Spring Citrus beer recipe suggestions

[calumrobertson]

Hi,
Been a while since i've been on here but my mate has asked me to help him make a beer for his son's head wetting / spring bbq. Im thinking something light and fresh...some american hops, maybe chinook and centennial but also a fresh hit from citrus...i've read around and seems lemon is a tricky one as can easily overpower, orange seems good but my mate not keen and was thinking along the lines of lime...and then something else such as corriander seeds....i dont want it to be too far out there and 'fragrant' though..want something fresh...
Anyone got any suggestions / benefit of their experience?
Many thanks!

[Barley Water]

If you want a refreshing beer with an orangey aspect to it you might want to investigate making a Belgian Wit. Essentially it's a wheat beer which has been spiced; the coriander being primarily responsible for the orange flavors along with some orange peel. Incidentally, I would caution you against using Chinook in a spiced beer as that stuff will overpower everything it gets even close to. By way of disclaimer, I am a known hater of that particular hop so take it for what it's worth. If you want lemon you can add lemon peal and there are also several hops which add a nifty citrus flavor:D

[daf]

Before you brew, just try some with your mate first. A Belgian witbier with hints of orange and coriander is a million miles from an eye-watering American-style Citra pale ale.

Try a bottle of Oakham Citra (available in Tesco and B&M), and a bottle of Hoegarden and see what he prefers!

[calumrobertson]

Thanks for the replies. Yeah had thought a wheat beer but actually just want something light, golden and refreshing. Yes i could do this with hops such as Citra but just fancy experimenting a little was use of citrus.
Have had oakham and fyne jarl loads and love them

[scuppeteer]

I would err on the side of caution here. Its for a wedding (I assume, and not a wetting?)

I find Citra too powerful and centennial far too floral but again that's my taste buds and not yours. But you do have to think of the other guests who may not like over the top beers. Wheat beers are great but can be a bit Marmite.
You want it to be special so don't go playing with ingredients you haven't already tried. You have one shot at this I'm guessing?
Keep your malt base simple and an ABV around 4 to 4.5%. If you want lemony then Bobek/ Savinjski Goldings/ Celeia or whatever they're called these days. Orangey then you can't go wrong with First Gold. IBU's around the 25 mark but backed up with a reasonable late hop addition for some good hoppy aroma and flavour. Either way you want people to enjoy it and not say yeah that's nice and then reach for a Fosters!