Tag: Mosaic

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Variety Box of Solitude

Topa Topa Brewing is setting out their first variety6-pack just before Labor Day weekend. The Solitude Series IPA Mixed Pack harkens back to the single hop IPA craze of years past.

You will get two beers each of Mosaic, Citra and Talus.  Here are the brewers notes from Brewmaster Casey Harris – “Mosaic has always been a standout hop, as it’s so diverse in its flavor and aroma with an array of fruity, tropical, and earthy notes. Citra is one of my favorites, and kind of finds its way into a lot of our beers – perfect for rounding things out with its strong citrus qualities. Talus is a new one, and it’s really a unique hop with intense flavors of grapefruit, stone fruit, and oak.”

There is also an “interactive QR code on the base of the mixed 6-pack provides an opportunity to share feedback on which hop pleases their palate the most.”  If this sells well, I would expect another set of three hops in box 2.

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Ups & Downs

Since lockdown I have found the pleasure in small things, one of which is the happy hop newsletter (what I call it) from Stan Hieronymus that pops into my inbox.

The latest missive had the usual science deep dives but what caught my eye was this set of planting statistics….

Going up:
Variety                      2019                 2020             % change
Citra                          9,035              11,201            +24%
Mosaic                      4,225                5,559            +32%
El Dorado                    993                1,605            +62%
Strata                          253                   764             +202%
Sabro                          724                 1,175            +62%
Idaho 7                        473                   904             +91%
 
Going down (some more than others):
Variety                      2019                 2020             % change
Simcoe                     4,365                4,140            -5%
Amarillo                    2,369                2,112            -11%
Cascade                   5,280                3,998            -24%                                              
Centennial                3,680                2,891            -21%
Willamette                   889                   802             -10%              
 
Comparing five years ago to today:
Variety                      2015                 2020             % change
Cascade                   6,952                3,998            -42%
Centennial                4,463                2,891            -35%
Amarillo                    1,700                2,112            +24%
Simcoe                     2,916                4,140            +42%
Mosaic                      1,800                5,559            +209%
Citra                          2,993              11,201            +274%

As you can see, don’t be expecting many single hop Cascade IPAs and ready your palate for Citra and Mosaic. The bright spot for me is the growth in Strata which is a hop that I have taken a liking to.

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Sunbather 3


Mosaic will be out in the sun as Angel City Brewery releases their third in the Sunbather sour/single-hop series. June 1st the 16oz, grapefruit colored cans of kettle-soured pale ale will be available.

Both of the previous sours have been quite good, so I recommend trying a 4-pack.

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Beer Review – Bursted


Recently, El Segundo Brewing came out with their take on the single hop beer. They call it Bursted and the initial batch all clocked in at 6% abv and came in three different colors/hops.

I don’t know if this has happened to you, but I had all three bottles in the ‘fridge and I opened the Simcoe and was absolutely blown away by the aroma. It was as if a bunch of hop pellets had been dumped into my kitchen. I loved that beer from ounce 1 to 22. I was so jazzed to try the other two but, alas, the Mosaic and especially the Citra paled in comparison.

You open one beer and suddenly your expectations are raised to a point where the remaining beers have no chance of competing. But that Simcoe is an early contender for Beer of the Year. Bright and vivid aroma with a touch of spice.

Here is my order of the beers:
1. Simcoe
2.
3. Mosaic
4.
5. Citra

I am certainly intrigued to see how this series progresses.

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Hop Atari

new-holland-hoptronix
This looks like it is marketed towards us older folk who remember when games were Pong and Galaxia..

New Holland Hoptronix took an experimental beer that was well received, and made it year-round in 2017. This 9% Imperial IPA is brewed with Mosaic hops.

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Singled Out

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Alpine Beer Co. continues their single hop series with the new Mosaic Singled Out. Azacca, El Dorado amongst others have been featured earlier and now it is Mosaic’s turn.

Alpine is one of those that I haven’t tried since the full takeover by Green Flash and the new branding that deleted out the central circle imagery.

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Stumped

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Count L.A. as a lucky outpost in Double Mountain Brewery distribution.  Getting their fresh hop offerings and seasonals like Pale Death is great .  And hopefully there will be a supply of Gypsy Stumper soon. Brewed “a minimalist approach” and Pilsner and Vienna malts with Mosaic, Simcoe, Challenger, and Centennial hops intertwined.

 

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Cedar Hop

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I am not fond of the beer name though I do like the bifurcated label and color scheme for this To Øl collaboration IPA.  But I am quite interested to see how the Mosaic hop, aged no less, works with the strong taste of cedar.  I am also intrigued by the new to me Siren Craft Brew from Berkshire,  England.

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A Hitch in my Giddy Up

CRUX-HH_Label_TTB

Hands down winner of best beer label design and also winner of (the probably) most costly label award to (for cutting out the arrows) are from Crux Fermentation Project and another cool label is ready for the Mosaic IPA (imperialized) which they describe as….”Hops climb up twine that’s just loosely tied to the trellis with a half hitch knot— and this Imperial IPA is just loosely tied to tradition. The Mosaic hop imparts surprisingly floral aromas instead of the more expected grapefruit-y notes. On the palate, complex layers of flavors might remind you of guava, mango, stone fruit and lemon, unraveling your idea of what an Imperial IPA should be.”

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Mosaic

There is a new hop varietal to be on the lookout for, Mosaic. (not to be confused with the virus mosaic)

The first major beer that I have seen that uses it is from Odell in Colorado and their Woodcut # 06. They describe it as, “The distinct character of the Mosaic hop presents wafting aromas of tropical fruits like mango, papaya, and guava.”

I have had a homebrew that utilizes this hop and it did provide a very heavy fruit and earthy characteristic that really grew on me.

I have a feeling that this might be a hop we see much more of in the coming years.