Let us nerd out for a second and talk hops! Hops are the green, cone-shaped flowers of the female hop plant, also known by its scientific name Humulus lupulus. Hidden inside each cone are tiny yellow pods called lupulin. These are chock-full of alpha acids and concentrated sources of the essential oils that lend many beers their signature, intoxicating taste and aromas. Hops do not add alcohol content to the beer. Instead, they are used during the brewing process to add flavor to the finished beer. Farmers of the plant and breweries have been collaborating for generations worldwide to revolutionize your drinking experience.
First, we take a flight to a small, seasonal farm brewery, churning out some of the boldest flavors from a barn. Fat Orange Cat Brew Co. specializes in high-quality, small-batch recipes to support and promote local agriculture in their city of Norwich, England. And they did not disappoint with this one. If you are interested in beers with a lot of taste, packed with hops or grains, this beer fits that category. The Welcome to Harga New England Style Double IPA hits you with a tangy pineapple/guava aroma right when you open the beautiful floral can. The first sip is almost sweet, but don’t let that fool you. This beer changes fast as the hops (Nelson and Motueka) just explode in your mouth. The combination of these two produces subtler bittering qualities that sit well on the palate to balance the Malt sweetness. In addition, the flavor carries out fruity notes, adding an underlying creaminess and supplying the perfect finish.
If you’re looking for a sweeter experience, head to Marengo, Ohio, where Hoof Hearted Brewing has been turning out tanks of high-quality (and sometimes hi-test) liquid since 2011. While it may seem like you can’t have it all, Hoof Hearted delivers much of what you want in sour ales with an abundance of citrus, milk sugar and hops. Do You Remember Your Last Good Hair Day is their latest dessert-style Berliner Weisse ale dry-hopped with Citra. Citra has a wide range of delicate and fruity characteristics, including beautiful aromas and flavors of lime, grapefruit, bright orange, mango, lychee, or in this case, lemon. Citra is considered an aroma hop, giving the ale a citrus rind smell. It’s surprisingly lighter and drier; heavy cream’s more plump flavor makes the beer taste fuller at the start. But the finish of sweet tartness provides a refreshing, crisp and mostly clean mouthfeel with an extension of vanilla and lemon. The hops complement this rich marshmallowy flavor, making this a surprisingly refreshing dessert beer.
If you want a drink where the hops can take center stage, check out Timber Ales Micro Brewery in New York City; they have you covered. Insomniac’s Daydream is a part of their rotating IPA series. This variant has been dry-hopped with our old friend Citra and Australian Galaxy hops. Galaxy hops complement other aromatics like Citra. Galaxy has one of the highest concentrations of essential oils known in hops, which gives them a distinctive flavor profile of passion fruit, peach and hints of grass that stand out and create a beer like no other. The bold flavor goes all over. Large pine and brine-like notes hit the senses before your first sip. Plenty of wet grass and honeydew underneath that to keep this light. That sweetness radiates wonderfully onward as the grass, vegetables and melon take a backseat to the sweetness that came to characterize this beer. Moderate stone fruit and peach settle down all these earthy and juicy notes, giving it a light aftertaste, reeling you in for another sip. This symphony of hoppy goodness went down quickly and left nothing behind but a sense of wonder on my taste buds!
To simplify things, hoppy beers taste like hops, but the flavor nuances can vary based on the type of hop used and the brewmaster behind the beer. Each hop variety has a unique flavor and bittering profile: the sort of hops used in the brewing process will determine a fantastic outcome. Lucky for you, you won’t need to take any trips to Ohio, New York or Norwich anytime soon because all these beers will be available at your Mellow Mushroom this month. So hop on over and try these limited-time specialties and experience the power of the plant.
-by Dani Jo Black
