Author: Mike Neville
Bred by Yakima Valley hop growing powerhouse, CLS Farms, and released for public use in 2010, El Dorado is a dual-purpose hop that possesses solid bittering potential while contributing juicy pineapple and tropical note characteristics to beer. While a notably pungent variety on its own, the folks at John I. Haas released a LUPOMAX version, offering brewers a concentrated pellet that allows them to achieve the character their after while adding less vegetative matter to their beer.
Alpha: 17%
Beta: 6.4 – 8.0%
Cohumulone: 28 – 33% of alpha acids
Total Oil: 2.5 – 3.3 mL/100g
Myrcene: 55 – 60%
Humulene: 10 – 15%
Caryophyllene: 6 – 8%
Farnesene: 0.0 – 1.0%
Linalool: 0.3 – 0.6%
Geraniol: 0.1 – 0.3%
ß-Pinene: 0.6 – 0.9%
Parentage: unknown
I’ve used El Dorado a handful of times in hop-forward beers in the past, and while I’ve been pleased with what it imparts, I was excited to see how the more potent LUPOMAX version would work on its own in a simple Pale Ale.
| MAKING THE BEER |
For this batch, I started with our standard Hop Chronicles Pale Ale recipe and made adjustments to the kettle hop additions to ensure a proper level of bitterness.
El Dorado LUPOMAX Pale Ale
Recipe Details
| Batch Size | Boil Time | IBU | SRM | Est. OG | Est. FG | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 gal | 45 min | 39.1 | 6.6 SRM | 1.059 | 1.009 | 6.56 % |
| Actuals | 1.059 | 1.009 | 6.56 % | |||
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Lamonta: Pale American Barley Malt | 10 lbs | 83.33 |
| Vanora: Vienna-style Barley Malt | 2 lbs | 16.67 |
Hops
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Form | Alpha % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Dorado LUPOMAX | 7 g | 30 min | Boil | Pellet | 17 |
| El Dorado LUPOMAX | 14 g | 10 min | Boil | Pellet | 17 |
| El Dorado LUPOMAX | 28 g | 5 min | Boil | Pellet | 17 |
| El Dorado LUPOMAX | 57 g | 2 min | Boil | Pellet | 17 |
| El Dorado LUPOMAX | 57 g | 4 days | Dry Hop | Pellet | 17 |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Attenuation | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flagship (A07) | Imperial Yeast | 77% | 0°F - 0°F |
Notes
| Water Profile: Ca 125 | Mg 20 | Na 8 | SO4 310 | Cl 56 |
Download
| Download this recipe's BeerXML file |
After collecting the full volume of water, adjusting it to my desired profile, and getting it heating up, I weighed out and milled the grain.
When the water was properly heated, I incorporated the grains and set the controller to maintain my desired mash temperature of 152°F/67°C.
During the mash rest, I prepared the kettle hop additions.
Once the 60 minute mash was complete, I removed the grains and proceeded to boil for 45 minutes, adding hops at the times stated in the recipe.
When the boil was complete, I used my King Cobra IC to quickly chill the wort.
A refractometer reading showed the wort was at a slightly higher OG than planned, though nothing disconcerting.
I then transferred the wort to a sanitized Spike FLEX+ fermenter.
I used my glycol chiller to bring the wort down to my desired fermentation temperature of 68°F/20°C before pitching a single pouch of Imperial Yeast A07 Flagship.
After 4 days of fermentation, I added the dry hops then left the beer alone for another 4 days before taking a hydrometer measurement confirming FG was reached.
With fermentation complete, I cold-crashed the beer for 24 hours then pressure-transferred it to a CO2 purged keg, which was placed in my keezer and burst carbonated overnight before the gas was reduced to serving pressure. After a week of conditioning, it was ready to serve to blind tasters.
| METHOD |
Participants were instructed to focus only on the aromatic qualities of the beer before evaluating the flavor. For each aroma and flavor descriptor, tasters were asked to write-in the perceived strength of that particular characteristic on a 0-9 scale where a rating of 0 meant they did not perceive the character at all and a 9 rating meant the character was extremely strong. Once the data was collected, the average rating of each aroma and flavor descriptor was compiled and analyzed.
| RESULTS |
A total of 19 people participated in the evaluation of this beer, all blind to the hop variety used until after they completed the survey. The average aroma and flavor ratings for each descriptor were plotted on a radar graph.
Average Ratings of Aroma and Flavor Perceptions
The 3 characteristics endorsed as being most prominent by participants:
| Aroma | Flavor |
| Tropical Fruit | Citrus |
| Citrus | Tropical Fruit |
| Stone Fruit | Stone Fruit |
The 3 characteristics endorsed as being least prominent by participants:
| Aroma | Flavor |
| Onion/Garlic | Onion/Garlic |
| Earthy/Woody | Earthy/Woody |
| Dank/Catty | Grassy |
Next, participants were asked to rate the pungency/strength of the hop.
Tasters were then instructed to identify beer styles they thought the hop would work well in.
Finally, participants were asked to rate how much they enjoyed the hop character on a 1 to 10 scale.
My Impressions: To my palate, the most prominent aroma and flavor characteristics in this beer were pineapple and dank pine with hints of low citrus in the background. As far as single-hop beers go, this one was pretty good!
| CONCLUSION |
Soon after its release in 2010, El Dorado hops rose quite rapidly in popularity due to its ability to contribute both desirable fruity notes and a pleasant bitterness to beer. Recently, the innovative folks at John I. Hass released the LUPOMAX version of El Dorado, which allows brewers to achieve the hop character they expect while adding less vegetative material to their beer.
In concurrence with existing descriptions, the most prominent characteristics noted by tasters of a Pale Ale hopped solely with El Dorado LUPOMAX were tropical fruit, citrus, and stone fruit, while less desirable onion/garlic and dank/catty were among the lowest rated descriptors. A majority of tasters rated the hop pungency in this beer as being moderate to strong, and unsurprisingly, Pale Ale/IPA was the style most felt El Dorado LUPOMAX would work best in.
I’ve always had good experiences using El Dorado in hoppier styles of beer, and this LUPOMAX version certainly did not disappoint. Leading with what I perceived as ripe pineapple with notes of dank pine and citrus in the background, this hop is one I feel fits beautifully in various types of IPA, and I’ll definitely be keeping some around in my brewery!
El Dorado LUPOMAX hops are available now at Yakima Valley Hops, get some while you can! If you have any thoughts on this variety, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.
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