If you are reading this blog, you probably know what hops are, so we’ll spare you the basics. At this point in the craft beer world, lots of people not only know that they like “hoppy beer”, but they know what specific hop varieties they prefer, too. Long gone are the days of Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook leading the bitter charge in your IPA. They now play second fiddle to the modern, fruit-forward, aroma and flavor hops you commonly see listed on the menu: Galaxy, Citra, Mosiac, El Dorado, etc.
Hop farms now spend lots of lab time cross breeding varieties in an effort to come out with the new “hot” hop. Some new varieties garner more attention than others, and the recent release of the Lotus Hop from Hopsteiner is getting lots of just that. A few weeks ago we got our hands on some, just in time for their commercial release. So how did we decide to use it?
Lotus Single Hop Pale Ale
Singe hop beers are a great tool. While almost all hoppy beers use a hop blend to achieve a well rounded flavor, single hop beers do the opposite. As the name suggests, they intentionally use a “single” hop in the brewing process. This allows the chosen hop to display its flavor and aroma unimpeded by pesky competitors. The hop is given the chance to sink or swim, to do or die, make it or break it, to shit or get off the pot! And in the case of the Lotus Hops, they chose to swim, to do, to make it, to…taste amazing!
According to the Hopsteiner website: “Lotus is the hottest hop variety to outperform thousands of brothers and sisters born of the initial cross and survive a decade long journey to become the latest addition to our unique portfolio of exciting new hop varieties…It offers exceptional aromatic characteristics, boasting waves of orange and vanilla followed by notes of candied grape and tropical fruit aromas.
We are extremely pleased with how our pale turned out. It's very well balanced for a single hop brew, and has a great depth of flavor. Here are the tasting notes our brewers took after their first sips:
- ABV: 6%
- IBU: 33
- Hop: Lotus
- Appearance: Light Gold, Slight Haze, White Head
- Aroma: Strawberry, Papaya, Blueberry, Stone Fruit
- Flavor: Starts off smooth and sweet with mild bitterness and finishes with pungent mixed fruit and slight crispness
- Mouthfeel: Medium Bodied, Slight Bitterness
But don't just take our word - try it yourself! Lotus Single Hop Pale will go on draft at our pub this Friday, Jan. 31, and will hit the market next week!
