Nate Koehler
An American IPA isn’t what it was 10 years ago.
For many drinkers, so-called West Coast IPAs defined the style a decade ago with their raw piney spiciness and dry grapefruit assertiveness. “It used to be how many hops you could shove in a glass,” says Ale Asylum co-owner Otto Dilba. But expectations of hoppy beers have been changing. “We’re seeing more drinkers looking for the purity of hops, versus how over-the-top you can be with bitterness,” he says.
IPAs are the most popular style of craft beer in the country. The style is credited by the American Brewer’s Association as a major reason the craft beer movement continues to grow. Nearly one in every three craft beers purchased is an IPA (India Pale Ale) or a variant: imperial IPAs, English IPAs, session IPAs or pale ales, according to the Association’s figures.
What’s the bottom line for an IPA? It must be “hoppy.” Hoppiness in beer is measured in International Bitterness Units (IBUs). Most IPAs fall between 50-70 IBUs. (For comparison’s sake, a Spotted Cow has only 18 IBUs.)
Even as recently as five years ago, it seemed everyone wanted the 100-IBU beer (almost like bragging rights, that “I drank a 100-IBU beer the other day”). Today, someone is more likely to boast that he had a Mosaic-hopped beer the other day.
“It used to be that hoppiness was all bitter, assertive pine, spice and grapefruit. Now that’s changing to juicy tropical fruity character,” says James Altwies, president of Gorst Valley Hops of Mazomanie. “Right now it’s a game of what’s new, what’s hot,” says Altwies. “Five or six years ago you didn’t find a hop name on a label. Today that’s different.”
What’s hot, according to Altwies, are Mosaic, Galaxy and Nelson Sauvin hops; up-and-coming varieties are Hull Melon and Brooklyn.
One of the latest crazes is the Northeast IPA. This very hazy, cloudy version of the style has sharp, distinctive tropical aroma and flavor. O’so Brewing in Plover unveiled a version of the style last spring with Hop Debacle. It features notes of orange, apricot and pineapple from a blend of four hops: Galaxy, Citra, Denali and El Dorado. Roughly six pounds of hops go into every barrel of the beer — which is a lot of hops.
Scott Manning of Vintage Brewing in Madison says he’ll be “sticking with this era of juicy and fruitiness for a while.” However Manning and O’so brewmaster Marc Buttera are perhaps getting out in front of the next trend in IPAs; they worked together this summer on Unbridled Tart, an intentionally soured take on the IPA that capitalizes on the growing popularity in sour and tart beers.
“People are homing in on hop flavor and aroma,” says Kevin Wright of Third Space Brewing, which in August hosted Wisconsin’s first IPA Fest. Earlier this summer Wright introduced “It Was All a Dream,” a tropical IPA featuring the flavor and aroma of peaches. The hops he used were so new that they had a number but no name, and he could only get enough for one batch of beer — which quickly sold out.
Tops in hops
Brooklyn: A very new hop from New Zealand with sweet hints of melon.
Citra: Strong notes of grapefruit, melon, lime and lemon. In Karben4’s Fantasy Factory.
Ekuanot/Equinox: Lots of melon, berry, orange, lemon, apple, papaya and hints of pepper. In Sprecher’s Pineapple X-Press.
Denali: A new variety with lots of melon and light lemon accents. In Ale Asylum’s Dr. Vennum.
El Dorado: Tropical and stone fruit notes in both aroma and flavor. In Hop Haus’ El Andy.
Galaxy: Tropical and citrus tones. It’s blended with Skyrocket hops in the Vintage/O’So collaboration Unbridled Tart.
Hallertau Blanc: A German hop with hints of white grape, pineapple, lemon and gooseberry. In Ale Asylum’s Hu$h Money.
Hüll Melon: A German variety with light, distinctive hints of honeydew melon and strawberry. In Door County Brewing’s Apricot Dude Ranch.
Mosaic: Known for a “mosaic” of tropical flavors like mango, tropical orange, tangerine and grapefruit, with even hints of blueberry and the dark fruits (raisin, prune, plum, fig, date). In Hop Haus’ Hidden Stash.
Nelson Sauvin: Developed in New Zealand, this hop may remind drinkers of sauvignon blanc grapes, gooseberry and mango. In Wisconsin Brewing Company’s Blister in the Sun.
Sorachi Ace: Developed in the 1980s in Japan, this hop is finding a new market with its distinctive lemon notes. In Hop Garden’s Rising Sun.
