This spring, Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams) is adding single hopped additions of their Latitude 48 IPA. Names for the 48th Latitude dubbed the “hop belt” of the Northern Hemisphere. The regular edition of Latitude 48 is a blend of Ahantum, Simcoe, & East Kent Golding hops. The new editions dissect the hops of the original Lat 48, plus a few extra. A bit like Mikkeller has done with their single hop IPA series.
What You Need To Know:
Latitude 48 will be available in 6 options. Regular Latitude 48. Single hopped editions, Adhantum, Simcoe, East Kent Golding, Zeus, Hallertau Mittelfrueh.
From the labels:
Hallertau: …Brewed only with Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble Hops, a traditional variety of Bavaria’s Hallertau in Germany… Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops contribute a soft bitterness, along with delicate lemony citrus and resinous pine notes, balanced by slight sweetness and full body from the five different malts.
Simcoe: …Brewed with only Simcoe hops from the Yakima Valley area of WA….Simcoe hops contribute a grippy bitterness and dramatic grapefruit peel and pine resin notes to this brew, with the slight sweetness and full malt body attempting to balance the concentrated hop character.
Zeus: …Brewed with only Zeus hops from the Yakima Valley area of WA…. Zeus hops contribute clean bitterness and intense, pungent resinous pine flavor to this brew. The balance of the brew leans strongly toward the hop character, but is softened by the malt sweetness and body.
Ahtanum: …Brewed with only Ahtanum hops, a newer variety from the Yakima Valley area of WA… Ahtanum hops contribute a balanced and typically “American” orange peel, piney, and floral flavor and aroma to this brew, balanced by the slight sweetness and full body from 5 different malts.
East Kent Golding: …Brewed with only East Kent Golding hops, a variety first selected in the 1700s in East Kent, England…East Kent Goldings contribute a mellow bitterness to this brew, along with earthy, floral, and apricot notes, balanced by a slight sweetness and full body from the malt blend.
Arrival: Spring, 2011
