El Dorado: How to Get the Most Out of This Tropical Hop

Photography courtesy of CLS Farms

Desmarais says that CLS Farms prefers to keep the ancestry of their hops confidential but divulges that some of El Dorado’s ancestry has Neomexicanus. She adds that, while not like Sabro and Talus, El Dorado has some wild male hop to go with it.

She says that El Dorado, of which CLS Farms began running test plots in 2010, does well with heat tolerance and water.

It gives brewers a lot of flexibility.

Claire Desmarais - CLS Farms

“It has strong agronomics,” according to Desmarais. In 2010, CLS Farms brought the El Dorado to market for brewers to smell and rub, launching the hop officially in 2012. “We had a little acreage—this was in line as crop years began to grow—and wanted to bring a high-impact aroma hop to market.”

Desmarais says that BSG brought samples to GABF that year, which provided brewers with an early experience. Since then, she says El Dorado, a dual-purpose hop, has become a nice tool to “build really solid beers.”

Schwartz wasn’t bashful in his adoration of El Dorado.

“WeldWerks has made it clear for years now—we love El Dorado,” he says. “Personally, I’ve been saying that El Dorado is one of the best hops being grown right now.”

El Dorado ranges from fourteen percent to sixteen percent alpha acids, around 7.2 percent beta acids, and 2.9ml of total oils per one hundred grams.

“It has a high-impact aroma—pineapple, citrus, lemon, and candy—but at the same time, it can be used as a bittering in the kettle and whirlpool,” says Desmarais. “The type of bitterness it has helps blend and smooth it out. It’s a smooth bitterness.”

Photography courtesy of WeldWerks Brewing Co.

CLS Farms refers to El Dorado as “The Tropical Hop.” The hop’s profile describes it as one that elicits responses of fruity notes and tropical fruit hops.

“As a bittering hop, El Dorado lends a soft and balanced bitterness,” the description adds. “When used in later additions, El Dorado brings bright tropical fruit flavors and aromas of stone fruit, pear, watermelon, and candied lemon and cherry.”

“El Dorado is interesting because you can harvest it over a seven- to eight-day time span,” Desmarais says. “Harvest on the early end, and it has citrus, pear, green fruit bright notes; in the middle [of that span], it is a deeper aroma, fresh pineapple, stone fruit, tropical notes; and later, it is candy notes and cherry—think of a can of pineapple vs. fresh cut; or a cherry JOLLY RANCHER, or Fruity PEBBLES™.”

Desmarais adds that it is “more saturated in the later end. It gives brewers a lot of flexibility. With a wide range in selection, [brewers can] build beers around that.”

Schwartz says they love El Dorado at WeldWerks and that it is a key player in their flagship Juicy Bits IPA.

“We’re fortunate to work directly with CLS Farms. By purchasing our El Dorado directly from them, we get the unique opportunity to smell and evaluate different lots of the hop,” Schwartz says. “These lots are harvested at different times during the harvest season—early, mid, and late—each offering distinct characteristics.”

Schwartz adds that they look for a very particular profile from El Dorado in their selection.

“We look for prominent notes of orange, tangerine, mango, and, of course, pineapple, which are the signature qualities of this hop,” he says. “What really excites us are lots with additional orange creamsicle notes—they’re especially fun to work with.”

Photography courtesy of WeldWerks Brewing Co.

Desmarais says that as a dual-purpose hop, she sees El Dorado used in various ways—either carrying a beer or as a complementary piece.

“It can be the lead singer or bass player in the band,” Desmarais says. “It works whichever way.”

Schwartz finds the hop more fascinating.

Personally, I’ve been saying that El Dorado is one of the best hops being grown right now.

Skip Schwartz - WeldWerks Brewing Co.

“El Dorado is one of the few hops we’ve used to create multiple batches of a single-hop beer, which shows just how interesting we find it,” Schwartz says, adding WeldWorks highlights the hop—specifically around harvest—in its Gold Dust Waves, a 6.1% ABV hazy IPA. “Earlier this year, we introduced a new beer featuring only El Dorado called Hopscotch Injury Report—an 8.2% ABV hazy double IPA. … We haven’t made many other single-hop beers, which makes this one stand out even more.”

Schwartz says that El Dorado is also an excellent hop for complementing others.

“Sometimes, we pair it with hops that need El Dorado’s support, such as Sabro, Lotus, or Mosaic,” Schwartz says. “Other times, we let it play a more subtle role alongside hops like Citra, Nelson Sauvin, or Galaxy.”

He adds, “Either way, at WeldWerks, we believe El Dorado holds its own in any combination.”

Photography courtesy of CLS Farms

Schwartz, noting they primarily use the hop in their hazy IPAs, says they take a straightforward approach to using El Dorado.

“Whirlpool and dry-hop additions are the best ways to showcase this hop,” Schwartz says. “El Dorado has a relatively high alpha acid content, usually between fourteen and sixteen percent, so adding it on the hot side can contribute a good amount of bitterness units. However, this can detract from the fun tropical and fruity aromas—the qualities that made us fall in love with El Dorado in the first place.”

Desmarais echoes Schwartz in not overthinking where to use El Dorado.

“Definitely whirlpool and dry hop,” she says. “Those are the primary spots to use El Dorado.”

Desmarais adds, “But it depends on what you’re doing and what you want to accentuate.”

Photography courtesy of WeldWerks Brewing Co.

Schwartz, as hinted at above, has one style in mind.

“The simple answer for us is the hazy India Pale Ale—whether it’s single, double, or triple,” Schwartz says. “

Desmarais agrees.

“I definitely think hazy IPA, and it seems to be the most popular,” she says. “[The hop] took off when the hazy IPA boom happened and found a good home there. [Brewers] lean into the tropical notes.”

Desmarais adds, “It does well in West Coast IPAs, too. It brings big notes without overpowering anything.”

She notes that since it is a dual-purpose hop, she has seen it used in a number of other styles, including hoppy lagers, ambers, and everything in between.

Desmarais says, “You can use El Dorado pretty much all across the board.”