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Recipes to showcase hops : Lemon Drop hops

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QC_Brew

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Joined
Jan 13, 2015
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Location
Queen City
Hey guys. Got my hands in 8oz of newer hop called "lemon drop". My understanding is it's a splice between cascade and a German hop. As the name implies it's gonna be a floral and citrusy hop.

My questions to you guys is has anyone used them yet? If so in what? How do you like them? I'm thinking do doing a simple APA or IPA to really showcase the hops. Does anyone have a good grain bill for this? I'm thinking some 2 row and maybe some crystal and carapils? Maybe a SMaSH?

I would like it to be on the dryer west coast style to really let the hops shine. Any good yeast strains to accentuate this? Maybe 001 or pacific ale?

Thanks for any suggestions/input. Cheers!

QC
 
I just bought some of these as well. I am curious as to what people think.

My initial thoughts are a American Pale Wheat with s05.

Something like this:

50% Red Wheat
40% 2-Row
10% Aromatic

FWH with the Lemon Drop and then hop burst (15 / 5 /0) with a nice dry hop in the keg.
 
Nice. I haven't done a wheat in awhile that might be a good summer time beer with these hops. I was thinking the same for the hop schedule. FWH and then a hop burst at the end.
 
Would love to hear some input from someone who has actually brewed with these hops.
 
I know you still didn't get your answer and well I may prolong you getting such. Tired Hands brewing company just did an IPA with Lemon Drop hops and Simcoe sounds like a good combo to me.
 
I know you still didn't get your answer and well I may prolong you getting such. Tired Hands brewing company just did an IPA with Lemon Drop hops and Simcoe sounds like a good combo to me.

The new Stone "Delicious IPA" uses lemon drop hops as well. Been trying to find it around Charlotte but the few bottle shops I've been to sell out the day they get it in. Tough getting good west coast beers out east sometimes.

This is the recipe I threw together for these hops. What do you guys think?

Lemon Drop Pale Ale

11 gal batch
OG 1.055
FG 1.013
ABV 5.5%
IBU 40
SRM 6.3

20 lbs 2 row
2 lb Munich
1 lb Victory
1lb Crystal 10
1lb Carapils

2oz Centennial @ 60
2oz Lemon Drop @ 10
2oz Lemon Drop @ 5
3oz Lemon Drop @ 0

WLP 001 w/starter

Mash @ 153 expected Mash pH 5.3
efficiency 70%, sometimes higher

Water Profile:

Ca 126
Mg 2
Na 5
Sulfate 233
Cl 46

thoughts???
 
I'm actually brewing something like that pretty soon, using a big hit of them for whirlpool and going to do a quick hop stand.

My only input to your recipe is maybe reduce or get rid of the victory, I'm thinking that it might make it a little too malty to let the hops really shine, but thats just my opinion :mug:
 
I brewed a SMaSH with lemon drop. I can provide notes once I get a sample. Should be Friday or Monday...depending upon the yeast's desire to flocculate.
 
Any word on this yet? I'm going to try for a 5 gal ipa this weekend fairly similar to QC_brew's.
 
Finally kegged that lemon drop pale. The hops are interesting. I get kind of a lemongrass flavor from the hops. I would use them again. I bet they would be great in a blonde ale, they are only 4.4% alpha. I just brewed that centennial blonde recipe from here I would have loved to use them in that.
 
Nice, did you add any actual lemon zest or anything on top of the recipe you posted earlier? I just got everything together to try a pale ale with them.
5 gal batch
14.5 lbs 2 row
1.25 lbs munich 10
.75 lbs crystal 20
1.25oz centennial 60min
1.25oz lemondrop 10min
1.5oz lemondrop 1 min
1.25oz lemondrop dryhop
Should be about 55 ibu
The wife wants to make something lemony for her dad and wants to zest a couple lemons to toss in the boil too. Is the flavor pretty pronounced from the hops?
 
Nice, did you add any actual lemon zest or anything on top of the recipe you posted earlier? I just got everything together to try a pale ale with them.
5 gal batch
14.5 lbs 2 row
1.25 lbs munich 10
.75 lbs crystal 20
1.25oz centennial 60min
1.25oz lemondrop 10min
1.5oz lemondrop 1 min
1.25oz lemondrop dryhop
Should be about 55 ibu
The wife wants to make something lemony for her dad and wants to zest a couple lemons to toss in the boil too. Is the flavor pretty pronounced from the hops?


No I don't think that they are very pronounced, you would be fine to zest a few lemons. I would be interested to play around with the bittering hop as well, maybe Columbus or cascade? I dry hopped mine 50/50 cascade and lemon drop, turned out pretty good. I'm out of town for work I'll try to post a picture when I get back. Cheers
 
Awesome. I'm doing this one first thing in the morning so i can get a saison in too without taking up the whole day. Thanks for the replies guys!
 
So are they truly super cascade.... I was going to sub lemon drop for cascade and mosiac for simcoe in a jai alai clone...
 
Wow I totally forgot about this thread. So they are good hops with a bright lemon flavor. They made good saisons. I wouldn't sub them for cascade though. I think cascade has a bit more depth of flavor that'll lemon drops.
 
Here's a recipe I put together for the Lemon Drop Hops & El Dorado Hops:

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 6.50 gal
Boil Size: 8.52 Gal
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 7.02 gal
Efficiency:72%

10.8 g-Burton Salts (in mash w/ grains)
15 lbs 10.5 oz- Pale Malt (2 row) US (2.0 SRM)
10.7 oz-Munich Malt- 10L (10.0 SRM)
5.5 oz-Carmel/Crystal Malt-120L (120.0 SRM)
.29 oz- El Dorado (15.7%)- Boil 60 min
.32 oz- El Dorado (15.7%)- Boil 30 min
0.60 tsp- Irish Moss- Boil 15 min
1.96 oz- Lemondrop Hop (4.40%)- Boil 10 min
1.63 oz- Lemondrop Hop (4.40%)- Boil 5 min
2 pkg- WY1056 American Ale

Mash @ 152F for 60 min
OG: 1.067
FG: 1.015
ABV: 6.8%
SRM: 8.1

I have the grains & will brew in about two weeks.
 
Good to know looks like I will keep to cascade and use the lemon drop hops in something different. I was thinking of doing a spin on a kolsch so maybe I do late hop additions with them along some meyer lemon zest a touch of thyme and lavender.

Thanks again.
 
bump
any more feedback on these hops?

My LHBS carries them so I picked up some for a light pale ale using liberty for bittering and lemondrop at 30 and flame out. The gain bill was 2 row with a little 10L crystal and a touch of carapils. OG was 1.045 (4.4%ABV) IBUS estimated to be 27 and 10 SRM.
 
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