Kirkland citra hop session ipa
So it’s only logical that the different expressions of what has become the national drink are inexorably tied to advances in hop breeding and farming.Īccording to statistics compiled by the Hop Growers of America here are the top ten hop varieties produced last year (2015) in the state of Washington, which accounts for over 70% of all hops produced in the United States: I’m not sticking my neck out very far to claim that Centennial hops from the Yakima Valley differ from German grown Hallertauer hops much more than Merlot grapes grown in Napa Valley differ from those grown in Bordeaux. On the other hand, the hop varieties that define the American style IPA, are uniquely North American. The concept of terroir is a big deal in the wine world, but at the risk of alienating any oenophiles who might stumble onto this blog let me point out that most of the wines produced in the US are based on Eurasian grape varieties-Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, etc. Even Ohio’s best-selling IPA, Commodore Perry IPA from Great Lakes, bills itself as a British-style IPA yet uses American bred Simcoe and Cascade hops. Good luck finding a readily available American brewed IPA that doesn’t contain American hops. Within the IPA genre it’s a big tent approach when it comes to the malt bill-East Coast, West Coast, Session IPA, Double IPA, Rye IPA, Black IPA-but for most people it’s just not an IPA without American hops (apologies to the anglophiles out there).
KIRKLAND CITRA HOP SESSION IPA SERIES
To finish my three part series on American IPAs (better late than never) we return to where it all started-to the bold, flavorful hop varieties born and bred in the USA.