stores (even Meijer's carries it) also any specialty shop (like world market place) that carry foods from England and Ireland.) I came upon it because my last GF was from Ireland, and there was half a jar left in my fridge when we broke up. (it's good stuff btw)
I bought a bunch of argentine cascade really cheap and was looking for a reason to try them...can't really say much about them, I can't tell if the lime sort of masked them or not...I'll have to brew with them again in something plain, to get a better taste of them...and replacing them withing something knowingly citrussy.
The Argentine cascade is quite different from the American. You might want to try the New Zealand cascade it is very close to American. There are many hops that lend a citrusy flavor. Cascade leans toward grapefruit, Summit closer to tangerine, Amarillo a sweet grapefruit or maybe a little orange. I have used a base amber recipe for several brews, only switching out the dry hops to try and figure out different hop flavor and aroma. You might want to try Sorachi Ace. I haven't tried it yet but it is a high alpha combination hop that is supposed to have a lemon flavor. I have never heard of, or used a hop that had a lime flavor.
Edit: darn, 1000. now I have to search for somethings to post.
Edit: darn, 1000. now I have to search for somethings to post.
Chriso
Broken Robot Brewing Co.
+1 on all those Beerthirty just said. Summit will give you tangerine out the wazoo, I like to describe Amarillo as a "honey pineapple" taste... Sorachi Ace is a friggin' lemon bomb (use lightly!)...A citrusy hop will complement this brilliantly.
I think you're on the right track dude! Keep us posted!
I think you're on the right track dude! Keep us posted!
how about ROSES sweetened lime juice after start of primary fermintation or in the secondary fermintation
I've never seen the sweetened...but I'm sure it would work as well as the Rose's lime marmalade I mentioned earlier in the thread....
The Bud Light Lime a friend was drinking the other night smelled EXACTLY like the lemon basil we have growing in our garden. Smells like Fruit Loops. Might be something to try if you want the artificial lime flavor from something natural.
Well, I'm reading radical brewing and Randy Moshier is all over both using fresh peel and marmalades as citrus flavoring in many of his beers. He uses English orange marmalades in a lot of his wits, where a little pectin haze is ok. I didn't really have any discernable haze when I used the little bit of Rose's lime marmalade in mine.
Another option (and he mentions it in several instances as well) is to infuse pure alcohol with whatever flavoring you want to impart in your beers. You could take some lime peels (make sure to get rid of the white pith underneath which can cause bitterness) and infuse it for a week or so in vodka or grain alcohol and add that to secondary or at bottling.
One thing I am going to try sometime this summer with a ginger orange dortmunder recipe I have been tweaking for years, is to infuse either my boiling bottling priming solution, and/or even some lactose (for sweeteness) with peels and add that at bottling time.
I had good luck with my chili powder in my Chocolate Mole Porter, by adding some to the priming solution while I was boiling it, then straining that and adding it to the bottling bucket. It gave just that little extra bite to the palate. So much that I got a bronze medal for it in the World Expo of Beer last month.
Thanks Revvy. I have that book as well. I'll get some key limes and make an infusion for the lake. From what I've read about BierMunchers Centennial Blonde, it looks like a quick recipe so I may not need to brew this till late Spring. I'll let you know how it goes.
Potter1
Well-Known Member
+1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But it might work in a Lime Pale. Rose's Sweet Lime (in secondary) would be my best guess for a good, lime flavor for something like a BLL. Fresh lime zest(Flameout) would give a purer lime flavor, but IME with BLL it's more of a candy lime taste, not real limes. Limes are awesome fruits, and work really well in beer IMO. :fro:
``
Another thing that just occurred to me.
I don't know....but it seems like that might be a viable alternative. But of course it is probably full of all manner of chemicals.
I don't know....but it seems like that might be a viable alternative. But of course it is probably full of all manner of chemicals.
I'd go for the fresh zest either in the boil or extracted via a month long grain alcohol soak. The extract can be added at bottling to really preserve the aroma which would be boiled off.
I use the "Rose's" sweetened lime juice but looking at the label now is corn syrup and concentrated lime juice, typically for 5 galons 1/4 cup sweetened lime juice and 1/8 cup concentrated lime juice before bottleing
Twofox
Well-Known Member
Been reading thru this and caught and idea. Looking to do a refreshing crisp clean lime flavored beer. How about something like this:
Extract 5gal batch.
6-7# LightDME
(not sure on specialties yet)
1oz Willamette 5% (60 min)
1oz Ahatnum (not sure what the LHBS has for AA) (15 mins
Nottingham dry yeast? (something farily dry, but not too much)
Here's the cool part. I HAVE A KEY LIME TREE!! :rockin:
Already have some juiced and in frozen bags of 1cup each. Last years were pretty sour heh.
So add to taste in bottling bucket.
Thoughts?
Extract 5gal batch.
6-7# LightDME
(not sure on specialties yet)
1oz Willamette 5% (60 min)
1oz Ahatnum (not sure what the LHBS has for AA) (15 mins
Nottingham dry yeast? (something farily dry, but not too much)
Here's the cool part. I HAVE A KEY LIME TREE!! :rockin:
Already have some juiced and in frozen bags of 1cup each. Last years were pretty sour heh.
So add to taste in bottling bucket.
Thoughts?
Twofox
Well-Known Member
Working up a lime beer recipe since I have a keylime tree here.
What do you all think about this?
2.5 gal batch
1.5# Pale 2row
1.5# wheat malt
.25# Crystal 10L
.25# Flaked corn
.5oz Cascade hops @ 60 mins 7.5%
.5oz Amarillo @ 15 mins 7.5%
.5oz Amarillo @ flameout 7.5%
8oz Keylime juice (juiced last year and frozen) @ 15 mins
Zest of 2 key limes @ 15 mins
Mash, etc.
What do you all think about this?
2.5 gal batch
1.5# Pale 2row
1.5# wheat malt
.25# Crystal 10L
.25# Flaked corn
.5oz Cascade hops @ 60 mins 7.5%
.5oz Amarillo @ 15 mins 7.5%
.5oz Amarillo @ flameout 7.5%
8oz Keylime juice (juiced last year and frozen) @ 15 mins
Zest of 2 key limes @ 15 mins
Mash, etc.
alcibiades
Well-Known Member
FWIW, i hear sorachi ace hops has lime flavors...
andrewp
Well-Known Member
this is what i'm trying tonight. after mixing a splash of lime aid in my
2.5 gallon batch:
3 lbs Light DME
0.5 lbs Crystal 10
0.25 lbs Honey Malt
0.5 oz Cascade (7.5AA) @ 30 min
0.25 oz Cascade (7.5 AA) @ 10 min
0.25 oz Cascade (7.5 AA) @ 5 min
zest of two limes @ 5 min
zest of two limes @ flameout
1 package danstar nottingham dry yeast
zest of 4 limes into vodka until secondary.
we'll see. any feedback would be appreciated. the pale ale / lime aid mix that i've been drinking is the tits so i'm excited to try this. nothing like a little experimental brewing on a sunday evening
2.5 gallon batch:
3 lbs Light DME
0.5 lbs Crystal 10
0.25 lbs Honey Malt
0.5 oz Cascade (7.5AA) @ 30 min
0.25 oz Cascade (7.5 AA) @ 10 min
0.25 oz Cascade (7.5 AA) @ 5 min
zest of two limes @ 5 min
zest of two limes @ flameout
1 package danstar nottingham dry yeast
zest of 4 limes into vodka until secondary.
we'll see. any feedback would be appreciated. the pale ale / lime aid mix that i've been drinking is the tits so i'm excited to try this. nothing like a little experimental brewing on a sunday evening
JBrady
Well-Known Member
I just did a citrus wheat beer. We used the zest from 9 regular walmart limes which was a little too much. I was worried about blowing off too much lime flavor while fermenting but it wasn't an issue at all. I think about half of that would have been just right. I added the zest with about 2 minutes left in the boil to hopefully kill any unwanted nasties. The beer tasted great but was definitely dominated by the lime zest. Here is the recipe I made:
1.055 OG
1.013 FG
5.5% ABV
23.3 IBU's
6.00 pounds white wheat malt
4.25 pounds pale malt
.75oz amarillo gold 60 minutes
.25oz amarillo gold 15 minutes
1oz bitter orange peel 5 minutes
1oz sweet orange peel 5 minutes
Zest from 9 Limes 2 minutes (would scale this back to no more than 5 limes next time)
wyeast1010 american wheat ale yeast
mashed at 153 for 60 minutes
1.055 OG
1.013 FG
5.5% ABV
23.3 IBU's
6.00 pounds white wheat malt
4.25 pounds pale malt
.75oz amarillo gold 60 minutes
.25oz amarillo gold 15 minutes
1oz bitter orange peel 5 minutes
1oz sweet orange peel 5 minutes
Zest from 9 Limes 2 minutes (would scale this back to no more than 5 limes next time)
wyeast1010 american wheat ale yeast
mashed at 153 for 60 minutes
MichaelsBrewing
Well-Known Member
Subscribed! =)
This thread hasn't been posted in in nearly a year, and you're subscribing?
MichaelsBrewing
Well-Known Member
You posted in it
It is just so I won't lose the info. If it is not in "my replies" link I will forget about it.
It is just so I won't lose the info. If it is not in "my replies" link I will forget about it.
Twofox
Well-Known Member
You posted in it
It is just so I won't lose the info. If it is not in "my replies" link I will forget about it.
He's stalking you Revvy LOL.
Actually I'll be brewing my Key lime ale this weekend. Using the zest of 2 limes and 1 cup of hand squeezed juice from the key limes (also knows as a mexican lime) off of my tree.
I've dialed in the pale ale and it's ready to try some flavor!
MichaelsBrewing
Well-Known Member
Not what I meant... but okay
I am not following Revvys posts in various threads lol
I was simply pointing out that although I "subscribed" to a year old thread you and he still posted in it this week.......
Twofox
Well-Known Member
Sorry, couldn't help myself, didn't mean to indicate the wrong kind of..... stalking? heh.
KozHops
Well-Known Member
Wow, tough crowd.
Looks like I'll be trying this recipe out.
Looks like I'll be trying this recipe out.
Reading through, it looks like they decided to go with a light pale ale. Then, zest key limes, or use lime marmalade.
As mentioned throughout this thread, I just used Mosher's Radical Brewing as a reference for the last two wheat beers that I brewed. The second of the two, I used key limes and got an excellent lime flavor... so I can attest to using key lime. In the first, I used regular lime zest and it was very lemmony.
I suppose if you were really going for BLL, then you'd have to split this into a rice adjunct mash, and then lager it for a few weeks. And not everyone, including myself, has the equipment to do a separate step mash.
As mentioned throughout this thread, I just used Mosher's Radical Brewing as a reference for the last two wheat beers that I brewed. The second of the two, I used key limes and got an excellent lime flavor... so I can attest to using key lime. In the first, I used regular lime zest and it was very lemmony.
I suppose if you were really going for BLL, then you'd have to split this into a rice adjunct mash, and then lager it for a few weeks. And not everyone, including myself, has the equipment to do a separate step mash.
I'm pretty new to brewing but last summer i did an orange wheat that turned out alright but was a bit darker than i wished for a wheat beer. I think i will try a similar recipe but a lime style this time, anybody have any suggestions?
I can tell you what NOT to do.
I recently made an NB American Wheat, to keep the wife happy with my new hobby i added 2 oz of Key Lime natural extract at bottling.
I had bottled half the batch unflavored then added the extract and bottled the rest with the lime for her. It was wayyyy too limey to the point of almost being undrinkable.
Not wanting to waste beer i bought some bud light and have been experimenting with ratios. I have found that 6oz of the lime wheat with 8oz bud light makes for a reasonably drinkable beer.
I will try again with the next wheat batch but will try the drops in the bottle method with say 6 bottles, so i don't lose too much of MY wheat beer
.
I recently made an NB American Wheat, to keep the wife happy with my new hobby i added 2 oz of Key Lime natural extract at bottling.
I had bottled half the batch unflavored then added the extract and bottled the rest with the lime for her. It was wayyyy too limey to the point of almost being undrinkable.
Not wanting to waste beer i bought some bud light and have been experimenting with ratios. I have found that 6oz of the lime wheat with 8oz bud light makes for a reasonably drinkable beer.
I will try again with the next wheat batch but will try the drops in the bottle method with say 6 bottles, so i don't lose too much of MY wheat beer
.
