What hops pair well with orange zest and wheat?

[TripleC223]

I am brewing a 3-gallon session wheat tonight and wanted some input on the recipe, specifically which hops I should use. This is an extract brew using 3.3 lbs wheat LME, 4 oz table sugar and 4 oz pale ale DME as fermentables and 3 oz Munich 10L and 1 oz Melanoidin as steeping grains. Yeast is US-05.

The hops I have available are 2 oz calypso, 2 oz citra and 4 oz huell melon.

I would like to use 2-3 oz orange zest. Which of my hops would best pair with that?

Or, should I even both with the orange zest, and let the hops do the talking?

Fermentables
3.3 lbs wheat LME
4 oz pale ale DME
4 oz table sugar

Steeping grains
3 oz Munich 10L
1 oz melanoidin

Other
2-3 oz orange zest

Hops????
I have...2 oz calypso, 2 oz citra and 4 oz huell melon

Yeast
US-05

Thanks!!!

 

[ProblemChild]

I don't see where any of them would be a problem.

Just do not bitter (well - show the hops what boiling wort looks like at 60 but that is it) - mostly late boil and flame out. If going low ABV, hops at less than 10 min.

With orange zest, I would also undershoot IBU targets a smidge.

 

[OswaldvW]

Given your hop choices, my first choice would be the Citra, then the Calypso.

I would avoid the Hüll Melon, as you would probably lose a lot of the delicate floral and Melon flavours with the addition of the orange zest.

Also, 2-3 oz of orange zest is going to give you a lot of flavor for a 2 gallon batch. If you want to add the Citra, I would add 1 oz in the whirlpool and then also 1 oz dry hop.

 

[Gravity]

Styrian Golding...Saaz...Sorachi Ace....For sure!

...Hallertau also works, so would any of the "C" hops Citra, Centennial, Cascade, Chinook in smaller amounts...

 

[MrHadack]

Citra would pair best with the orange zest in my opinion, though I think you have a better idea by letting the hops add the flavor. Use 1oz citra in the last 10 minutes of the boil. That'll give you decent IBU for the style. When the boil is finished, cool to 170F and whirlpool 1oz Huell and 1oz Calypso for 15 minutes. That will add a nice juicy aspect to the beer. Dry hop with the remaining hops. Something like that.

 

[TripleC223]

Citra would pair best with the orange zest in my opinion, though I think you have a better idea by letting the hops add the flavor. Use 1oz citra in the last 10 minutes of the boil. That'll give you decent IBU for the style. When the boil is finished, cool to 170F and whirlpool 1oz Huell and 1oz Calypso for 15 minutes. That will add a nice juicy aspect to the beer. Dry hop with the remaining hops. Something like that.

This sounds outstanding. I may just go with the aforementioned 3 oz in the boil/whirlpool and then dry hop with 1 oz huell melon. I'd like to save some hops for later. Also looks like I'll be eating oranges today haha

 

[Gravity]

Given your hop choices, my first choice would be the Citra, then the Calypso.

I would avoid the Hüll Melon, as you would probably lose a lot of the delicate floral and Melon flavours with the addition of the orange zest.

Also, 2-3 oz of orange zest is going to give you a lot of flavor for a 2 gallon batch. If you want to add the Citra, I would add 1 oz in the whirlpool and then also 1 oz dry hop.

Skipped over the part where you only had certain hops; i agree with the above...skip the huell melon, do citra + calypso...in any order would work.... and scale back to 1oz of zest only to dry hop with