This past weekend we were at a Micro Brewery and they had a Lemongrass Pilsner on tap. Awesome refreshing light easy drinker beer for a hot day. It had a light lemon flavor with a hint of citrus hop maybe a mozaic or cascade. It definitely was not a Leinies Summer Shanty type. So I dug around looking for a recipe to see what I could find but not much found. I also do not know the lemongrass application. Found some you tube uses mostly food. Those use the white lower portion. Some cut the green portion and make a tea. So with all that said has anyone used lemongrass for brewing or better yet does anyone have a recipe they would share. Thanks for the help.
Lemongrass Pilsner
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I have no recipe but I'm intrigued. I've used lemongrass in Thai soup, tom kha. The outer green is removed from the stalks, then they're cut into chunks and boiled in the broth. I mean, the wort. 
My instinct is to use about a dozen good sized stalks of lemongrass in a 5 gallon batch. I'll report back if I try this.
Thanks for the inspiration, @MIWI !
My instinct is to use about a dozen good sized stalks of lemongrass in a 5 gallon batch. I'll report back if I try this.
Thanks for the inspiration, @MIWI !
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Don't know much about lemon grass, but Lemon drop hops have a definite lemon flavor if you want to hedge your bets. Not exactly subtle on the lemon flavor either, so use accordingly.
I brewed a Wit a few years ago with lemongrass. Added a 1/2 ounce with 5 min left in the boil. If I remember correctly it came across very subtly and if I brewed it again I think I would increase it by a 1/4 ounce maybe even just make it a full ounce.
Was a good beer used Sorachi Ace as the flavor and aroma hops.
Was a good beer used Sorachi Ace as the flavor and aroma hops.
@Wrendelar , was this dried lemongrass?
No we used fresh from the grocery store. Split them and threw the whole stalk in.
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I'd be interested in that recipe, if you're willing.
Sure here it is.
Mind you it’s been a few years and your water profile might be different.
https://recipe.brewfather.app/3gymzn7mt2IyDBuK9CyDD6pFZtx7lP
I also adjusted the lemongrass to the full oz as mentioned above.
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Derek Robinson
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I haven't brewed a lemongrass pilsner, but regularly brew a lemongrass saison. I use the fresh lemongrass similar to how I would use it in a soup. Lower 6" (more white) part of the stalks only. The tops are very bitter and not good for eating (might be fine for beer). I slice them thinly and use in the last 10min of the boil. 1oz for subtle lemongrass flavor and match it with Saaz. Turns out great! Good luck!
I should mention that the lemon grass we used was purchased at the grocery store in those "Herb Packets" the plastic ones you find in the produce section. They are usually just the stalks and we split them in 1/4s.
Here's a pic of what the container looked like
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Lemongrass is very very subtle and not very practical in using in a beer in my opinion
You need to use a lot (which means a lot of vegetal matter) in order for it to be effective and its also highly volitile.
I wanted to make a lemongrass beer years ago and decided to use kaffir lime leaf powder instead. 14g whirlpool at 170 degrees for 15 min.
Sounds like others have had success with lemongrass though.
There are also lemongrass extracts you could buy and add at kegging. This would be a bit more practical. I tested the extract by dosing a single beer and it worked well in terms of showcasing the lemongrass flavor. However, I didn't think it made a better beer after adding it so I opted not to use it.
You need to use a lot (which means a lot of vegetal matter) in order for it to be effective and its also highly volitile.
I wanted to make a lemongrass beer years ago and decided to use kaffir lime leaf powder instead. 14g whirlpool at 170 degrees for 15 min.
Sounds like others have had success with lemongrass though.
There are also lemongrass extracts you could buy and add at kegging. This would be a bit more practical. I tested the extract by dosing a single beer and it worked well in terms of showcasing the lemongrass flavor. However, I didn't think it made a better beer after adding it so I opted not to use it.
That was my instinct, which is at odds with the mere 1 ounce @Wrendelar favors. Hmmm...
an ounce of lemongrass is more than you think when you are splitting it. I would rather use the real plant than an extract if at all possible, with the understanding that you may get a slight vegetal taste. But IMHO that's all part of trying to achieve the flavor profile.
That being said everyone's taste is different, and we are all experimental in our own ways.
+1 to using the bottom part of the stalks only if you are gonna go for it
You could also make a tincture
You could also make a tincture
This sounds like a good plan. I might chop up the lower, inner portion into some Everclear.
I wonder how the uncooked flavor would differ from the lemongrass tang in tom kah. Of course, there are other ingredients in that...
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Make a tincture and mix it into a similar beer and measure the dosage per volume. Then scale up
See how it tastes and get the ratios right before potentially destroying a whole batch LOL
Also if its Tom Yum flavor your after try the kaffir lime powder.
You may be thinking of lemongrass, but really needing the kaffir lime
Here's a link to the powder. 14g steepes for 15 min at 170 degrees with whirlpool hop additions works nicely
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09R28HJDZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Interesting. Thanks for the link. Maybe I'll make a tincture of each and experiment with something store-bought to get ratios. Food for thought!
Bassaholic
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I make a Thai wit beer every year that uses lemongrass, lime leaf, lime zest, ginger and coriander. The lemongrass is definitely pretty subtle, but adds some depth with the other citrus. I would suggest adding some lemon/lime zest or if you can find lime leaves that would be ideal. They add a super aromatic element to the beer. I’ve also played around with toasting half the lemongrass in a dry pan after finely chopping it. This brings out a little more character, but the fresh still has the oils you want. Also, make sure to pound the white part of the stalk with the back of a knife or a rolling pin. This crushes the membranes and releases a lot of the oils.
I use 1.5-2 oz lemongrass, 5 limes zested, 10 lime leaves, 4 oz ginger and 1 oz coriander seed.
I use 1.5-2 oz lemongrass, 5 limes zested, 10 lime leaves, 4 oz ginger and 1 oz coriander seed.
Another amazing ingredient that has a similar exotic citrus flavor are Andaliman peppercorns
We brewed a collaboration beer with Fantôme recently that uses this ingredient in memory of my friend. It's called "Mayor Unusual's Meeow" if you can find it.
I tried 30 different peppercorns from all over the world before settling on this one. 6 grams per 5 gallons (ground fine in a coffee grinder) at 170 degrees for 15 min is what we used. The flavor is prominent, but not overdone. I'd say you could go as light as 3 grams for subtlety.
The flavor is very similar to kaffir lime, but there is much more potency to it so it's a lot more practical to use in beer. Potency is similar to Indian Coriander in terms of aromatics. However I wouldn't go more than 7 grams or it could actually start to get spicy.
This is the best supplier I've found as other suppliers didn't quite taste as bright.
https://foodsofnations.com/products/batak-berry-andaliman-wild-pepper
Also here's a few links with regards to the beer and the story behind it
We brewed a collaboration beer with Fantôme recently that uses this ingredient in memory of my friend. It's called "Mayor Unusual's Meeow" if you can find it.
I tried 30 different peppercorns from all over the world before settling on this one. 6 grams per 5 gallons (ground fine in a coffee grinder) at 170 degrees for 15 min is what we used. The flavor is prominent, but not overdone. I'd say you could go as light as 3 grams for subtlety.
The flavor is very similar to kaffir lime, but there is much more potency to it so it's a lot more practical to use in beer. Potency is similar to Indian Coriander in terms of aromatics. However I wouldn't go more than 7 grams or it could actually start to get spicy.
This is the best supplier I've found as other suppliers didn't quite taste as bright.
https://foodsofnations.com/products/batak-berry-andaliman-wild-pepper
Also here's a few links with regards to the beer and the story behind it
Wow, so many variations of the use of lemongrass. So, I couldn't find many lemongrass recipes but from the posts it seems lemongrass was just a name of the beer that I had at the the microbrewery. So I found a Lemongrass paste and made a tea to determine the quantity needed for my beer. I determined 6 oz at end of the boil for 5 gallons may work. There are recipes that also dry hop 2 oz also. Guess I will find out how it turns out. I will taste test after fermentation to find out what I need to do.
So worried about the end result I brewed an blonde ale today with 2.5 oz of lemon peel at end of boil. The results should be interesting! The lager vs ale will be vary different taste but I am hoping I can get a hold on lemon application.
So worried about the end result I brewed an blonde ale today with 2.5 oz of lemon peel at end of boil. The results should be interesting! The lager vs ale will be vary different taste but I am hoping I can get a hold on lemon application.
I wouldn't put that in beer there's oil in it. Would probably kill your head retention. Also a bunch of other stuff like whey that I'm not sure would be great for the beer.
You could always give it a shot, but doesn't seem like a good idea based on those ingredients
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I've tried a similar recipe to this before and would like to have another go at it. I think poor technique the first time made it less stellar than it should've been.
Parleaux Beer Lab Lemony Sippit Lager
Parleaux Beer Lab Lemony Sippit Lager
redrocker652002
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Here is one Clawhammer did. I have it on my "to try" list. Not sure if it fits what you are looking for, but it seemed kinda cool to try.
https://www.clawhammersupply.com/blogs/moonshine-still-blog/single-hop-lemon-drop-homebrew-recipe
https://www.clawhammersupply.com/blogs/moonshine-still-blog/single-hop-lemon-drop-homebrew-recipe
Would any of these additives harm fermentation?
Lemongrass Pilsner sounds delightful! Lemongrass can add such a unique twist to beers. I've seen it used mostly in culinary applications too, but brewing with it sounds intriguing. I don't have a recipe on hand, but I'm curious if anyone else has experimented with lemongrass in brewing. It would be great to hear about your experiences or if anyone has a recipe to share! Cheers!
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