As you may or may not know, Sam Adams Latitude 48 is an IPA with five different types of hops, all grown along the 48th latitude. What the deconstructed pack does is it takes those five different hops and puts each into its own brew. The sixth beer in the pack, le piece de resistance, is the latitude 48 itself. So imagine my delight when, on vacation in South Carolina, I found a 12 pack of the deconstructed version—2 of each beer. I proceeded to clap my hands in a gleeful manner, then sent a picture via text to my dad in order to make him jealous.
It's... it's... so.... BEAUTIFUL.
My friends, I succeeded.
Before we start, I'd like to apologize in advance for the not so great quality of the pictures. They were taken with my phone, and don't really show the variety in color all that well. I forgot my actual camera though, and had little choice, so we must make due.
And now, I present to you, the first of the deconstructed beers, brewed with Simcoe hops. Simcoe hops are found in Yakima Valley, Washington, and contribute a “profound bitterness and dramatic grapefruit peel and pine resin notes.”
Color: The color of a hop infused sunset. It’s red-orange and amber, depending on the light streaming through the glass. I can clearly see the carbonation, and it keeps streaming to the top long after I poured it.
Aroma: Not incre
dibly strong, but you can smell the bitterness. Slightly fruity, and there are hints of a pine needle notes. I know it’s “resin” but whatever, it smelled like pine needles to me.
First Sip: Not as bitter as I was expecting it to be, but the hop character is differently there. I would say this one has a light bitterness (but maybe that’s just the hop head in me going, “What, this? Bitter? BRING IT ON”) and a definite grapefruit flavor. It also tastes a little bit piney, and there’s a sweet bitterness at the end.
Mouthfeel: Definitely bitter, but not too sharp. Contrary to the bubble still rising to the top of my glass, it doesn’t seem that carbonated, though I definitely would not call this flat. Once I’ve held it in my mouth for a while, I can taste more of the piney-ness, and its balanced by the slight sweetnes of the malts (of which there are also five).
Aftertaste: I’m left with a taste of the bitterness and the pine resin. And I immediately go back for more.
This is definitely a beer focused on the hop. There are malts, as I mentioned, but they’re in the background and do a good job of balancing the bitterness of the hops with their sweetness. The fruitiness and the piney-ness are also well balanced.
This beer is like an expert composer. It handles all the different elements very well, and never drops a note.
Hallertau Mittelfrueh
If you can pronounce the name of this German hop, then you probably deserve a taste of it yourself (just don’t expect me to buy it for you). Hailing from Hallertau, Germany, this hop is known for “lemony citrus and resinous pine notes,” as well as a “slight bitterness.”
Color: A sort of burnt orange color, that ranges almost to a deep amber, depending on the lighting. It looks quite carbonated and has a thin white head. It’s quite close in color to the Simcoe hop brew, but more orangey ran than red-orange. You can just tell that this is an IPA, because you have that extra IPA sense, where you get all tingly when an IPA is poured. Or… no? Just me?
Aroma: Quite fruity, more orangey or lemony than grapefruity. It smells clean and crisp, and is stronger than Simcoe. The scent hits my nose, and I immediately want to taste it. Or make it into a Popsicle and lick it. That works. (I do not actually recommend trying this, as in all actuality it would probably taste gross.)
First Sip: Definitely more fruity than the last one, and for some reason it tastes more bitter as well. There seems to be a stronger hop presence in this one, but maybe it comes out with the fruitiness. Also, as the label said a “slight bitterness,” I start to believe maybe my taste buds are broken.*
Mouthfeel: I taste a definite lemon flavor, but not as strong as say, Lienkugel’s Summer Shandy. There’s a slight piney taste that seems to be a bit elusive, though I can taste a bit more of it at the end. Now it seems more bitter than the last beer, though the bitterness doesn’t overpower the citrus flavor at all.
Aftertaste: Slighty sweet taste left on my tongue from the lemon citrus. Still not a lot of piney taste, but that’s probably my taste buds (you may very well have a different experience with this beer).
This is a great hop for enjoying during the summer time due to all the fruity flavors present here. If the first beer is a composer, then this beer is part of it’s band, perhaps playing the flute. And before you go saying that the flute is some wishy-washy, namby pamby instrument, I urge you to reconsider. I also refer you to Jethro Tull. Yes, this beer is Jethro Tull.
*Note: I did not drink the entire 6 beers over the course of an evening. These were spread out over five nights, and I gave myself ample time between beers for my taste buds to return to normal. I only suspected they were “broken” as I could taste more bitterness than the label description would have me believe.
Ahtanum
This hop sounds like it’s from Hawaii or some pacific state, and surprisingly my guess is right. This hop also comes from Yakima Valley, WA, though it’s quite different from its brethren, the Simcoe hop. It contributes as “orange peel, piney, and floral flavor and aroma.”
Well, that sounds downright tasty. All my favorite parts about hops rolled into one! This is going to be—wait a minute…
Color: Brown. There’s no other way to describe it. You can say really dark amber all you want, but in the end, this beer looks brown. But shame on me, saying brown so plainly. In truth, this is more of a caramel color, but it’s definitely darker than the previous two. I expect the label to be a dirty, stinkin’ liar, and for this beer to be more of a brown or amber ale rather than floral and fruity.
Aroma: No! The label was telling the truth! This is fruity and citrusy and floral. Magic, I tell you, MAGIC! I can’t smell any of the pine notes, but I’m too dumbfounded at the juxtaposition of the color and the aroma that I cant bring myself to mind all that much. This beer smells very good.
First Sip: Not that bitter at all, smoother and lighter than the other two. Quite fruity and floral—I find myself enjoying this taste immensely. The color is so deceiving; I expected a heavier beer, but this is light and floral, and dances its way across my taste buds like a playful, magical creature.
Mouthfeel: Orange peel and some sweetness on the end from the fruity flavor of these hops. Just a hint of piney flavor as well, but it melds into the orange for a lovely menagerie of tastes. This is definitely not a heavy beer, but there’s still plenty of flavor.
Aftertaste: There isn’t much of one, this beer is clean and crisp. It’s not dry, and the hops don’t linger on the tongue. A nice, clean finish.
The next two hop varieties will be up very shortly, and then finally the Latitude 48 itself, la piece de la resistance. I just figured I'd get these up now to break the month and a half silence.
In other news, I will be going to the Blues and Brews festival in Westford tomorrow. If you'd like to go yourself, I don't believe it is too late. Tickets are $30. For the main page, click here. For a list of the confirmed breweries attending, click here. Words cannot describe my excitement, and I most certainly will bring my camera this time and a note pad. Expect a lot more posts over the next few days!
