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THE STORY BEHIND MOSAIC HOP IPA
If you love IPAs and hoppy beers, you have probably heard of Mosaic hops. In recent years, this hop variety has captured the world of beer and has taken a special place in the hearts (and mouths) of many brewers and beer drinkers. But where do these hops, including those used to brew our latest Mosaic Hop IPA, Mosaic Magic, come from? What makes them unique, and why are they popular with brewers and foodies? This blog delves into the world of Mosaic hops and Mosaic Hop IPA.
The beginnings of Mosaic Hop IPA
Mosaic Hop IPA’s journey took off in the Yakima Valley in Washington state in the US. In the early 2000s, a team of scientists and hop farmers from the Hop Breeding Company (HBC), including our hop friends from Yakima Chief Ranches, started developing Mosaic hops. In fact, this farmers’ collective based in Yakima Valley has an excellent reputation in the hop world. In partnership with local hop farmers, they ensure we can always use premium quality and fresh hops in our beers. This ensures we can offer you the best taste experience. They aimed to create a new hop variety with a unique and complex aroma that would encourage brewers to brew exciting new beers.
The creation of Mosaic Hops
Mosaic hops are the love child of the female variant of the Simcoe hop and the male variant of the Nugget hop. Simcoe hops give Mosaic its fruity and citrussy characteristics. These characteristics are also clearly reflected in every Mosaic Hop IPA. Nugget hops passed their spicy and earthy notes to their daughter Mosaic. Thanks to the combination of these two hops, Mosaic hops have acquired their unique and versatile character. The name ‘Mosaic’ came about because of the broad spectrum of aromas and flavours this hop brings. Similar to a mosaic of colours and shapes.
Did you know that...
Every year, we travel to the Yakima Valley in the US to select the new hop varieties we will use for our beers that year?
The unique characteristics of Mosaic Hops and why Mosaic Hop IPAS are such a big thing
What makes Mosaic hops unique is the rich and complex aroma they give to beer. Mosaic is famous for its distinctly fruity and spicy flavour, with notes of berries, citrus, mango, pine, and even a little strawberry. This combination of flavours and aromas is what makes Mosaic hops suitable for many different beer styles.
Mosaic hops, besides having their own distinct and versatile character, also blend very well with other hop varieties. They can also be used to add both bitterness and aroma to beer. This, along with its diversity in aroma and flavour, makes it one of our favourite hops for beer brewing. It is especially suitable for brewing delicious IPAs with plenty of flavours and aromas. We release a Mosaic Hop IPA every year; it’s Mosaic Magic this year.
Watch a short video about Mosaic Magic below!
Mosaic hops in the brewing process
During the brewing process, Mosaic hops can give different flavours and aromas to the beer, depending on when the hops are added during the brewing process. For more bitterness, the hops are added during the boiling process. When the hops are added after the brewing process, while the beer is in the tank, the aroma of the hops in the beer will be more pronounced. This is also known as ‘dry hopping’.
Our favorite beers with Mosaic Hops
Mosaic hops are among our favourite hops; we love brewing with them. The beer that made us fall in love with Mosaic was a Mosaic IPA from the Playground series in 2016. After that, the floodgates opened, and more followed. In 2022, we brewed Mosaic Maze, a Hazy IPA with Mosaic that sold out entirely within a few weeks. This year, we can enjoy Mosaic Magic. This is also a Hazy IPA with Mosaic hops.
Mosaic Magic is not just brewed with Mosaic hops; it is brewed with all available forms of Mosaic. For instance, besides the ‘standard’ Mosaic hop pellets typically used for brewing, we also used Mosaic Cryo, Mosaic Incognito, and Mosaic Spectrum. Mosaic Cryo is a concentrated version of the ‘standard’ hop pellet that doubles the hop power by 40-50%! Besides these two applications, we have also added Mosaic hop oil extract with Mosaic Incognito and Mosaic Spectrum. As such, Mosaic Magic might well be our most ‘mosaicy’ Mosaic IPA yet!
Beers with Mosaic Hops
We use Mosaic hops in many other beers besides the Mosaic Hop IPAs brewed specifically with Mosaic. For example, it adds delicious fruity notes to Playground, Fun House, and Grapefruit IPA. This year, you can also find Mosaic in the specials Comeback Kid and Cheers to the Next 10 Years. If you want to try out Mosaic’s uniqueness and versatility, order the Mosaic Package. This package includes all the beers brewed with Mosaic hops that we currently have available.
