Meet the 4 Hops of Rhode Trip
It’s no secret that hella hopped brews are growing in popularity these days. Hops are an essential part of the brewing process- they impart a unique bitterness, flavor and aroma to a brew. In addition, they act as a natural preservative, giving your beer a longer shelf life.
Believe it or not, brewing with hops actually didn’t happen until the Middle Ages. Ancient brewers used a mixture of herbs called gruit to give their beer flavor and bitterness. Dogfish Head Alehouse does a great job explaining the history of hops and importance it has now for modern brewing.
The team here uses four rotating hops to feature in our popular New England IPA, Rhode Trip. This hazy, unfiltered IPA is bursting with juicy hop flavors! Your mouth waters from aromas of pineapple and tropical fruit, while the addition of Oats gives this beer a soft mouth-feel. Again, each time our team brews this beer, we choose a new hop to feature.
Let’s meet them.
Citra.
While only developed a decade ago, the Citra hop has quickly become legendary. Credited by many to have sparked the most recent IPA craze, Citra gives huge notes of citrus and tropical fruit to the beers it is made with. This stage of our "Rhode Trip" does its best to let this special hop's flavors shine.
Mosaic.
Released in 2012, Mosaic is often kindly referred to as “Citra on steroids” for it’s tropical, pine and citrus notes. Although, it is pleasantly hoppy and flavorful. Mosaic is known for it’s triple-use profile encompassing bittering, flavor and aroma.
VIC Secret.
VIC Secret was first used commercially only 6 years ago. Developed in 2000 in Victoria, Australia, this hop is best utilized via whirlpool and dry hopping. With a profile of tropical fruit, herbs and pine and clean notes of pineapple and passionfruit.
Galaxy.
A unique Australian breed of hops that has the distinction of sporting the highest percentage of essential oils in the industry. Galaxy is intense upon production, but mellows as it matures. It adds aromas of citrus, peach and passionfruit to the blend.