As soon as we tried New River Distilling’s distilled lemon oil, we knew we were destined to partner with them to make a big, thirst-quenching limited release beer. So what do we do when life gives us lemons? We add a heap of hops to make our new citrusy, sour and brightly hopped refresher known as Lemm On.

New River Distilling, from Boone, NC, uses a proprietary method to isolate citrus terpenes – flavorful, aromatic organic compounds found in the essential oils of plants. The lemon oil they shared with us was created by extracting flavor from sour, juicy Florida lemons. The distillation process isolates the aroma compounds and results in a concentrated lemon ingredient without the high levels of maltodextrin present in most citrus additives, making it a powerful yet stable flavor force.

To complement the lemon flavor, we used a trifecta of citrusy hops in this zesty limited release brew. Bright, tropical, citrusy Azacca is used in the whirpool. Azacca also appears in the dry-hop, along with peachy, melon-y Cashmere and fruity, aromatic Citra. Citra functions as a synergizer among the other hops in Lemm On.

“We’ve been working for years on ways to efficiently produce a tart beer without sacrificing depth of flavor or compromising core production” said Oskar Blues Brevard GM Brewery Operations Ryan “Dunny” Dunnavant about the project. “Lemm On is the current pinnacle for us. We’re proud of the procedure we developed, and the flavor profile is exceptionally balanced. The hops don’t drown out the lemon terpenes, and the acidity doesn’t drown out the hop character.”

Hoppy and tart? Isn’t that overkill? Lemm On proves there’s no such thing. We’re proud to present this low ABV, dry-hopped, lemon terpened, refreshing ale. Find it only in Oskar Blues taprooms.