Beer and Wine Weekly Update, March 9, 2015
By Joey Bowling, Beer and Wine Manager
Hop Talk
In the past, the ingredients of beer have been the domain of the uber-nerd-beer-geek only, and beer companies never really alluded to what they were using for aroma and flavor. They just made a beer and sold it with a label that never made any mention of which yeast, malt, or hops went into the recipe, and you either liked it or you didn’t; you had to try one before you could reasonably determine its characteristics. Now, with the explosion of home-brewers trying their hands at what once was the domain solely of large brewing corporations, everyone wants to know just what the heck it is that they’re drinking!
I have been having some great conversations recently with some of the local beer producers, both home-brewers and commercial brewers, about hop varieties and their different characteristics, and I am seeing a lot of beer on the market advertising exactly which ones are being used right on the front of the label, giving us all a chance to put names to the flavors. Brewers like Bent Hill (Braintree, VT) and Simple Roots (Burlington, VT) are making some Pale Ales and IPAs that are named after which hop varietal(s) that they are using; El Dorado IPA and the Citra and Amarillo Pale Ale are two fantastic examples. Alas, not everyone does this, so I’ll go over some of the more popular hops.
Cascade is the original “American Hop” that found such prominence in the American Pale Ale, beginning with New Albion and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Like the Amarillo hop, it has the aromas of flowers and spice, but with more grapefruit flavor. Try Sierra’s Pale Ale or Anchor Brewing Company’s Liberty Ale for great examples.
Centennial, also known as the “Super Cascade”, is quite similar to its cousin, but has a milder citrus aroma. Look for Stone Ruination or Founder’s Centennial IPA.
Citra has aromas of peach, lychee, citrus, and light bitterness; try Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo or Victory’s Headwaters.
El Dorado is a hop with bold aromas of pear, stone fruit, and watermelon and is featured in Bent Hill’s El Dorado IPA.
Mosaic, used in Long Trail’s Limbo IPA (along with Galaxy hops) and Victory’s Dirt Wolf, look for notes of pine, cedar, berries, tangerine, and flowers.
There are hundreds of different types of hops, and new ones being created by hop farmers all the time; a universe of discovery awaits.
Qapla’! -jb.