Lately I've seen many breweries using different ways to add citrus flavors to the beer. Mikkeller aged a beer in Grand Marnier barrels, Hill Farmstead is brewing a serie of collaborative brews added of citrus zests, Stone added lemon verbena ans lemon oils in their 16th anniversary IPA... Do you think it's a new trend that many breweries will follow? And do you appreciate those beers with high citrus flavors?
I enjoyed the Stone 16th, I also enjoyed the DFH Hellhound, but both in small doses, I couldn't handle that much lemon all the time.
haven't had stone 16th yet, but i expect to like it (stone = hop wizards with their specialty beers). i love citrus zest in beer, and have for a long time (especially in witbiers). that said, lemon is not a flavor i need more of in beer. orange, grapefruit, and even lime, though, i hope it is indeed a trend. but, i'm not sure if it is. zest has long been used in beers, but the idea of complimenting hop notes with actual citrus is somewhat new for craft brewers (ironically not new at all for, say, corona lovers).
I absolutely loved Stones 16th. I think it was the perfect amount of citrus. Not sure if I'd want anymore though
Citrus flavors have been used in beer for a very long time. See: witbiers and saisons. Orange zest is a very commonly used ingredient in these styles. Regarding the topic, I love beers brewed with citrus zest. Very applicable in IPAs and pale ale due to the citrus nature of American hops, looking forward to the Stone 16th when it hits MI. I am also a Belgian fanatic so Belgian styles that use this addition are also delicious when done right. I am quite a fan of Shorts Liberator, that is a DIPA brewed with lemon and orange zests
there always seem to be a fair amount of citrus beers on the market. especially in the warmer months. I like them, usually so long as it isn't a bottled 'shandy'... Though Porchrocker was pretty good. I have Stone 16 in the fridge; my instincts say that it might be lemon overkill but we will see. I think Stone just likes to find any excuse to go pluck something from their garden
Add citrus zest to the fermenter, beer geek loves it, garnish a glass of beer with a citrus wedge, beer geek hates. What??
Interestingly enough, I got flavors of tomato and garlic(not in an off putting way) every third or fourth sip after getting the lemony profile.
By any chance were those flavors after every third or fourth bite of your spaghetti and meatballs dinner?
Oh, I always pour several ounces of orange juice into any beer that I am drinking. Keeps away scurvy!
Adding citrus zest to beer is certainly not a new trend. However, I think it is going to become more of a trend to add citrus to IPA's. Brewers are starting to catch on that increased acidity is desirable in IPA's. I've heard a rumor that phosphoric acid is a secret ingredient in a certain popular IPA.
This is an IPA trend I can live with - if its done right where it enhances the hop character, but doesn't decimate it. Fresh Widmer Shaddock IPA is a wonderful thing.
Adding citrus to beer a new trend? That is not really a new thing and I am not really sure it is a trend.
As others have pointed out, there is nothing new about citrus in beer. However, it wasn't until recently that I noticed it being added to non-wheat beers more frequently, especially in IPAs/hoppy styles. HFs new Life Without Principle #1 is a great example of this and I'm sure there will be more to come from them and many other breweries. L w/o P was the beer equivalent of a glass of orange juice and paired with a glass of Breakfast Stout and some bacon and eggs would be heavenly. Whether or not beers like this become the next big trend remains to be seen but I'd certainly give a few more a try.
Phosphoric acid can be used to adjust pH, and is the most flavor neutral. Some breweries use it in all of their beers for adjusting mash pH. I use it often in my homebrews and ciders.
Yeah. Then (for many) if you take that beer and add small-batch liqueurs, call it a beer cocktail - beer geek loves it. We have an interesting sort of appreciation for our beers. For many, it goes beyond what the beer tastes like, or what the experience of drinking it is (to include sight, smell, etc). For many, there's an ideological appeal to drinking beer. I'm not saying this is a good thing, just curious.
