Sultana

The hop formerly known as #06277 now has a trademarked name Sultana™.  It is a three-way split of 50% Nugget, 25% Zeus, and 25% USDA male (un-named? Or just agricultural science speak?) When you start seeing it in beers look for pine.  According to Hopsteiner it is a big pineapple hop with pine notes in the background.

Featured Review – Pineapple Saison from Angel City

After skillfully handling the sugar from strawberries, Angel City took on another challenge with another sugary fruit in pineapple. How does this Saison fare…

When a fruit is in the beer name, it is either way to over the top and cloying or it is not there at all.  In between is rarely seen.  The Angel City Pineapple Saison which could be a sugary tiki bomb is the rare beer that emphasizes the style first and foremost and then brings the fruit in as a guitar solo or special effect in an action movie.  This has those swirling Belgian yeast esters and slight toast malt notes with the addition of just the right amount of pineapple. 

Pineapple in Belgium

There are certain fruits that, to me, can get too sugary and too fake-y real quick. One is strawberry, another is pineapple. But Angel City did well by the former with a Gose and now is tackling the latter with a Saison. Review to follow because this might be a tricky one to combine.