Loral Hops (HBC 291)

Williams 728
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hm, I don't think so. As I had experience, Loral + Citra was great, and I would consider Citra to be incredibly potent. Then again, what do you want? Do you want Loral to be a back up or the star?
 
TheHairyHop said:
hm, I don't think so. As I had experience, Loral + Citra was great, and I would consider Citra to be incredibly potent. Then again, what do you want? Do you want Loral to be a back up or the star?
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I definitely want Loral to be the star. I'm still considering doing a single hop pale w/Loral (there's a nice write up/recipe here: http://brulosophy.com/2017/03/23/the-hop-chronicles-loral/), but was also thinking about using another hop for bittering & background flavor/aroma.

I was actually thinking of using Citra, as you mentioned above. But Citra doesn't really throw stone fruit as much, & the tropical notes it has are very bright, in general. I kind of see stone fruit & dark tropical notes overpowering the floral/earthy & light tropical notes the loral is supposed to produce.
 
I don't know how easy it is for you to get hold of them, but it sounds like some of the new British hops might fit that supporting role quite nicely - Jester or Ernest perhaps.

Otherwise maybe some of the new German hops like Huell Melon?
 
So I ended up brewing a single hop pale with loral last weekend. Brewday went pretty well, & was pretty tasty. I based my recipe on one in the Brulosophy post on the loral hop (http://brulosophy.com/2017/03/23/the-hop-chronicles-loral/). Here's mine:

5.5 gal batch
Mash @ 149
OG 1.052

9 lb 2-row
1 lb Vienna
.75 lb Carapils
.5 lb Victory

60 min .5oz Loral 10.2%
20 min .5oz Loral 10.2%
10 min .5oz Loral 10.2%
5 min .5oz Loral 10.2%
FO .75oz Loral 10.2%
WP 1.5oz Loral 10.2% @ 170 for 20 min

safale 05

I'll update in a few weeks when it's ready!:mug:
 
Potentially Ella...but I think It'd be best replicated as a combo. Being that Loral is a combo of Lemon & Floral (new world hop/old world hop), I would assume Lemon Drop & Hallertau (or something noble).
 
freshouj said:
Potentially Ella...but I think It'd be best replicated as a combo. Being that Loral is a combo of Lemon & Floral (new world hop/old world hop), I would assume Lemon Drop & Hallertau (or something noble).
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I'll have to see if my LHBS has any instock. Thanks!

Cheers! [emoji482]
 
I bought a pound of it for $10, having loved it in a handful of beers and reading about it on Brulosophy and Mad Fermentationist. Then I brewed a Biere de Garde with it so I'll know how that turns out in a month or so.

I've been tinkering with a rye IPA recipe to use up some Chinook and play around with HBC-438. Perhaps I'll throw the Loral in there instead.
 
I just purchased 9 oz Loral pellet hops / crop year: 2017 and will do a smash kind of beer.

Batch size: 6 gallons
SRM: 4.5
Target ABV: 5.5%
Target IBUs: 40
Original Gravity: 1.050
Final Gravity: 1.008
Grain bill: 6 Kg / 13.2 lbs Simpsons Golden Promise
Yeast: US-05

MASH WATER: Ca: 81 ppm / Mg: 5 ppm / Na: 3 ppm / Chloride: 50 ppm / Sulfate: 125 ppm / pH: 5.4

I am very exciting to try this out and I will make sure to post aroma and flavour notes during all stages of the beer.
 
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thehaze said:
I just purchased 9 oz Loral pellet hops / crop year: 2017 and will do a smash kind of beer.

Batch size: 6 gallons
SRM: 4.5
Target ABV: 5.5%
Target IBUs: 40
Original Gravity: 1.050
Final Gravity: 1.008
Grain bill: 6 Kg / 13.2 lbs Simpsons Golden Promise
Yeast: US-05

MASH WATER: Ca: 81 ppm / Mg: 5 ppm / Na: 3 ppm / Chloride: 50 ppm / Sulfate: 125 ppm / pH: 5.4

I am very exciting to try this out and I will make sure to post aroma and flavour notes during all stages of the beer.
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Here is a saison rendition:
IMG_7607.jpg

IMG_7606.jpg


This was bottled 2wks ago and spent 12 hours in the fridge.
Hot-side Loral-hopped wlp568 saison:
Aroma: Belgian yeast. Touch of clove/phenol/spice. As the beer warms I’m getting more herbal/grassy/hay notes and underlying it all is pleasant lemon/pithy citrus peel.
Flavor: phenol hits me first followed by spice and lemon.
Thoughts: nowhere in this beer do I get “floral” aroma or flavor. My guess is that it was biotransformed during fermentation. Guess is the timing and quantity of application during the brewing/fermenting process is important in obtaining the desired outcome?
I’ll be giving Loral another round in a NE IPA w/1318, blended possibly with some Citra/Mosaic...
 
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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
 
That saison sounds mighty nice, Chris. Looking forward to brewing with Loral again soon in a hoppier saison or in combination with some other varieties in a pale ale.
 
HomemadeSauce said:
That saison sounds mighty nice, Chris. Looking forward to brewing with Loral again soon in a hoppier saison or in combination with some other varieties in a pale ale.
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Hi H-sauce,
FYI - I sampled this saison again recently and it has completely changed. The lemon is still there but has taken a back seat to some very strong clove and phenol notes. Actually, some floral aroma and flavor is now detectable. Due to the substantial changes during bottle conditioning I’m thinking that wlp568 is not for me. I’ll brewing this one again with wlp570 or 550, which are my typical go-to Belgian strains.
Also hoping that some extra time in the bottle will mellow out the clove/phenol character...
 
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.
 
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
 
TheHairyHop said:
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
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Got some!
IMG_7689.jpg

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.
 
Chris-Naz said:
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.
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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
 
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.
 
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?
 
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.
 
HomemadeSauce said:
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.
Click to expand...

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:
IMG_7744.jpg
 
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.
 
thehaze said:
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?
Click to expand...

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

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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.
 
That sounds tasty - looking forward to your tasting notes about the Loral/H-Blanc combo!
 
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?
IMG_8184.JPG

IMG_5418.JPG
 
HomemadeSauce said:
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.
Click to expand...

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

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