El Dorado is up on the tasting block next. These were 15.3% AA pellets from the 2012 harvest
that I got from Missouri Malt Supply. The raw pellets have a grassy hop
aroma, but there was also a fruitiness that reminded me of gummy bears
or Jolly Ranchers.
The nose of the finished beer has a sweet fruity, melon-like note. There is also a hint of sweet-tart candy.
Again,
the palate picks up more straightforward sweet fruit, something in the
ballpark of watermelon or honeydew. There is also a hint of Pez candy
and a slight resin note. Bittering level is moderate.
El Dorado
is a pretty distinct, oily hop. But I find the flavor to be pretty
monotone on its own. It could fit in an IPA if you paired it with more
citrusy hops and/or hops with some dankness. On its own it would probably be
great in something like a watermelon wheat. This isn't a hop I'd rush
out to stock up on, but it certainly has its place.
One thing I'd
like to note is that you really don't want to overdo the crystal malt, and
make sure your beer attenuates well if you have a lot of late additions
of El Dorado. This hop already leaves a bit of a sweet impression on its
own, and I don't think you would want to accentuate that.
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