Need Help Pairing El Dorado Hops with Another Hop

[almanac12]

Hi Everyone,

I'm formulating a new recipe for a sort of hybrid IPA. I am intrigued by El Dorado hops and want to pair them with a complementary hop for flavor/aroma/dry hopping. I'm not looking to clone a specific beer or style, just brew something tasty. I'm looking for toasty notes and pleasant, fruity, low-citrus non-grapefruit hops (or complementary citrus notes). Kind of a toast and jam flavor.

Also, I'm looking for a good source of Crisp Gleneagles Maris Otter in Northern Indiana/Chicago/Southern Wisconsin (driving through at the end of the month). If anyone has thoughts, that would be great.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe
Target Volume: 10.2 gal to fermenter
Target OG ~1.065
Target Color ~ 10 - 11 SRM
Target IBU ~110 - 115

Grain Bill: (Approximately 90% mash efficiency)
23 lbs. Crisp Gleneagles Maris Otter (~87.4%)
1 lbs. 7 oz Baird Light Carastan (~5.5%)
1 lbs. Melanoidin Malt (Weyerman or GWM) (~3.8%)
14 oz Briess Victory Malt (~3.3%)

Mash:
152 - 154 F
8.2 gal mash + foundation water
6.2 gal sparge water

Boil:
Target ~15% boil-off

(60 min) 3.5 oz 15% AA El Dorado Hops

(15 min) 0.75 oz 15% AA El Dorado Hops
(15 min) 1 oz ~7% AA Bramling Cross or Palisade or Belma Hops (??)
(15 min) 1 oz ~6% AA Meridian Hops (??)

(5 min) 0.75 oz 15% AA El Dorado Hops
(5 min) 1 oz ~7% AA Bramling Cross or Palisade or Belma Hops (??)
(5 min) 1 oz ~6% AA Meridian Hops (??)

Cool with immersion chiller.
Pitch Wyeast 1318 London Ale III (premade starter)
Ferment at 64 - 68 F
Diacetyl rest at 70 F towards end of fermentation.

Dry hop for 2 days in keg (amounts shown below are per each 5 gal keg)
1 oz 15% AA El Dorado Hops
1 oz ~7% AA Bramling Cross or Palisade or Belma Hops (??)
1 oz ~6% AA Meridian Hops (??)

 

[m00ps]

Belma would be my first choice - strawberry will go well with it, but its a lot less assertive than El Dorado
Palisade would eb my 2nd - vague orangish flavor, not really suited for IPA beers IMO
Bramling cross would be my least - blech

Medirian will go well with any fruity hop IMO, add it in

 

[kh54s10]

I have a recipe in progress for Nelson's El Dorado IPA. It will be bittered with Chinook and late additions of Nelson Sauvin and El Dorado. I chose them because I have them on hand and also for the name I could give the beer.......

I will have to give a review if I ever brew it.

 

[almanac12]

Belma would be my first choice - strawberry will go well with it, but its a lot less assertive than El Dorado
Palisade would eb my 2nd - vague orangish flavor, not really suited for IPA beers IMO
Bramling cross would be my least - blech

Medirian will go well with any fruity hop IMO, add it in

Thanks! That's helpful. Do you think El Dorado will pair well with my grain bill?

 

[bolus14]

Using El Dorado and Meridian I am thinking you're going to get a lot of fruit juice like flavor, El Dorado being more towards the tropical flavors and Meridian being like Hawaiian Punch from the descriptions on the web. Not necessarily a bad thing if that's what you're after but I don't think you're going to get jam flavors using those two.

I used El Dorado and Saaz in a Belgian Tripel IPA (not to be confused as a TRIPLE IPA, intended to be a Belgian TRIPEL hopped to a normal IPA level), measured to be at 55IBU. After a couple months of aging it's very tasty and while it finished at 1.005 it tastes sweeter, that's one thing that El Dorado seems to consistently bring to the table is tropical sweet flavors regardless of the FG.

All that being said, I would think something with Belma and Pacific Gem would be good, maybe use a small .25oz at 30min and 5-10min of El Dorado to add the sugary taste I mentioned.

Guess it depends on what berry/fruit taste you're after.

 

[DemonsRun]

I agree El dorado, Belma, and Meridian would make a good IPA.

I recently did a IPA with El Dorado and Comet that was surprisingly nice.

 

[scallopking]

I use El Dorado and Belma together in a very nice IPA, good match up IMO

 

[SW33K]

I used Nelson sauvin and el dorado in an ipa I made not long ago. One of my favorite beers I've brewed. Very easy drinking you'd forget it was over 7%.

 

[almanac12]

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the great input on this. El Dorado, Belma, and Meridian it is!

Here's the recipe that I'm going to brew. Planning on brewing the first weekend of October (have to pick up the Crisp Gleneagles at a LHBS at the end of the month).

I'll be back after brew day to report initial impressions, then again after kegging!

Recipe
Target Volume: 10.2 gal to fermenter
Target OG ~1.065
Target Color ~ 10 - 11 SRM
Target IBU ~90 - 95 (dialed this back just a bit)

Grain Bill: (Approximately 90% mash efficiency)
23 lbs. Crisp Gleneagles Maris Otter (~87.4%)
1 lbs. 7 oz Baird Light Carastan (~5.5%)
1 lbs. Melanoidin Malt (Weyerman or GWM) (~3.8%)
14 oz Briess Victory Malt (~3.3%)

Mash:
152 - 154 F
8.2 gal mash + foundation water
6.2 gal sparge water
(Building a custom mineral profile from Distilled H2O, 88 ppm calcium, 167 ppm sulfate, 83 ppm chloride, 13 ppm sodium, 10 ppm magnesium)

Boil:
Target ~15% boil-off

(75 min) 2 oz 15% AA El Dorado Hops
(75 min) 1 oz 9.4% AA Belma Hops

(15 min) 1 oz 15% AA El Dorado Hops
(15 min) 1.5 oz 9.4% AA Belma Hops

(5 min) 1 oz 15% AA El Dorado Hops
(5 min) 1.5 oz 9.4% AA Belma Hops

(1 min) 2 oz ~6% AA Meridian Hops

Cool with immersion chiller.
Pitch Wyeast 1318 London Ale III (premade starter)
Ferment at 64 - 68 F
Diacetyl rest at 70 F towards end of fermentation.

Dry hop for 2 days in keg (amounts shown below are per each 5 gal keg)
1 oz 15% AA El Dorado Hops
1 oz 9.4% Belma Hops
1 oz ~6% AA Meridian Hops

 

[almanac12]

I have the hops in the freezer, and I picked up the Gleneagles MO tonight. Hope to brew this in about 3 weeks.

 

[JKaranka]

I made an IPA with El Dorado and Mandarina Bavaria and it's exactly what you are asking for. No grapefruit but lovely citrus and tangerine flavour.