Lemon tree leaves

[mrsupraboy]

I was smelling lemon leaves and found was it tastes like citrus taste it i was wondering has anyone ever used lemon leaves to make a beer

 

[Yob]

Ever? Quite likely, pretty much everything had been used at one time or another

I'd say to no great effect though as we don't do it, let us know how you go

 

[Yob]

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/saint-somewhere-saison-athene-with-lemon-leaves/131154/

 

[Yob]

http://homebrewexchange.net/recipe_lemon_balm_ale

 

[Midnight Brew]

Dont have any anectdotal experience to add but I caught part of better homes and gardens last night where one of the cook/chefs made a pineapple granita mix. The key to the refereshing graninta mix was lemon leaves. From what was described it was a key ingredient that left quiet a prominant freshness to the beverage.

 

[QldKev]

I tried it once, once only

BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Fruchtbier Lemon
Brewer: Kev
Asst Brewer:
Style: American Pale Ale
TYPE: All Grain Taste: (30.0)
Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 30.00 l Post
Boil Volume: 26.00 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 25.00 l
Bottling Volume: 25.00 l
Estimated OG: 1.047 SG
Estimated Color: 6.7 EBC
Estimated IBU: 23.8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 85.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 85.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
2.20 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 1 50.0 %
2.20 kg Wheat Malt (Barrett Burston) (3.0 EBC) Grain 2 50.0 %
15.00 g Magnum [12.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 3 20.1 IBUs
25.00 g Saaz [3.75 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 4 3.8 IBUs
1.00 Items Lemon Leaf (Boil 10.0 mins) Spice 5 -
1.00 Items Lemon Juice (Boil 0.0 mins) Herb 6 -
25.00 g Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 7 0.0 IBUs
1.00 Items Lemon Zest (Boil 0.0 mins) Spice 8 -

It was ok, but wont be doing it again.

 

[Lecterfan]

Why is that Kev? I'd be interested to hear your opinion/experience and what you think they added/detracted to/from the brew... always great when someone on this site who actually brews, drinks, brews, drinks,and brews again can provide some 'horses mouth' thoughts...

 

[Rod]

I have made lemon myrtle beer by putting one leaf in a 500ml bottle of coopers lager , and coopers pale ale

in an attempt to have a corona

went well

better with light beer ( 2.9% )

 

[QldKev]

Why is that Kev? I'd be interested to hear your opinion/experience and what you think they added/detracted to/from the brew... always great when someone on this site who actually brews, drinks, brews, drinks,and brews again can provide some 'horses mouth' thoughts...

I actually tried 3 "Fruchtbier", Lemon, Orange and Passion-fruit. The Orange was probably the nicest of the lot.

All had a fresh fruit taste which was really nice upfront. But, the big but was all ended up a bit too thin, were slightly astringent, and strayed away from a decent beer.

 

[TimT]

I'm sure you could use it. Might provide a kind of bay-leaf effect. Some citrus leaves are used in soups, broths, etc - eg, kaffir lime leaves (what's the politically correct name for them again?). Mind you I never find bay leafs or kaffir lime leaves add *that much* to a meal so you may omit it without too much bother. Apple leaves and branches, rose leaves and branches are probably both good for many ferments as they'd add a lot of tannins to the mix. (Citrus normally doesn't have this).

Note that the ingredients used in some of those recipes above are not true citrus - lemon balm is actually a mint; lemon myrtle is, surprise, actually a myrtle (so is eucalyptus). And lemon grass is actually a grass. Those delicious lemony tastes are quite common in nature.

 

[HBHB]

A little OT, but just for shits n giggles last year I threw 2 unwashed leaves into 4.5L of left over wort on an aus pale ale to see what sort of lambic it'd produce. Didn't have high expectations.

To say it was just undrinkable would be being very kind.


Using the leaves in the last few minutes of the boil - It's OK. Nothing flash.

If you want more flavour from them as an addition late in the boil, you'll only need a few leaves and give them a gentle once over with a mortar and pestle. That was OK, but a little different to using zest hard to describe the difference. Clean the leaves down well and hit them with some starsan or similar first. The leaves will have a lot of spores of weird stuff on them that a few minutes in the boil won't necessarily kill. ie Black Mould, mildew etc

 

[TimT]

Chuck in some branches for bonus citrus gall wasp. Could get some good yeast nutrient that way....