Hop to compliment El Dorado

[Morrey]

I recently tried a SMaSH Pale Ale at a local brewery featuring El Dorado - my first time enjoying this hop. I got some very nice flavors reminding me of both fruity and floral with a very nice nose. The nose set me up to believe the hop profile would be assertive and more aggressive than it actually was during the tasting.

Taking the enjoyment of El Dorado to the next level, I plan to pair this hop in a Pale Ale but looking for a complimentary hop to support the El Dorado and sort of "prop it up" in the taste category. Hope I'm saying this correctly, just seems the El Dorado would benefit from a "partner" to bring out the best it offers in a PA.

Looking for ideas as which hop may compliment the El Dorado and not overshadow its delicate offerings.

 

[dmtaylor]

"Well done, El Dorado... well done."

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I've made an El Dorado IPA before but I didn't get any of the flavors everyone else mentions. To me it was a very mild hop easily overwhelmed by the Columbus dry hops that I added to kick it up a notch. I believe others would agree that it's not a super strong hop. I would use a light touch with any additional hops. Brewer's Gold would be a good option, tastes to me a bit like strawberry and it's pretty mild. Otherwise you could try blending with something like Citra or Centennial in a VERY small amount of those. Or how about Nelson Sauvin with its grapey character? All these could work really well, if used very judiciously so as not to overwhelm. Use like 1/4 as much as you would normally use or something like that. Otherwise it turns into a session IPA real quick.

Cheers and good luck.

 

[Morrey]

I think you have very similar thoughts, Dave, in that the El Dorado could use a supporting hop to shore it up. Its a very nice hop for sure, just think it will benefit from a good dance partner.

Given your suggestions, I really like the idea that you offered with Nelson Sauvin which would be a winner. I had thought of Citra, and as you say, use it in moderation so its not an all Citra bomb.

Brewer's Gold.....this would be a new hop to me, but I do like to try new things so I don't get stuck in a rut. Now I have 3 good ideas so it boils down to making a choice.

 

[drez77]

just did a beer with El Dorado, Mosaic and Simcoe and I find it excellent. El Dorado and Citra pair well too.

 

[Morrey]

just did a beer with El Dorado, Mosaic and Simcoe and I find it excellent. El Dorado and Citra pair well too.

One of my go to combinations for a NE IPA is GMC...Galaxy, Mosaic Citra. I think a small dosage of Citra would be very nice with the El Dorado as you mention. Not sure about the Galaxy...that may completely overshadow the El Dorado. Just thinking out loud.

 

[Dcpcooks]

Attached for your brewing pleasure. You could easily swap citra for mosaic but this one is pretty tasty! I’ve adjusted the abv as low as 6% by scaling the abv in beersmith.

It’s a wonderful hop bomb with wheat and it’s fabulous for the warm months to come.

 

[Desertbrewer]

Did a hazy pale a couple months ago with equal parts El Dorado and Cascade... it was great. Really unique fruitiness, el dorado seems to boost hoppy, fruity sweetness. No dankness, just sweet citrus, maybe some berry and tropical type notes.

 

[thehaze]

I used El Dorado with Cascade and it indeed adds a bit of candy like sweetness/fruitness to the beer, which I really like. But it's not a strong hop. It will get easily overshadowed by many hops, so you need to use more in order for it to stand out.

 

[Morrey]

One thing I noted with the SMaSH El Dorada Pale Ale is that it seemed to be sweeter than most beers I typically brew. Would yall think this would be a result of a higher mash temp, the use of a small amount of lactose or simply the hop profile itself? This was one of the variables I am trying to figure out once I have the hop schedule and combo decided upon.

Like DCPCooks listed above, I plan to use a good portion of wheat to provide haze and mouthfeel.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I don’t really associate sweetness with el dorado. I’d suspect that’s from the lactose, then mash temp and-or yeast selection.

 

[Chris-Naz]

I’m a fan of blending (1:1 ratio) El Dorado and Mosaic. I call it El-Mo It dials up the fruitiness for me but adds a layer of dank that I think cuts through the sweetness that one could perceive (I have also) in a straight El Dorado brew that doesn’t have quite enough bitterness.
Apollo could do something similar (+ bitterness/dank).
Hope this helps!

 

[Morrey]

El-Mo...I like the name. I brewed a PA a week or two ago with El Dorado and Nelson Sauvin. I'll be planning on an El-Mo soon as I like Mosaic too.

 

[Chris-Naz]

El-Mo...I like the name. I brewed a PA a week or two ago with El Dorado and Nelson Sauvin. I'll be planning on an El-Mo soon as I like Mosaic too.

Please let us know how that goes.

I just kegged a dNE-IPA today that was el dorado (6oz) on the hot-side and galaxy 2x4oz dry hop on days 3 and 4 of fermentation (wy-1318 yeast cake from a previous batch). Burst carbonating now and will report back circa Thursday

 

[Morrey]

Anxious for a review soon as your hops settle down a bit.

 

[Chris-Naz]

Anxious for a review soon as your hops settle down a bit.

Alright Morrey, here you go!

Aroma: getting primarily fruit/candied fruit on the nose - mainly passion fruit, peach, melon (like a combo with honeydew and watermelon).

Taste: tropical fruit breakfast. Not a hint of resin/dank in this one. Very easy drinking.

Going forward, I’ll try splitting the hop charges a bit differently to see if that dials up the melon character. Also will try adding in a third hop to see if I can layer in a bit more flavor saturation specifically on the dank/resin/berry front. Honestly though, I’ll fire this one up again sooner rather than later - it’s a good combo

 

[Staylow]

In my experience, El Dorado works best a supporting hop, rather than the star of the show. But then again, one of my favorite IPA's comes from a local brewery where, supposedly, El Dorado is the primary hop.

All that said, I use El Dorado and Mosaic with a tiny splash of Columbus and Citra in a red IPA that is quite tasty. Ratio 1:2 ED:Mosaic