Best way to get Lemon flavor in a Cream Ale Extract

[barhoc11]

I am planning to brew up a kit of Northern Brewer's Cream Ale and I wanted to give it a little lemon flavored 'kick' this time. I do not want an overwhelming taste but something subtle.

I was thinking of putting fresh lemon rinds or 'zest' (from 1 lemon) in the last 15 minutes of the boil OR a few bags of Lemon flavored tea.

Does anyone have experience with adding a hint of lemon to their beers?

 

[beerkrump]

+1 Lemon zest

 

[barhoc11]

+1 Lemon zest

So you think just using a 'zester' on 1 lemon around 15 minutes left in the boil will give it what I am looking for?

 

[RugerRedhawk]

My AHS lemon wheat recipe used 1/8 ounce of dried lemon peels near the end of the boil. I decided to add the zest of one lemon during the secondary too. We'll see how it turns out!

 

[chapa]

I know sorachi ace hops are supposed to be lemony, but I don't know if you want to use hops to get that flavor in a cream ale.

 

[azscoob]

I use Sorachi Ace to get a nice lemony flavor in my summer ale, 30 minute additions or less for great lemon flavor and aroma.

Maybe use zest and the hops, give it a whirl and see how it works for you.

 

[barhoc11]

I am going to zest 1 -2 lemons in at 15 minutes in the boil and see how it goes. I would rather have too little than too much. I hope this turns out well!

 

[azscoob]

15 minutes into the boil or 15 minutes left in the boil?

 

[Chrisl77]

I wouldnt use a zester. I used a peeler to make 1 inch or so wide strips I read in another post if you use a zester you get way to much lemon flavor.

 

[beerkrump]

Since the oils in the lemon zest are volatile, I'd add it at flame out.

 

[drummerguysteve]

I'm going to try the peel of one lemon at 15 min, and the zest of one at flameout tomorrow for my summer ale. I'm also using Sorachi Ace at 5 minutes. It should be a nice lemony summer APA. I'm using a little more for this so it can stand up to 45 IBUs.

I'll let you all know in a month how it turns out. I'm hoping for a nice strong lemon aroma to make a refreshing hot-weather drink.

 

[BenjaminJonah]

I usually do a seperate boil of the actual fruit. Stick it in the fridge for a day or two (creates a syrup type liquid) and then add it to the boil @15 min. From my experience this works best to get actual fruit flavor.

Ben

 

[barhoc11]

15 minutes into the boil or 15 minutes left in the boil?

10 - 15 minutes left in the boil.

I assume that the later you wait in the boil the less flavor you would lose?

 

[barhoc11]

I'm going to try the peel of one lemon at 15 min, and the zest of one at flameout tomorrow for my summer ale. I'm also using Sorachi Ace at 5 minutes. It should be a nice lemony summer APA. I'm using a little more for this so it can stand up to 45 IBUs.

I'll let you all know in a month how it turns out. I'm hoping for a nice strong lemon aroma to make a refreshing hot-weather drink.

When you say flameout, i assume you mean at the end of the boil?

 

[azscoob]

Yes, that refers to the end of the boil.

 

[drummerguysteve]

Yep, right at the end, but before I start cooling.

It gets about a 15 minute steep as the wort comes down to 65 too.

 

[Indyking]

I have extensively researched here and in books about the best way to do this. After much reading, there is not a single best way as with most things in brewing, but I made a decision on how to do it in my light lime ale I'm brewing tomorrow.

For a 5-gal batch, I will add the zest of two organic limes to a half-cup or less of vodka and allow zest infusion in the vodka for the duration of fermentation. Then I will add the lime vodka to the bottling bucket . By doing that I can actually add the vodka slowly and taste the uncarbed beer for my desirable level of lime flavor. Infusing zests in vodka is also recommenced by the author of radical brewing.

Why organic limes? Because non-organic ones is covered by an antifungal substance. While just washing them can eliminate this, I just don't want take the risk for just a couple of extra cents.

I gathered that the oils in lime zest are highly volatile and you loose much of the flavor even when add at flame out.

 

[barhoc11]

I have extensively researched here and in books about the best way to do this. After much reading, there is not a single best way as with most things in brewing, but I made a decision on how to do it in my light lime ale I'm brewing tomorrow.

For a 5-gal batch, I will add the zest of two organic limes to a half-cup or less of vodka and allow zest infusion in the vodka for the duration of fermentation. Then I will add the lime vodka to the bottling bucket . By doing that I can actually add the vodka slowly and taste the uncarbed beer for my desirable level of lime flavor. Infusing zests in vodka is also recommenced by the author of radical brewing.

I like this approach, do you leave the zest infusion in the refrigerator for the duration of the fermentation or leave it at room temp? I might try this with another batch down the road.

 

[Indyking]

I like this approach, do you leave the zest infusion in the refrigerator for the duration of the fermentation or leave it at room temp? I might try this with another batch down the road.

I will leave mine at room temperature but I don't think it matters much.

The pluses of infusing zests in vodka are that there is basically no chances for contamination, vodka does a good job in preserving the extracted oils, and you can add that extra alcohol with flavor as much as you want during bottling. Since I will be adding it to a light beer, I don't want to add any significant amount of alcohol, therefore I will just infuse the zest in half a cup or just the enough amount that takes to completely soak the zests. But if this was a beer where I would not mind a little boost in the alcohol content, I would not hesitate to make an infusion of a full cup or a little more of vodka for a 5 gal batch.

 

[dantheman13]

Indyking has a very interesting method.

I came across this little video series a few weeks back, and it might be helpful to the OP. At 7:15 they talk about using fresh orange peel.

 

[barhoc11]

Indyking has a very interesting method.

I came across this little video series a few weeks back, and it might be helpful to the OP. At 7:15 they talk about using fresh orange peel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjBtMFE_zNg&feature=feedu

That is a great video and site, I am going to bookmark it. Thanks

 

[Indyking]

Unfortunately, I could not open the video, but just one more thing I want to add.

If you do peel-off instead of zesting, avoid the pith, that white stuff under the peel. The pith gives a very nasty bitterness that is nothing like the pleasant bitterness of high AA hops. Using zests instead of peel-offs will also maximize the oil extraction during infusion. The disadvantage of zests is that to really do it correctly, you need a good zester.

 

[barhoc11]

Unfortunately, I could not open the video, but just one more thing I want to add.

If you do peel-off instead of zesting, avoid the pith, that white stuff under the peel. The pith gives a very nasty bitterness that is nothing like the pleasant bitterness of high AA hops. Using zests instead of peel-offs will also maximize the oil extraction during infusion. The disadvantage of zests is that to really do it correctly, you need a good zester.

This is exactly what they say about the pith in the video, I have a good zester (wife) so I am going to go that route for this batch. Thanks for all of your help!

 

[beerkrump]

And if you have extra lime infused vodka you can make some wicked kamakazes.

 

[OhioBri]

I just made a batch of lemoncello by using lemon zest soaked in vodka for a couple of weeks. I tasted it last night before I went ahead a sweetened it. I can see how adding this to your beer would give you the results that you are looking for, however it took about 8 ounces of vodka to cover the 5 lemons I zested.

 

[flabyboy]

i added zest at flameout and it was nice and subtle in my honey weizen

 

[drummerguysteve]

I'm hoping I'll get good aroma from the zest at flameout, and some flavor from the peel in the boil for 15 min.

 

[brewit2it]

Maybe it's just me but if you want to get lemon flavor in your beer why not add it to the beer before you drink it, one beer at a time. That way you don't end up with 5 gallons of something you might not care for. A small amount of dried Orange in Wheat beer is one thing, but are you sure you want a full batch of lemon cream ale?

 

[barhoc11]

Maybe it's just me but if you want to get lemon flavor in your beer why not add it to the beer before you drink it, one beer at a time. That way you don't end up with 5 gallons of something you might not care for. A small amount of dried Orange in Wheat beer is one thing, but are you sure you want a full batch of lemon cream ale?

There is a difference in an essence of lemon and actual squeezed lemon in a beer.

 

[Indyking]

Maybe it's just me but if you want to get lemon flavor in your beer why not add it to the beer before you drink it, one beer at a time. That way you don't end up with 5 gallons of something you might not care for. A small amount of dried Orange in Wheat beer is one thing, but are you sure you want a full batch of lemon cream ale?

There is a difference in an essence of lemon and actual squeezed lemon in a beer.

Well said. There is a big difference between the lime touch given by the oils in the peel compared to lemon juice. Lemon juice has a considerable amount of citric acid that gives it a sour taste and a very low pH. The oils in the zests are called essential in the sense that they carry the scent from the plant. The oils not only result in a better smell compared to lemon juice, but also have a much more refined taste. While lemon juice drops are used sometimes for cooking, most culinary dishes or alcoholic beverages like lemon liqueur uses zests instead.