Sunbeam hop experiment - Sunbeam Blonde

[thaymond]

I was gifted a Sunbeam plant from a friend last year. Summer came and went, and I was able to get some 8oz. Of dry yield off of it. After checking many different posts that mention Sunbeam, Golden and Aureus hops, I was having trouble getting an idea of what it could be used in, aside from a Pilsner style brew, as they are similar to a saaz hop.

So after sitting on 8 oz. For some time, in decided to try a blonde ale with the Sunbeam being the single hop. In the nose, it's floral yet spicy, and when you chew a cone, they've got a spicy character.

I brewed this last night and will report back the findings of how it turned out.

Here's the recipe

Mash @150 for an hour.

7 lbs of TF&S Halcyon pale malt
1 lb of Crystal 20
0.5 lb of Carapils

2 oz. FWH of Sunbeam
1 oz Sunbeam @ 10 minutes
1 tablet of Whirlfloc @ 10 minutes

Yeast is Danstar BRY-97

I split a 10 gallon blonde recipe with a variant on Biermunchers Centennial Blonde (subbing for Halcyon) to compare the malt against two different hops.

Does anyone have any positive or negative experience with Sunbeam?

 

[thaymond]

Just pulled a gravity sample. Went from 1.048 to 1.014, so it didn't attenuate fully, but my mash temps started high (158) and was reduced with cold water. That probably didn't help. It was at 150 for the majority of the mash.

The Sunbeam made this taste like a German Pilsner. I did a side by side gravity sample with the centennial Blonde to compare hop profiles and this one is going to be a crowd pleaser. Its a low bitter hop profile, a little earthy and grassy since it was whole leaf hops, but not overwhelming. The hop flavor is spicy and earthy, what you'd expect from a saaz hop. As expected, you could sub this for saaz in recipes, but if you want a quaffable blonde ale that tastes like German Pilsner, this is the way to go!

 

[thaymond]

In the keg and making for a refreshing summertime quaffer. I might cut back on the bittering addition to 1 or 1.5 oz next time, as it has a little bite to it. But that's more for the people who drink it off of me. I like it bitter. Definitely just like Saaz. A little earthy in the nose and on the tongue, balances nicely with the malt, and spicy in the finish. I still have 4 oz. Left, so it will probably become a 're brew. I also have just over 3 oz. Dry from this year, and more is on the way.

 

[thaymond]

Another picture for clarity and lacing.

 

[thaymond]

 

[bbrim]

Awesome update. I'd not heard of Sunbeam but love Saaz. I will keep this in mind next time I am looking for a substitute.

 

[aryoung1980]

My sister-in-law has given me her sunbeam hops that last two years. Last year I did a full bodied APA with the sunbeam as aroma additions as fresh hops. It was decent but nothing I'd brew again.

This year I dried the hops, about 5oz, and was leaning towards a light and crisp beer. I think I will try your Blonde ale idea. I wasn't originally planning on bittering with them but it sounds like you were successful in that regard.

In hindsight, would you still bitter with the sunbeam or would you stick with them as flavor and aroma additions?

 

[thaymond]

They were fine for bittering, I fwh with them so as to minimize the bite from them. The beer was pretty floral. I think that if I would have smashed the beer and used a saison yeast, the results would have been more desirable. Its not something I would spend money brewing again the same way, but it wasn't a dumper.

Maybe 85% pils malt with 15% Munich or Vienna, same hop additions, and Belle Saison Yeast @ mid-high 80s fermentation. Stick it in the garage and let it do its thing for 3 weeks. The belgian pale w/ Nelson Sauvin hops is going down smoothly, and I'm digging the character of the Belle Saison Yeast.