Wondering what peoples take on French Elixir hops are? https://yakimavalleyhops.com/products/elixir-hop-pellets Looking at pairing them with Strissel Spalt in a Saison. It sounds like Elixir could be more intense (and add some tropical fruit notes?) which makes me think maybe I want to use it at a lower ratio than the Strissel Spalt... though honestly might just use them at equal parts and worry about tweaking the next time around. It's not like this is an overloaded IPA, just a slightly more hoppy saison. Was going to do a 5 min or flameout addition and a dryhop.
This is the first time I have heard of Elixir hops. From the link (with highlights in bold by me): “Elixir is a new and exciting hop variety developed in the legendary growing region of Alsace, France. Elixir is a robust and complex hop that offers unique aromas of cognac, leather, and tobacco that are backed by sweet citrus fruits as well rose and lovage. Elixir is well suited for darker styles but can also be incorporated into fruit-forward styles or even spicy saisons.” I have never heard of “lovage” before and below is from wikipedia: “It has been long cultivated in Europe, the leaves being used as a herb, the roots as a vegetable, and the seeds as a spice, especially in southern European cuisine.” To the best of my knowledge I have never eaten lovage before whether that be leaves, root or seeds. The flavor profile described above is quite intriguing. I have brewed with Strisselspalt once, a finishing hop for my reconstruction of the original Michelob of 1896. From that batch I am of the opinion that Strisselspalt in a non-robust hop. Maybe for your Saison use the combination of Strisslespalt and Elixir in a 2:1 ratio (i.e., more Strisslespalt than Elixir)? Hopefully some BA who has actually brewed with this new hop Elixir can provide input here. Cheers! P.S. I think that Elixir is a cool name.
Thanks, Jack. Never heard of them until today either. I was just browsing YVH for a larger order and came across them in the French hop section. Some other newer strains in there as well... also with interesting names. Yeah, "robust" was the word that made me think I needed to not go too heavy handed with them.
@JackHorzempa lovage is sorta like a cross between celery leaves and parsley Overall, the description sounds like it would be interesting in a saison, or possibly in a porter or stout as well
I'm seeing that on the wiki, it goes on to say the seeds themselves can be more like fennel seeds. Seems like there is a range of flavors from leaf to stem to root for lovage. Wonder which flavor Elixir hops tend to lean towards?
Taking a closer look at the spec sheet, it actually places "lovage" under the spicy category. Though it is a secondary descriptor, so maybe I shouldn't get hung up on it.
Lovage? Well, back in the trapping days, I would use lovage as a ingredient for lures or baits, mostly for k9s and sometimes beaver. So, I went out to the barn where I still had some lovage oil. Not what I'm looking for in a beer. Good luck.
Thanks, guys. I think I'll pick up a pack, possibly do a little light beer test, and go from there. I'll report back (or completely forget about this post).
So I wound up adding some elixlir pellets to a couple of Miller Lite ponies. I'm getting all floral and earthy notes. Very noble hop-like aroma and flavor. It's actually quite pleasant and I'm enjoying this new version of Miller Lite. I can't say I am picking up any of the more specific descriptors like cognac or leather. I'm also not picking up any clear lovage notes (flavors akin to parsley/celery as noted above), but maybe they are more so just part of the overall earthiness. Possible I'm just not good at picking these things out, even cognac and leather might come across as earthiness, wouldn't they? Obviously, actually adding them to the boil might bring out some different character. And now that I think about it, I probably should have did the same test with the Strisselspalt just to compare. Based on this test alone though, it doesn't seem like something that would be out of place in a saison.
Trying not to hijack, how do you add the hops to the Miller Light? Just drop em in? About how much for how long? I'd love to have a quick easy way to try new hop varieties like this!
No worries. There is other sources, but I found this one helpful as it noted the weight and the rough amount of hop pellets he used for each bottle - - https://www.bertusbrewery.com/2013/03/dry-hopped-bud-light.html While I did break out the scale, you could probably eyeball it based on the above. Easy enough to screw the caps back on and still plenty carbed when I reopened. Let them sit for a couple days at room temp and then let them crash in the fridge. The hop particulate settled on the bottom and I was able to decant from the bottle into a glass for a fairly clear sample.
Yup, and the subsequent effects during the fermentation process as well. Adding hops to finished beer (Miller Lite) may more closely indicate the specific effects of dry hopping? Cheers!
