This is the best story in homebrewing since
October 14, 1978: native, American neomexicanus hops grown at the the Benedictine Monastery of Christ in the Desert in Abiquiu, New Mexico
went on sale today to homebrewers. They have precious little stocks, and therefore the hops are
mighty expensive. Nevertheless, this is an extremely cool prospect for nerds like me (I wisely ordered my 3.5 ounces of Latir
before writing this post) for whom the idea of indigenous hops--even ones grown thousands of miles away--are irresistible. It's a bit of a pig in a poke, flavor-wise, but here's what's on offer:
- Amalia (4.5% alpha acids). "Citrusy, tangerine, slightly minty"
- Latir (7.2% aa). "Spicy, herbal, flowery"
- Tierra (5.7% aa). "Minty, citrusy, very slightly grassy"
- Chama (7.3% aa). "Citrusy, herbal, fruity"
- Mintras (4.1% aa). "Herbal, minty"
If anyone does pick up some of these hops and wishes to do some bottle-trading down the line, I'd be happy to participate. I'll be doing a relatively low-alcohol (~5%) neutral pale ale or lager with my Latir, hoping that the hops have a chance to express themselves in that format.
Got mine. Saved a little by getting the 2013 Amalia, Latir, and Tierra varieties. Signing up for the newsletter gets your a 10% off code, too.
ReplyDeleteThese hops have relatively high levels of beta acids. I'm curious how they work out for you.
ReplyDeleteJeff, if you're interested, I can probably wrangle up some New York heritage hops for you. They'd be either Pompei or Humphrey of the Cluster variety—the same as was grown during New York's hop heyday of the 19th century. I've had a few beers made with them, and they have a very distinct taste. Different than PNW grown Cluster. I'm not sure how much are left from this years harvest, but I can ask around for a few ounces.
ReplyDelete