“Dryhoping” with lavender

[Dgallo]

anyone add lavender as a ”dryhop”? Looking for some input on how much to use so i get some on the nose and in flavor without it becoming overwhelming and smell/taste like potpourri

 

[eric19312]

Sounds like a cool ingredient to try but could see getting it right could be tricky. Why not make a tincture with vodka or everclear and add it to taste at bottling/kegging?

 

[Dgallo]

Sounds like a cool ingredient to try but could see getting it right could be tricky. Why not make a tincture with vodka or everclear and add it to taste at bottling/kegging?

I certainly would do that if it wasn’t a NEIPA. I don’t want to mess with adding to taste that way I limit any chances for oxidation

 

[AzOr]

I have never tried this with beer but have with mead. Lavender can be very tricky. I've had batches that were great and some that had a lavender soap taste. I'd advocate for the tincture method stated above.
If memory serves, there's a culinary lavender (I believe French).

Also, if possible experiment with fresh vs dry lavender in a tincture.

 

[JohnSand]

My wife and I just stopped at a lavender farm last week. She bought some potted plants, I was interested in the culinary side. The farm girl gave me a pinch of flowers to taste. I was pleasantly surprised. I also rubbed some between my palms, the aroma was mild, pleasant and fleeting. I bought some lavender salt and lavender oil. The salt is good on chicken, not great on a burger. I'm also thinking of using some in my brew, but thinking of something clean and light like a blonde. There were two varieties of lavender there, English and French. I thought she said English was milder. I have never cared for lavender soap, but the flower is pleasant.
Keep us posted.

 

[pdxal]

It's really easy to overdo lavender. I would recommend erring on the side of too low, rather than too high. IIRC the lavender amber I made used only 1/2 ounce in whirlpool and it had a fairly strong lavender smell and mild lavender taste.

 

[Amadeo38]

I bought some lavender salt and lavender oil. The salt is good on chicken, not great on a burger. I'm also thinking of using some in my brew, but thinking of something clean and light like a blonde.

Hmm...now I want to use lavender salt in a Gose.

To the OP - I’m another vote for tincture. You don’t have to keep opening the keg to add more. Why not figure out how many drops of the tincture gets a pint of similar IPA to taste the way you want, and then multiply that amount/pint by however many pints in the fermenter you’ll be transferring to keg? It’s even easier if you’re bottling, but I doubt you are.

IMO dry hopping with lavender is slightly risky because who knows what bugs are on the plant? At least you know those bugs will be drunk AF if you put the lavender in some vodka first.

 

[mashpaddled]

Lavender can be overpowering in small amounts and the amount necessary can vary by species, when it is harvested and how it is dried. Lavender tends to be a polarizing ingredient in anything. What some people consider a slight presence can taste like a mouthful of soap to another.

Start with a very small dose (like 2-3 grams per five gallons) and after a few days sample and see if you need to add another round.

 

[eric19312]

Don't know if you saw this thread... Sounds like he did what you are thinking to do. I found quite a few people doing lavender in saisons on the web but think their rates are probably going to be lost in a NEIPA. Quite a few people did mention making sure to get culinary lavender. My wife has a tin of the stuff and makes some awesome lavender lemon butter cookies with it and I've been thinking to try it in a brut IPA.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/recipe-feedback-appreciated-lavender-ipa.525636/

Please do let us know what you end up doing and how it turns out.

 

[Dgallo]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I finished up the grain bill and hops. Going with a simple, 2 row and flaked barley and hops will be Columbus, citra, and Amarillo. Want to keep the yeast provide pretty neutral so using 05. I’m going to experiment with the lavender and make some warm and cold teas to give a rough idea. I’ll keep everyone posted

 

[Dgallo]

Update. So I went with one ounce of dried lavender flowers in the whirlpool at 160 for 30 mins. That was the only lavender addition. Used imperial Loki yeast (kviek voss). Grain to glass 7.5 days. Lavender aroma and flavor just smack you in the face. Not soap/perfume like but as if you drug your hands through a lavender plant and smelt them. My wife really likes it(she knows beer) and I think it’s a tad too much since I wanted a stronger hop presence.

 

[matridium]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I finished up the grain bill and hops. Going with a simple, 2 row and flaked barley and hops will be Columbus, citra, and Amarillo. Want to keep the yeast provide pretty neutral so using 05. I’m going to experiment with the lavender and make some warm and cold teas to give a rough idea. I’ll keep everyone posted

How is this going? I too just brewed a NEIPA for a friend who loves lavender. I'm at the point of dry hopping and need to add in lavender. I brew 2.5 gallon batches. I grow my own lavender: Lavandula angustifolia.
I'm thinking of doing a tea and adding this to the finished beer just before bottling and kegging. Again...like others I'm concerned about over doing it. I'm thinking of 1 gram into my 2.5 gallon batch.. I'm going to make a tea in a small volume of water. Add into a sample until I get the results I want. Then scale up and package.

 

[kevink]

That beer looks perfect, @Dgallo! That was only 2 row and flaked barley? What were the percentages?

 

[Dgallo]

That beer looks perfect, @Dgallo! That was only 2 row and flaked barley? What were the percentages?

Thanks brother. 80% 2-row. 20% flaked barely

 

[Dgallo]

How is this going? I too just brewed a NEIPA for a friend who loves lavender. I'm at the point of dry hopping and need to add in lavender. I brew 2.5 gallon batches. I grow my own lavender: Lavandula angustifolia.
I'm thinking of doing a tea and adding this to the finished beer just before bottling and kegging. Again...like others I'm concerned about over doing it. I'm thinking of 1 gram into my 2.5 gallon batch.. I'm going to make a tea in a small volume of water. Add into a sample until I get the results I want. Then scale up and package.

So my use of lavender was very prevalent, close to over the top but not perfume like. so if you’re looking for that I’d say add 14 grams. My hops were only supportive even though I used 12 oz, so if you still are looking for a forward hop presence I would only use 4-6 grams at your size

 

[matridium]

So my use of lavender was very prevalent, close to over the top but not perfume like. so if you’re looking for that I’d say add 14 grams. My hops were only supportive even though I used 12 oz, so if you still are looking for a forward hop presence I would only use 4-6 grams at your size

Thanks for the advice! I will try the mid point 5 grams then..

 

[AzOr]

Looks delicious to me.
Please keep us posted as to how the beer ages (if it lasts that long). I’m curious if the hops will start to pop later.

 

[BrewMan13]

Thanks for sharing it last night. It was definitely unique; your assessment a few posts up echoes my thoughts. The lavender presence gave it a bit of a potpourri aroma; would dial it back a bit so it doesn't overpower the hops.

 

[matridium]

Finished my lavender. The lavender was just right. I used 3 grams of lavender flowers, and 1 gram of lavender leaves. This was fresh lavender picked from the garden.
I steeped the lavender at 160F for 10 min along with 0.5 Oz of Columbus hops in a small basket in 2 cups of water. I filtered as much of the lavender and hops as I could and added this to the primary after most of the activity tapered off. I increased my temp to 72F for 5 days. Transfered to a keg and force carbed.