
I didn’t say full disclosure, Fuller Disclosure
LemonGrass Wheat Ale is a perennial work in progress; it was one of the first beer recipes I created back in California at the Bison Brewing Company in 1993. The concept followed from my observation that a lot of people enjoy putting lemon in their Hefeweizen, even though it kills the head on the beer. I found lemon to be complementary to the bread-like flavors of the wheat as well as the spicy character imparted by true Hefeweizen yeast. I thought I could brew a beer with lemon peel in it; or I could brew one with something lemon-like. There are in fact several herbs that have a nice lemony flavor. I chose Lemon Grass because it has a well rounded ‘waxy-citrusy’ perfume that harmonizes well with the typical clove & banana aromas associated with Hefeweizen yeast. Furthermore, the flavor was catching on with its association to Thai cooking, which was at the height of popularity at the time.