Deconstructing the hops

Now, this is not a new idea. There are lots of single-hop beers on the shelves, such as Founders Centennial and Weyerbacher Double Simcoe. The Danish brewer Mikkeller has an extensive line of single-hop beers, but they’re not cheap; one 11.2-ounce bottle costs about $6. With the Latitude 48 IPA Deconstructed 12-pack retailing for $13.99, Sam Adams has made it affordable to have a single-hop tasting.

Different strains of hops carry different characteristics — pine, citrus, and floral notes, for example, along with varying degrees of bittering power. With Latitude 48 IPA Deconstructed we can assess each individually. The 12-pack contains two bottles of Latitude 48 and two bottles each of beers made with a single variety of the five hops. That means you can have a tasting with friends, pour a little of each beer into a bunch of glasses, and attempt to distinguish among the various hops.

This is exactly what I did — invited some friends over and had a little tasting/experiment/seminar in which we learned a little bit about hops while drinking good beer. (If you’re going to do this, it’s a good idea to have water and crackers on hand, so you can cleanse your palate between drinks. Also, don’t drink more than an ounce or two of each beer, or else the hops and alcohol will begin to numb your tongue.)

We started with the regular Latitude, which we all consider to be a beginner’s IPA. For an India pale ale, the hops here are subdued, nothing like the in-your-face character we’ve seen from brewers like Stone and Dogfish Head. It’s a Sam Adams beer, to be sure — not too risky, with a hearty malt backbone.

Things got interesting when we poured small — maybe 2-ounce — samples of each of the other five beers. The distinctive qualities of the individual hop varieties came through.

We started with the two European hops. The Hallertau Mittelfrueh had very little aroma, a restrained bitterness, just a hint of citrus, and a clean finish, with zero aftertaste. The East Kent Goldings had fuller, earthier undertones, and a dry bitterness.