It's inspired by a batch of test IPA's I brewed a while back: five one-gallon batches using a simple grain bill and US Magnum bittering hops (bitters clean and I don't have to worry about the differing levels of alpha acids in the flavor/aroma hops), each featuring a different flavor/aroma hop. The hops I used were: Cascade, Citra, Falconer's Flight, Mosaic, and Simcoe.
(The guy at MyLHBS put me on to the Mosaic and Falconer's Flight, btw. I very much recommend the shop. My only gripe is that if you need more than five pounds of grain crushed they require a full 24 hours advance notice--and they actually enforce that. So basically, if you are doing any kind of all-grain batch you need to call them a day before you want to pick them up. Jay's Brewing is much more laid-back about it--they just want you to call/email if you want something ridiculous like 50 lbs. so they can start grinding it before you get there.)
The idea behind this beer is similar to my hop-test beers: it's designed to be a showcase for a specific hop (in this case, Mosaic). I've found Mosaic has a beautiful bright, fruity flavor. Most places seem to describe it as tropical fruit, but it tastes more like pink grapefruit to me--a bright citrus tang, but sweet rather than sour.
I'm not using any bittering hops in this. Instead, I chose to hopburst, which is a technique where all of the bitterness comes from late additions of flavor/aroma hops. It takes a lot more hops to do this, but it gives you a crazy amount of flavor and aroma of the hop(s) you're using.
I decided to go with an extract recipe, because I've only made one all-grain (my Centennial Blonde), and I haven't tested it yet. Given the crazy amount of hops (9 oz!), this would be a really expensive beer to screw up.
BrewSmith says it will look something like this:
which is exactly what I want. The recipe is as follows:
- 8.5 oz Crystal malt (20L), steeped for 30 min. at 155.0 F
- 3 lbs. 3.1 oz Light Dry Extract, added for full boil (60 min)
- 4 lbs. 4.1 oz Light Dry Extract, added for the last 15 min (late extract additions keep the extract from darkening and caramelizing too much)
- 0.5 oz Mosaic hops, added for last 15 minutes
- 1 Whirlfloc tablet added for last 15 minutes
- 1.0 oz Mosaic hops, added for last 10 minutes
- 1.0 oz Mosaic hops, added for last 5 minutes
- 2.5 oz Mosaic hops, added at flame-out
The numbers for the beer are:
- Original Gravity: 1.066 (style guidelines: 1.056-1.075)
- Final Gravity: 1.015
- Bitterness: 45.0 IBU (style: 40.0-70.0 IBU) (I wanted to stay on the less-bitter end; my goal isn't to make you pucker, like so many IPA's, but to give you that great fruity flavor I like about Mosaic)
- Color: 9.1 SRM (style: 6.0-15.0 SRM)
- ABV: 6.7% (style: 5.50-7.50%)
Aroma: The dominant aroma should be an intense citrus/tropical fruit notes from the hops, likely with some piney/resinous notes beneath. Possible grassy aroma from the dry-hopping. Some sweet malt or caramel notes possible but unlikely.
Appearance: Light copper color. Probably somewhat hazy due to dry-hopping. Large off-white head that persists with good lacing.
Flavor: Hop flavor should be extremely high, with the dominant flavor being citrus and tropical fruit, with additional piney and resinous notes as well. Medium-high hop bitterness. Sweet malt backbone should support bitterness nicely. Low malty sweetness with potential caramel notes. No diacetyl. Finish likely bitter, lingering into aftertaste. Finish medium-dry.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium-bodied mouthfeel with no hop astringency. Malt sweetness likely to be counteracted by moderately-high carbonation, making mouthfeel somewhat dry.
Overall: This should be a showcase for the incredible aroma and flavor of the Mosaic hop. Drinkers should get a burst of hoppy aroma right from the get-go, and that flavor and aroma should dominate the beer from start to finish.
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