Help making a unique summer beer

[arnobg]

I'm wanting to do a blonde or something similar and refreshing for the summer but I want to do it different this time. I want to make something more unique with more than the basic ingredients I usually use. I am hoping to be able to store this for a couple months too and send it to some competitions in the near future. I haven't built something like this all on my own before so looking for a little advice.

What I'm thinking is something with ingredients on the following list. Not necessarily all of them or limited to:

Pilsner malt
Wheat malt

Lemon zest
Lemongrass
Coriander
Apricots
Ginger fresh minced
Sea salt
Ground peppercorn

Yeast either American ale or saison

 

[jjeffers09]

I would suggest starting with a style first, then get an idea of flavor profiles you want to shoot for

 

[arnobg]

Good point, I'd say I would go with 18A Blonde Ale which leaves a lot of wiggle room on ingredients and still allows some wheat.

I'm also considering 29B Fruit and Spice beer.

 

[jjeffers09]

1.055 OG
5.5% ABV

91% 2-row
5% White Wheat
2% Carabrown
2% Honey malt

I split this batch 4 ways and played with different kettle hops, different dry hops, different late addition sugars etc. No matter what hop variety I was going for a 0.40 BU:GU calculated ~22.1IBUs using Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Willamette, Saaz, or Citra hops. It should be balanced no matter what. Blondes are not bitters, not APAs, def not IPAs in hop forward brews. My description of what a Blonde should be is this: Clean, refreshing, and drinkable, with notes of toasty, bready, biscuit malt, English ale yeast flavor and a slight fruit aroma. Light hops with subtle aroma and bitterness make this beer an everyday drinker for me. It should be as sweet as American clove honey on a fresh biscuit in the south with southern lemonade on a hot Georgia day.

If competition 18A is the idea, I would stick with something mellow but interesting. Newish malt, or a specialty sugar/syrup. Or make your own, with some star anise or whatever spice you are drawn to. Truly go for something no one else has, for a 29B, IMO. There are unique methods to do on a base recipe you are confident in making, play with the yeast strains, ferm temps, after primary fermentation sugar additions, etc.

 

[elburrogrande]

I'm brewing a loquat and pineapple saison for this summer. Loquat and apricot sounds good too

 

[jerbrew]

Do something with apricots. An apricot blonde sounds nice and refreshing