Loral Hops (HBC 291)

[HomemadeSauce]

Interesting. I wonder if the change has anything to do with wlp568 being a diastaticus variation. Seems odd that the citrus aspect has fallen off that quickly. Not totally keen on the science so I could certainly be way off base. I've used Wyeast 3726 a handful of times and like that strain.

 

[TheHairyHop]

Those flavor descriptions a in line with what White Labs says on their website. You can usually expect character change when bottle conditioning an expressive yeast

 

[Chris-Naz]

Lone Pine in Portland Maine is currently selling a loral IPA. They do a single hop series that is normally very good. Great limited release to get your hands on if you're in the area

Got some!

It’s nice. A bit more citrus than I expected. While warming some of the floral notes come out. With this example I agree with the description on the YVH website. Thanks again for the tip.

 

[TheHairyHop]

Got some!
View attachment 571987
It’s nice. A bit more citrus than I expected. While warming some of the floral notes come out. With this example I agree with the description on the YVH website. Thanks again for the tip.

Wow! Nice grab. I love Lone Pine. It's good to hear. The only one I know that got some was my mother, and she doesn't give the best flavor descriptions haha

 

[thehaze]

Here is a picure of my latest Blonde Ale ( Pale Ale/Smash ) with 100% Simpsons Golden Promise + 9 oz Loral hops in the boil, late additions and whirlpool + US-05: https://imgur.com/a/OVRypub

This beer was not dry hopped.

I brewed it on May 15, 2018 and bottled it on May 26, 2018. OG: 1.052 / FG: 1.009 / 5.6% ABV.

June 2, 2018 tasting:

Aroma: winey notes, floral, a hint of delicate spice + citrus + sweet citrus + subtle and delicate unriped/green fleshy, stone fruit ---> noble-ish with great fruitiness
Flavour: noble fruitiness, if such thing exists. Great balanced old world flavours with potent fruity notes, even citrus.

I can see this hops used in many styles, from lagers, belgian ales and IPA's ( along with other hops ) and any other semi-hoppy beer style. I feel it works great in dry, refreshing beers, but I suspect it will do great in Belgians and especially Belgian IPAs. I would call it versatile.

It's a wonderful, delicate, soft hop. Not your typical in your face hop, but I think that just emphasizes it's unique ability to be mixed with other hops and in many, various beer styles.

 

[thehaze]

Just a follow-up on my Blonde Ale with Loral.

When it warms up, it seems to bring out some " winey " aroma and flavour. It's not typical red wine aroma/flavour, but something that ressembles a sweet+sourish taste, that reminds of a warm, fruity wine.

At this point, I am inclined to think that Loral is not your typical IPA hop, but more of a complex noble ( tame ? ) kind of hop. I can see this making waves in Belgian style beers, along with crisp, fresh " light " coloured beers. I dunno if this makes any sense. Anyway, this is my experience with this hops so far. I will post some more tasting notes along the way.

But so far, Loral is quite delightful. I like it, albeit a bit expensive, but hey... whatcha you gonna do?

 

[thehaze]

15 days in the bottle: https://imgur.com/a/CaSQr3q

This is the new HOP for light, crisp, straw-coloured beer! And I mean everything from Pilsner, Lager, Kolsch to Blonde Ale, Bitters, Belgian style beers, and also Pale Ales ( most likely in combination with other hops ) and probably many more. At least, this is how I feel about it at this point. It's a must try, seeing it's a new-ish hop, with great potential to appeal to many different styles.

A balanced mix of fruity ( slight sweet, citrussy aswell ), floral and spicy notes, albeit subtle and definitely not in your face. No clovery/spicy/unpleasent sharp notes. Just right. Tasty and refreshing.

 

[Chris-Naz]

Interesting. I wonder if the change has anything to do with wlp568 being a diastaticus variation. Seems odd that the citrus aspect has fallen off that quickly. Not totally keen on the science so I could certainly be way off base. I've used Wyeast 3726 a handful of times and like that strain.

Hi H-Sauce,
I’ve yet to use WY3726 but it’s on the list.
This version with Wlp568 keeps changing and now for the better. Phenols/clove are still present but the citrus/lemon/floral has all finally melded together. Definitely refreshing and pleasant... so much so that I did a repeat batch with Loral/Ardennes yeast. Will post when completed.
For now here’s the pic of the wlp568 batch:

 

[HomemadeSauce]

That looks like a great beer, Chris (and some nice cheese as well). I wish I'd picked a more hop-forward beer to start experimenting with Loral. My initial beer was conservative in usage but I've got a saison and a spelt pale ale in the works so I'll definitely be getting some more experience with Loral.

 

[Chris-Naz]

Just a follow-up on my Blonde Ale with Loral.

When it warms up, it seems to bring out some " winey " aroma and flavour. It's not typical red wine aroma/flavour, but something that ressembles a sweet+sourish taste, that reminds of a warm, fruity wine.

At this point, I am inclined to think that Loral is not your typical IPA hop, but more of a complex noble ( tame ? ) kind of hop. I can see this making waves in Belgian style beers, along with crisp, fresh " light " coloured beers. I dunno if this makes any sense. Anyway, this is my experience with this hops so far. I will post some more tasting notes along the way.

But so far, Loral is quite delightful. I like it, albeit a bit expensive, but hey... whatcha you gonna do?

Nice work Haze - giving it the “thunder” with 9oz addition! You’re giving me courage to amp up the additions. Cheers

 

[thehaze]

I think hops are much more expensive in Europe than in the US. I gave 14.6 US dollars for 250 gr ( 0.55 lbs ) Loral and this was 2017 crop year. As fresh as I could get it, so I went for it. The beer did become better with time. It's definitely a mellow floral, spicy, with subtle hints of " new world flavours " in the background.

I think I will repeat the recipe and next time, I will dry hop- I'm very curious as to what more it could bring in terms of aroma / flavour.

 

[TheHairyHop]

Cheers to my mother for saving me a pint. Man, this beer confirms why I love loral. It's like lavender flavored froot loops with a hint of Noble hop character. Glad I got to try this!

 

[HomemadeSauce]

Brewed a saison (68% Pils, 17% Red Wheat, 12% Rye, Acidulated) yesterday. Bittered with Mt. Hood and used Hallertau Blanc and Loral for late additions. My plan is to dry-hop with Hallertau Blanc and Loral as well. Was hoping to use Imperial's Rustic strain but the local shop was out so I went with the old standby Wyeast 3726. Looking forward to this one turning out.

 

[Chris-Naz]

That sounds tasty - looking forward to your tasting notes about the Loral/H-Blanc combo!

 

[Chris-Naz]

Checking in: Gotta say that Belgian yeast + Loral = awesome.
Just tapped my last batch of Loral hopped/Ardennes-fermented beer today (brewed 6/15, keg conditioned starting 6/24) and I’m pleased. Great combo. Comparing to my last batch which was fermented with wlp568, both are crisp and dry as hell, with a nice lemon candy/lemonade note (mild lemon aroma) a no floral component to the 568 batch but the floral comes through a touch in the Ardennes batch (aroma/flavor).
Next up wlp565 + Loral. I’m also thinking it’s time to blend... maybe Amarillo and Loral?

 

[HomemadeSauce]

Brewed a saison (68% Pils, 17% Red Wheat, 12% Rye, Acidulated) yesterday. Bittered with Mt. Hood and used Hallertau Blanc and Loral for late additions. My plan is to dry-hop with Hallertau Blanc and Loral as well. Was hoping to use Imperial's Rustic strain but the local shop was out so I went with the old standby Wyeast 3726. Looking forward to this one turning out.

Just wanted to updated this with some brief tasting notes. I ended up transferring this beer to secondary and adding a handful of Brett strains, aging until mid-October when I bottled. I've opened a couple at this point and its a really nice beer in general - dry and spritzy. The hop aroma profile is more reserved than I expected. I perceive more characteristics from the Brett strains - orange, pineapple, an earthy component - than from the hops, although there is a pleasant lemon zest or lemonade quality with a splash of flowers there.

 

[jimmyjusa]

I just ordered some loral. I'm thinking about doing a lager with it and saphir. I think it will be a fun combo.

 

[thehaze]

I just ordered some loral. I'm thinking about doing a lager with it and saphir. I think it will be a fun combo.

Funny you should say that. I've been contemplating the same hop combo for a slightly more bitter German Pils, but I'm so unsure whether the combo will provide too much of an aroma and flavour.

 

[jimmyjusa]

Funny you should say that. I've been contemplating the same hop combo for a slightly more bitter German Pils, but I'm so unsure whether the combo will provide too much of an aroma and flavour.

You could always call it an Italian pils or something. I haven't used saphir yet so I don't have any experience with its potency.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I've never used Loral but I'm going to try some cryo in my next IPA to try to leverage the high linalool oil content

 

[Haole]

Glad to find an old but running thread on Loral hops here. It’s been a fun one in some of my recent recipes and I’m presently waiting on a more unconventional batch of red ale to mature as a bit of a benchmark for my tastes. One thing I observed during brew day was the phenomenal strong noble hop and floral aromas. This was a simple red beer with single hops profile adding early, mid, and late. The wort tasted quite good so I omitted dry hopping.

On another very different batch I’ve used late Loral additions in a breakfast stout was pushed forward with Fuggles and an early Mt Hood addition. Surprisingly unique results, and my hophead friends pick up on the Loral where as I perceive it as a zestier noble/English hop combo. The Mt Hood is indiscernible, though perhaps it helped present the late Loral addition. I dunno.

Either way fun hops to try. I’ll keep a spot in the queue in trying some lighter beers as mentioned earlier in this thread to see what can be coaxed from the hops. I’m not detecting any lemon pepper in my stout, so perhaps that’ll show in the red ale. I’ll post an update since it seems like most folks are sticking with simple malts with this hop, though the noble genes screamed experiment with ale to me, and here we are. Cheers!

 

[jimmyjusa]

Glad to find an old but running thread on Loral hops here. It’s been a fun one in some of my recent recipes and I’m presently waiting on a more unconventional batch of red ale to mature as a bit of a benchmark for my tastes. One thing I observed during brew day was the phenomenal strong noble hop and floral aromas. This was a simple red beer with single hops profile adding early, mid, and late. The wort tasted quite good so I omitted dry hopping.

On another very different batch I’ve used late Loral additions in a breakfast stout was pushed forward with Fuggles and an early Mt Hood addition. Surprisingly unique results, and my hophead friends pick up on the Loral where as I perceive it as a zestier noble/English hop combo. The Mt Hood is indiscernible, though perhaps it helped present the late Loral addition. I dunno.

Either way fun hops to try. I’ll keep a spot in the queue in trying some lighter beers as mentioned earlier in this thread to see what can be coaxed from the hops. I’m not detecting any lemon pepper in my stout, so perhaps that’ll show in the red ale. I’ll post an update since it seems like most folks are sticking with simple malts with this hop, though the noble genes screamed experiment with ale to me, and here we are. Cheers!

Looking forward to that red ale update, the noble lineage makes me wonder about a heavily hopped pilsner, all whirlpool vs the dry hop method of the Italian pilsner.

 

[Chris-Naz]

Looking forward to that red ale update, the noble lineage makes me wonder about a heavily hopped pilsner, all whirlpool vs the dry hop method of the Italian pilsner.

I was wondering about this also. Any thoughts on noble hop combos with Loral? Does anyone think that Saaz and Loral would play nice?

 

[Haole]

Alright guys I pulled the first pint after work this evening. I’d say overall that Loral and my red grist were probably not a repeat here mainly owing to the apparent bittering. I get a nice lemony aroma that carries noble hop herb and spice though the taste lingers a bit too bitter such as grapefruit skin. It’s possible I’m a touch high on my IBUs and the ale is also very young, so we’ll see. If you like higher alpha acids I could see this complementing “C” type hops pretty well actually. Also, I still need to lay with dry hopping this cultivar since my hops additions were modest on this recipe. It’s definitely beer! Tho thus far not my favorite Homebrew. Cheers!

Edit to add that on further sips I’m really liking how the Loral plays with S-04 esters on the aroma. That’s a win on its own, I think that I just need to cold break very quickly with this hop (was a 12g batch, a bit much for my 50’ wort chiller to wrangle quickly). Note that I’m sensitive to bitter hops as well so your mileage may vary.

Edit again to say yeah, it really tastes like a bit of lemon zest made its way into the recipe. Plan for that and it’ll work very well as a complementary sensation. It’s a refreshing character and sure has my tongue fooled.

 

[kwilson16]

Hello,

I'm working on a recipe to combine Loral with a noble hop in a bohemian-style pilsner. Right now, my plan is to combine Loral with Mittelfruh because the flavor profiles appear to be closer than Saaz and Loral.

Would it be better to combine Loral with Czech Saaz? Thoughts? Thanks!


18 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)
1 lbs Weyermann Carahell (3.0 SRM)

0.75 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min
0.75 oz Loral [11.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min

0.75 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min
0.75 oz Loral [11.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min

0.75 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - Boil 7.5 min
0.75 oz Loral [11.00 %] - Boil 7.5 min Hop


0.75 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min
0.75 oz Loral [11.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min

Bohemian Lager (Wyeast Labs #2124)

11 gallons into the fermenter
OG 1.046
IBUs 36.6
SRM 3.6

Hallertau Mittelfrüh
3.0-5.5%
Complex, but mild and approachable. A mixture of sweet, earthy,and herbal with vivid impressions of new-mown hay, sweet spices, and dried flowers.

Loral®
10.0-14.0%
Dark fruit, floral, lemon-citrus and pepper aroma.

Saaz
3.0-5.0%
Mild and pleasant, earthy and spicy.

 

[Chris-Naz]

Would it be better to combine Loral with Czech Saaz? Thoughts? Thanks!

Both combos were on my to do list.

 

[kwilson16]

I brewed the recipe as listed. It's in the fermenter now. I will post feedback when it's ready to drink.

 

[lumbergh]

Bump
What other beers has everyone done with Loral?
I got some from the AIH grab bag and was thinking about a Belgian blonde or pale.