A Fresh (Chico) Approach to Fresh-Hop Beers

As harvest falls upon America’s hop fields throughout late August and September, we start daydreaming of all the fresh-hop beers that we’ll soon sip. But being scientists, we couldn’t help but wonder: How could fresh-hop beers be even better? Sometimes the aromatics are a little subdued, a feature that could be fixed with one of our engineered yeast strains.

We asked Anthony Lopez, our customer success and support manager, about his favorite strains for elevating fresh-hop beers. He suggests Fresh Chico, which keeps diacetyl ultra-low throughout fermentation and packaging, “to accentuate fresh-hop and wet-hop characteristics on a cleaner spectrum,” Lopez says. He also adds that Fresh Andechs would be great for a fresh-hop lager. “The strains push diacetyl so low that you’re getting the true nature of a fresh hop.”

Another solid bet is Superbloom, a strain that produces floral, citrusy fragrances. “It would be an awesome complement to fresh-hop beers to accentuate aromas and add a nuanced layer,” Lopez says.

And for brewers that feel like experimenting, Lopez would love to trial a Tropics strain to bring big aromas of guava and passion fruit into a fresh-hop beer. “Tropics could have a huge impact,” he says.

Have any questions or feedback for Anthony? Email him at alo@berkeleyyeast.com.

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Tim Sciascia’s Tropics Boosted Hazy IPA

Looking to lower costs on your Hazy IPA but not at the expense of aromatic potency? This recipe relies on a heavy dose of Berkeley Yeast’s Tropics Boost and fermentation with Tropics London yeast strain for an attention grabbing bouquet of passionfruit.

Recipe: Tim Sciascia’s NA West Coast IPA

Brewing a tasty nonalcoholic beer is dramatically different from brewing one of normal strength—but this recipe provides a great jumping-off point for making something pleasurably hoppy but without the alcohol.

Recipe: Tim Sciascia’s NA Light “Lager”

Drinkers who are familiar with American light lager will be impressed by this crisp nonalcoholic version. Even more amazing, nonalcoholic beer production’s shortened fermentation can move this “lager” from grain to glass in as little as one week.

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Turning Off Unwanted Flavors: How Berkeley Yeast’s Fresh Strains Create Low Diacetyl IPAs and Lagers

Like most brewers, Danny Priddy has a pretty discerning palate. The director of brewing operations at Riip Beer Company in Huntington Beach, California, is particularly sensitive to diacetyl, an organic compound that, at low concentrations, can mute hop notes in beers like Riip’s aroma-charged IPAs. At high concentrations, diacetyl can add an unwanted buttery note.

How Tropics Strains Are Helping Brewers Create More Aromatic IPAs

J.C. Hill, the cofounder of Alvarado Street Brewery in Monterey, California, wanted to make a hazy IPA that’s welcoming in both flavor and price point; increasing the hopping rate increases a beer’s price tag, and a $24 four-pack is a hard sell to many drinkers. So he built a recipe around Tropics London and three hop varieties that impart flavors evocative of kid-favorite candies including Lifesavers, gummy bears, and peach rings. “They line up super-well with the passion fruit and guava flavors you get from the yeast,” says Hill, who calls Tropics “a game changer.”

How Berkeley Yeast’s Superbloom Builds Highly Drinkable Hoppy Beer

Over the last decade, boom-and-bust cycles have defined the IPA category. Sour IPAs, overly bitter palate wreckers, and bone-dry brut IPAs have mostly disappeared, a dry-hopped gold rush that didn’t quite pan out. Session IPAs also fizzled out, even though the concept seemed like a certain winner. Drop an IPA’s alcohol by volume to a more restrained 4 or 5 percent, keep flavor and aromatics high, and count the profits. Outside of Founders All Day IPA, many session IPAs were too dry and thin to support hop bitterness.