Many different varieties of hops exist, each with its own flavor and aroma qualities, and with its own level of bittering capabilities. Brewers often come up with recipes that blend several different hops varieties in an effort to get the perfect combination of aroma, flavor, bitterness, and finish for a particular style. This is part of the art of brewing, which allows for endless experimentation and creativity. It's also fun to go the other direction and scale back on the ingredients, allowing just one variety of hops or type of malted grain to show what it can do. That's what Epic Brewing Company did on its recently released Element 29 Pale Ale, which is brewed with only the Amarillo variety of hops.
If a brewer is going to use only one variety of hops in an American pale ale, Amarillo is a good choice for several reasons. It's become a popular and heavily used variety in American pale ales and IPAs because of its juicy, citrusy, floral character. It brings out very desirable aromas and flavors in the beer, and with an alpha acid range of 8-10 percent, imparts a medium bittering value. With pleasant aroma and flavor, and a nature that won't destroy your palate with bitterness, Amarillo sounds like a great variety of hops to go solo, right? Well, it also depends on the brewer's knowledge of all the other ingredients used in the recipe. The other chosen ingredients, like the grain composition, yeast used for fermentation, even the water used, must mesh well with the hops variety to create a beer worth drinking. After enjoying a can of Element 29, I'd say that Epic definitely pulled this off.
Element 29, which represents the element Copper on the periodic table, lives up to its name with its deep orange, coppery color. There's a thick, prominent head of foam that lingers down the sides of the glass as you sip. The aroma has a subtle citrus and floral character, with malty sweetness like bread crusts or cinnamon raisin toast. In the flavors, tangerine, grapefruit, and pine hit the tongue first, followed by a pleasant sweetness of honey, biscuit and bread. The hefty malt backbone melds well with the Amarillo hops and keeps bitterness in check, making for a crisp, smooth, and balanced pale ale.
In a world of hop-forward beers, Element 29 offers something a little bit different. Give it a try if you want to taste the intricacies created by just one variety of hops, or if you want a beer that delivers great American hops flavors with a less aggressive nature.
I've read your post.In my beer experience, The beers is great, however its great to me it has excellent flavor variations.
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