Mandarina Bavaria Hops?

[Clint Yeastwood]

I'm terrified of running out of the wheat ale I made the other day. I'm crazy about it. I have always made it with citrusy hops. Cascade, Centennial, and Amarillo. The version I'm drinking now is made with Amarillo.

I'm trying to catch up on the homebrewing world. Today I was researching, looking for hops that taste like oranges. I came up with Mandarina Bavaria. Never heard of it before. It's supposed to pump out tangerine flavor.

Has anyone here tried this one? I ordered grain for two beers tonight, and wheat with Mandarina Bavaria will be in the next iteration of my wheat ale. I think I'll also cut the IBU's a tiny bit, and I'm increasing the crystal malt by one third.

In a day or two, I'll be trying Sabro hops in a heavy wheat ale. Guess I'll find out if these new hops are worthwhile or just gimmicks.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

In a day or two, I'll be trying Sabro hops in a heavy wheat ale. Guess I'll find out if these new hops are worthwhile or just gimmicks.

Sabro is one of the most powerful hops I have ever used. It also seems to be a love or hate type thing. Some say it gives cream + coconut with tropical & citrus flavors, others think it tastes like suntan lotion, and others get more of a cedar wood vibe. I have used Sabro purchased from my local shop and from Yakima Valley Hops, and I get a lot more cedar than coconut. I get the same from various commercial beers I have tried with Sabro. I will have to figure out a plan for the 13 oz of Sabro I have in my freezer.

I have used Amarillo that had a wonderful orange zest character, and I have used Amarillo that tasted more like pure citrus pith. I have some recent Amarillo that came from a professional brewery, so I have some hopes that it is more on the wonderful side.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

The Mandarina Bavaria hops did not smell great when I brewed with them, but I'm hoping things are different when the beer is served.

 

[jsphlynch]

I've done Mandarina Bavaria in an American wheat before. It definitely gave a tangerine impression, though I decided that wasn't really what I was looking for in a wheat. I think they could work really well paired with other citrusy hops in an IPA, and I keep meaning to use the last them in just that sort of application.

If you're working your way through citrusy hops to use in a wheat, I highly recommend Lemondrop.

 

[AlexKay]

I was utterly underwhelmed by Mandarina Bavaria. The hops I've found that really bring the orange -- and really, specifically orange, and not just generic citrus -- are Lotus and Bergamot (the latter of which you can find, and probably only find, at Bergamot™ Hops | MHP | HHH). I like using the two combined, in equal quantities.

 

[Spartan1979]

I had a pale ale at the Spital Brauerei in Regensburg that was made with Mandarina Bavaria hops and it was amazing, it had so much orange flavor. I tried brewing something similar at home and it didn't have anywhere near as much orange flavor. I imagine the hops not being as fresh had something to do with it.

 

[Miraculix]

I used Sabro in my70% adjunct wheat beer and it tastes like heaven.

 

[Jag75]

I like Bavaria hops . I use that and Amarillo in my orange cream milkshake ipa

 

[Jag75]

I used Sabro in my70% adjunct wheat beer and it tastes like heaven.

I attempted a coconut lime ale . Sabro in the kettle had a nice coconut aroma. In the glass there was no coconut to be found . Still have some . Might do a single hop wheat with it.

 

[Miraculix]

I attempted a coconut lime ale . Sabro in the kettle had a nice coconut aroma. In the glass there was no coconut to be found . Still have some . Might do a single hop wheat with it.

I always have a hard time understanding why people try to describe hop flavours with something everybody knows, when it is not even somewhere in the direction of it.

There is no coconut in sarbro, unless you put some coconut in it .

Sarbro tastes like sarbro, a rather unique hop flavour. Not comparable to the generic c-hop from America and also not comparable to noble hops from europe. It is rather intense, that is what it has in common with the American c-hopsm but otherwise it has it's own flavour profile. I like it and it goes very well with wheat and low to medium Ibus.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I didn't brew my heavy ale until a few days back, and I used all Sabro. The beer is phenomenal. I love heavy ales, but factory versions always seem clumsy to me. Too much of this. Too much of that. A punch in the gut that reminds me of Carlsberg Elephant (not a compliment). A headache from whatever weird by-product chemicals are in there. The ale I made slides down the throat without making me pay a price. It doesn't fight with me. It's all pleasure.

The taste reminds me of tropical fruit Lifesavers, but I can't be sure how much of that is the malt and how much is the hops. I know the bananas came from Abbaye, but there is a little bit of pina colada, too.

 

[day_trippr]

but there is a little bit of pina colada, too.

Uh oh. Hopefully that implication of a cocoanut character doesn't trigger @Miraculix...

Cheers! 😉

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I know it's there. Where it came from, who knows?

 

[day_trippr]

I get it - literally everyone (save for one person, apparently) says the same thing: cocoanut, cream, and citrus.
The prototypical summary: "Sabro is an aroma hop that is notable for its complexity of fruity and citrus flavors. It imparts distinct tangerine, coconut, tropical fruit, and stone fruit aromas, with hints of cedar, mint, and cream. "

[shrug]

Genetics play a role in how one perceives character, but that character combination does not attract me...

Cheers!

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I think if I really wanted to know what the hops tasted like, my best option would be to go with something way lower in gravity.

 

[Jeroen79]

I love Mandarina Bavaria, but i never got much tangerine from it, more a citrus bomb.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Genetics play a role in how one perceives character, but that character combination does not attract me...

I have had a few commercial beers with a bit of a coconut vibe, but most of them, and the two beers I have made, tasted like sucking on a piece of cedar wood...with a bit of a cream character. I heard one person (a pro brewer or maybe a hop grower?) say that a little on the hot side will give more coconut (say the whirlpool) and the dry hop gives more of the cedar. I have 80% of a 1 lb bag I need to decide to use, give away, or compost.

 

[BongoYodeler]

I didn't brew my heavy ale until a few days back, and I used all Sabro. The beer is phenomenal. I love heavy ales, but factory versions always seem clumsy to me. Too much of this. Too much of that. A punch in the gut that reminds me of Carlsberg Elephant (not a compliment). A headache from whatever weird by-product chemicals are in there. The ale I made slides down the throat without making me pay a price. It doesn't fight with me. It's all pleasure.

The taste reminds me of tropical fruit Lifesavers, but I can't be sure how much of that is the malt and how much is the hops. I know the bananas came from Abbaye, but there is a little bit of pina colada, too.

Heavy ale? I assume this is the heavy wheat ale you mentioned in post #1. By "heavy" I assume you make it stronger than a traditional wheat beer? I make one that finishes between 5 and 6%, but never would've thought to use Sabro in it. I have a half pound of Sabro Lupomax in the freezer that I need to find a beer for. How heavy is yours and what your recipe look like?

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

This beer starts at 1.084. I'll post the recipe.

The thing about this beer is that it doesn't have a lot of the strange overpowering flavors I'm used to in heavy factory beers. Like that intense stale Carnation milk flavor in Blithering Idiot, or the weird aftertaste of Fin du Monde. It's very straightforward and easy to drink. Seems like a lot of brewers like side flavors that make drinking their beers a fight. If you like that kind of thing, you may not like this beer.

Happy Halfwit Ale

5 lbs Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM)
4 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM)
2 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
1 lbs 8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)
1 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)
1 lbs table sugar

Abbaye yeast. Sabro, 0.65 ounces boiled 60 minutes. Sabro, 0.5 ounces steeped for 15 minutes. Sabro, 1 ounce dumped in primary after one day of fermentation. Ferment at 68. I kegged at 1.017. I tried a little pressure to reduce the bananas. Served at [email protected] volumes (18 psi). I'm serving it in pint tulip glasses with maybe 1/3 foam on top.

I can't vouch for the FG because I put this beer in the Braumeister to see if it could handle it, and it couldn't. I had to add DME to get the last 10 points. Seems to taste about the same as it did 19 years ago, though. Can't be sure.

Beersmith thinks it has 33 IBU's, but I steeped at a pretty high temperature, so maybe it's higher.

 

[AmarikinBrew]

I think if I really wanted to know what the hops tasted like, my best option would be to go with something way lower in gravity.

I used to know a guy who would burn a hop pellet like incense so he could get an idea of what it'd be like in a brew.

 

[Miraculix]

I used to know a guy who would burn a hop pellet like incense so he could get an idea of what it'd be like in a brew.

Im gonna try that!

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Time to throw out the Renuzit.

 

[AmarikinBrew]

Time to throw out the Renuzit.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I actually tried this.

At first, it smells kind of nice, but it seems to get nasty as the end nears, kind of like a cigar. Now my house smells like stoners broke in.

 

[AmarikinBrew]

Aww dangit! Try a NOBLE hop pellet to make it right!

 

[Miraculix]

Hahahaha

Hops are really closely related to cannabis. That's probably what you are smelling.