It's safe to say that American craft beer drinkers love hops. The American IPA style is arguably the most popular beer style in the nation, with thousands of versions produced from craft breweries large and small. Yes, they're bitter, but American IPAs, including stronger imperial versions, are packed full of complex flavors that always beg for another sip. American hops varieties like Centennial, Amarillo, and Cascade have helped define American IPAs with their citrus, grapefruit, and other tropical fruit qualities. As craft brewing has evolved, so has the base of brewing ingredients, and new hops varieties are being bred and engineered all the time.
Many craft breweries want to push the envelope on innovation, and routinely embrace the use of newer and experimental hops varieties. Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon uses the relatively newer varieties of Citra and Mosaic as the core aroma and flavor hops in their exceptional Fresh Squeezed IPA. Deschutes formed in 1988, and has consistently put out a wide variety of great beer throughout the years. It's not surprising that Fresh Squeezed is so delicious given Deschutes' reputation, but it really does stand out in an American IPA market that's closing in on saturation.
When Fresh Squeezed is poured into a glass, a thick head of foam is accompanied by an aroma of grapefruit, orange, and tropical fruits. It's a very pleasant preview of the thirst-quenching flavors to come. The key to this beer is balance, as the sturdy malt presence melds very well with the hops flavors. The Mosaic and Citra hops impart flavors of grapefruit and lemon, with slight bit of pine. While bitterness is low for the style, it's there on the finish but gives way to zest and spiciness. Smooth and easy drinking, this excellent American IPA shows more depth than most of its kind. Fresh Squeezed is a refreshingly different kind of IPA, and definitely one to seek out.
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