The Quest for Hops

Hoppy Tuesday everyone,

First I can happily report that the build-out for the Parched Eagle is well underway, on schedule, and we should be on track for opening by (hopfully) the end of February. We’ll keep you posted!

As Head Brewer one of my tasks during the build-out phase is to order brewing ingredients, with hops being at the top of the list! More specifically, certain hop varieties are in GREAT demand in the craft beer community, including three that we’ll use heavily: Amarillo, Citra, and Simcoe.

While I’ve been able to track down both Amarillo and Simcoe in recent days, Citra is proving to be the most elusive/in-demand. Why? Well, it’s one hell of a unique hop that has no single substitute. Also, it’s proprietary i.e. is only grown at a few farms in the Pacific Northwest. Here’s a link to Hop Union’s description of Citra: http://hopunion.com/citra-brand-ycr-394-cv/

To my senses Citra lends mango-like aroma and flavor along with fruits that Hop Union mentions: grapefruit, melon, lime, gooseberry, passion fruit and lychee. Citra and Amarillo combine to provide a wonderfully deep aroma profile for Hop-Bearer so hop heads: please wish us the best of luck in scoring some pounds of Citra in coming weeks!

Mosiac is a newer hop variety that’s a good possible substitute for Citra with a similar tropical fruit profile but guess what? It’s as hard to find as Citra.

Worst case scenario if we can’t  score any Citra is combining Amarillo (another GREAT aroma/flavor hop) with the likes of Ahtanum, Falconer’s Flight 7 C’s, Australian Topaz, and maybe something else. It’s a hell of a quest, this quest for hops!

Hoppy Holidays,
Jim

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