Lemon Lawnmower Ale?

So I recently picked up a lawnmower kit from Homebrewery in Ozark, MO to get my new equipment worked in. I know a simple lawnmower ale is boring so what I was thinking was to add some lemon zest.

1.) Is this a good idea? Will it balance well?

2.) How much should I add?

3.) Can I use regular lemons for zest? or do I need to search the LHBS?

I'm not really looking for a lemon beer...just a hint of citrus pop and freshness

BTW... the beer is in secondary with about 2 weeks till bottle

jtupper said:

So I recently picked up a lawnmower kit from Homebrewery in Ozark, MO to get my new equipment worked in. I know a simple lawnmower ale is boring so what I was thinking was to add some lemon zest.

1.) Is this a good idea? Will it balance well?

2.) How much should I add?

3.) Can I use regular lemons for zest? or do I need to search the LHBS?

Click to expand...

1.) If it's a lawnmower beer like a kolsch or cream ale a little lemon won't hurt anything.

2.) Depends on what type of flavor you're looking for. Do you want the lemon to be in your face or subtle and adding some complexity.

3.) You can use fresh lemons, just make sure to get the yellow peel and not the white part beneath it. The white part is where you get the bitterness from.

Here are some threads where you can gather more information.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/technique-add-lemon-secondary-188602/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/can-i-add-lemon-zest-primary-167407/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/lemon-zest-kolsch-130928/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/zest-lemon-when-add-107393/

Ok so I think Im give it a shot for a week then bottle... The only thing I can't find is how much to add. I have a 5gal batch so im thinking the zest of about 3-4 medium lemons to start with. does this sound ok for a subtle lemon taste

It sounds like you're on the right track. Let us know how it turns out.

bdupree said:

I've added the zest from 5 medium sized lemons to a blonde ale in the secondary for 7 days. it was a 5 gallon batch. It wasn't too much. You gotta be very careful when you zest them that you don't get the white part though. It will make it very bitter/puckery tasting. The citrus oils give it a lemony aftertaste and smell. I soaked my lemon zest in about 3 oz of vodka overnight before i added it to my secondary.

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I have been to that store . The people were knowledgeable and friendly and I thought it was a great store. I was on my motorcycle and left with already full saddlebags even fuller!

As far as your beer I'd use Orange instead of lemon

HI_SALENITY said:

As far as your beer I'd use Orange instead of lemon

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Or perhaps a little bit of both :rockin:

HI_SALENITY said:

I have been to that store . The people were knowledgeable and friendly and I thought it was a great store. I was on my motorcycle and left with already full saddlebags even fuller!

As far as your beer I'd use Orange instead of lemon

Click to expand...

I've used the orange/corriander for wheats before for success, but I think I want a little lemon for this one. Play out the whole adult lemonade idea...I know its late for summer but it is still hot here for a while so what the hay right?

Sounds good, let us know how it turns out .

So we taste sampled the brew today!!! I am estatic!!



Color is a little light, but flavor is perfect! I was actually a little tempted not to add the
lemon, but I already bought 4 large lemons earlier so what the hell, right? Zested three
and added them will see what we taste in 6 days or so....

Lets Hope For The Best!

So I'm thinking if this turns out well, (as it tasted great yesterday) I might enter my first competition. I am unsure of what the actual ingredients are as I purchased in a kit that was unlabled. But what would I enter this as? I'm sure its a blonde ale with single hop and light or pilsen extract and no specialty grains. So..

6. Light Hybrid Ale?
20. Fruit Beer?

Any advice, or do I need to see how the lemon affected it first?

suggestion:


I have a standard cream ale recipe that I change up a bit.

any basic cream ale will do. substitute argentinian cascade (pronounced lemon flavor/ aroma) and 1/2 to 3/4 oz (depending on preference) of the herb lemon balm in last few minutes of boil. WOW nice lemon flavor! had people ask how much lemon did I add... NONE! great trick out of the garden! grows like mint! prolific!

leaves great in tomtoe cucumber salad and awesome in grilled chicken marinade

So we went to bottling a couple nights ago....Everything seems well, definate lemon aroma but hopefully it will mellow out....

So I'm happy to report... This beer just scored a 34! In the FOAM cup 2011. I was hopping for anything around 30 and this was it. My best finisher! (bottling off kegs ruined my others..lots of notes on oxidation )

A trick I learned from another thread which works AWESOME is instead of zesting, use a vegetable peeler. Taking the peel off in nice, thin strips and leaves all the pith in tact on the fruit.