Sorachi Ace - Coconut Explosion?

[Mr. No-Tip]

So when I was in the states I tried Brooklyn Brewery's Sorachi Saison and absolutely fell in love with it. A perfect beer for a hot summer's day, and an interesting take on the Saison style.

I've managed to find one bottle here in Australia and I've been holding off for the warmer weather till I try it. I've also tried a Japanese rice lager with Sorachi. Pretty 'nothing' tasting, but not bad.

Since then, I've put two Sorachi brews down. The first was a take on Ross's Sauvin Summer Ale, apparently a good hop showcase beer - same additions with IBU compensation. Whenever I drink it, it tastes like coconut. Not fresh cocount. I can't quite place the flavour...kinda dessicated coconut...kinda sunscreeny. Not really that unpleasant, but not what I was hoping for either.

Today I put down my own attempt at a Sorachi Saison. Obviously way too early to taste, but I did smell the hop bag after boil...coconuts!

I've seen one thread where this phenomenon was mentioned in passing, but no real discussion, and nothing recent on the hop.

Has anyone been using this hop lately? Any coconut? Any schedules to help keep that part subdued?

 

[Nick JD]

Sounds delicious. Add some cherry and some cocoa nibs and invite me over.

 

[Damien13]

I frigging love coconut!

I have been planning a cherry ripe stout, and was hoping to get some coconut character in there, and had no idea how.

SO, not to hijack, but let me know if you figure out how you got a coco-bomb in there!
Cheers,

Damien

 

[Mr. No-Tip]

No hijack mate. I'll report back when the Saison is ready. If the coco is there, the only prerequisite is brewing with Sorachi...

 

[krausenhaus]

I saw it mentioned a bunch of times over on HBT when I was looking up info about sorachi.

Someone here says it's prominent in young beers and clears out over time:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/sorachi-ac...pilsner-197320/

 

[Samuel Adams]

I had 2 of the Brewdog single hop IPA's a while ago with the Sorachi Ace.
First one I had I didn't really like it, counldn't describe the flavour if I tried.
Second one I liked it alot, I guess because I wasn't expecting much. Shared it with a mate who said it "tasted like ants" haha

Not sure if I got coconut, I spent the whole time drinking it trying to pick what the flavour was like.
I'm keen to try it in a brew or 2.

Keep us posted on how it goes...

 

[DUANNE]

the smash beer that i did with sorachi ace was all lemon dish detergent and coconut. it was very average imo and every beer ive tried using it has had the same flavour so i give anything with it a wide birth now.

 

[Jay Cee]

Wen tried the Feral Sorachi and I also thought there was an indescribable unpleasantless. Lemon dish detergent is a good description. What an unusual hop variety.

 

[kymba]

My second attempt with the ace has ended dismally (can't say i was impressed with the first attempt either). It was used late in a bog standard pale-ish ale that was bittered with cascade

First I get a real big hit of marmalade, then it reminds me of my "quit the desk job and travel 'round oz" days where i did a brief stint in a citrus packing shed. I get the taste of the shitty rotten smell of fermenting citrus coming from the 3rds bin (that was eventually taken away to the OJ factory)

every gulp is full of disappoint, but i will persevere

 

[awall]

I was planning to do a fairly standard pale ale using just these hops. I had read some reviews of the Mikkeller single hop IPA series and liked the sound of the Sorachi Ace IPA. I figured i would just take it easy so as to get a light lemony flavour/aroma in my pale ale. I researched a bit more and decided on using cascade as well. I also have amarillo, but was trying to avoid using it as i've put it in my last couple of brews. I def don't want to get that crazy lemon dish soap/coconut? flavour.

Kymba could you please share your recipe?

Anyone else have recommendations for using this hop (other than not at all..... ) ?

 

[Sammus]

Tried a few of the mikkeller sorachi ace single hop series at the recent spectapular. It was OK, it took me a few of them to realise all I could taste was dill, so much dill, definitely not coconut. I couldn't really drink more after that. The rest of my table also could only taste dill, but they all loved it

 

[Bizier]

I have not picked coconut in Sorachi Ace beers, though I have never brewed with it. It is a complex hop though, and I can kinda get how coconut could come into it.

Ethyl lactate is described as coconut, but it is more frequently associated with non-saccharomyces yeast, though I think it is also excreted by brewer's yeast.

There is also the coconut flavours contributed by Oak, principally light-toast American Oak.

I am just pointing this out if anyone really wanted to get coconut impressions into a beer, perhaps augmenting the use of coconut.

 

[kymba]

Kymba could you please share your recipe?

90% base malt
9% carared
1% caraaroma

20IBU cascade @ 60
0.75g/L sorachi ace @ 10
1g/L NZ styrians @ 10

18* with s04

Doing it again I would only use the sorachi early. I had some more over the weekend and it didn't seem as bad, but more than likely my standards have lowered

 

[awall]

Thanks for the recipe. I've decided to do a 30 min boil and switch up the hopping order from your recipe. Add most of the sorachi for bittering, only a few grams at 20min and then go with cascade late.

I'll report back when it's done. I'm pretty interested to see how it turns out with all the mixed reviews.