If it were socially acceptable to drink beer in the morning, one with Amarillo hops would be the perfect way to start the day — combined with a balanced breakfast (of course). Amarillo provides a super-citrusy aroma verging on oranges, lively grapefruit flavor (with some pine) and a medium-high bitterness, that is sure to wake the taste buds. The hop may seem as though they might be grown in the foothills of the Spanish Pyrennes but in fact come from Washington’s Virgil Gamache Farms. And while most strains can be propagated independently through the purchase of rhizomes, Amarillo is not one that you will be growing in your backyard (unless your backyard is Virgil G. Farms). Wake up to Amarillo hops and our Craft Beer Crosscut 12.17.17: A Flight of Amarillo Hops.
Three Magnets #EBFG Juice
8% ABV, 50 IBU
Clint Dempsey isn’t your typical soccer player who hits the tanning salon in between games. Once he’s off the pitch Dempsey transforms into rapper “Deuce” and goes back to the hood and spits fire flame bars in the streets, yo. Three Magnets Brewing Co. isn’t your typical brewery. The award-winning Olympia brewery drops everything when a soccer game hits its big screen. It makes complete sense; Three Mags brewed a beer to honor the reigning superstar of soccer, Deuce. Three Magnets recently brewed Deuce Juice 2 in an all-out attempt to get Dempsey’s attention. Its fruity-and-piney hop profile pays tribute to the places Dempsey has played (Seattle, Texas, UK), and an 8 percent ABV for his international jersey number. It’s a five-hop blend — Amarillo, Mosaic, Horizon, Cascade and Chinook — that captures an endless amount of tropical fruit and pine wrapped up in silky-smooth haze. Then, Three Magnets was contacted by Major League Soccer and asked to change the branding. Three Magnets opted to name the beer #EBFG Juice — Eternal Blue, Forever Green — anthem of the independent supporters group for Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC.
Ecliptic Starburst IPA
7.8% ABV, 75 IBU
John Harris’ dream to make it easier to bring Ecliptic Brewing on stargazing treks into the mountains became real when he selected a counter pressure canning system from Codi Manufacturing out of Golden, Colorado. He selected his juicy Starburst IPA to lead off the aluminum charge. The dry-hopped IPA explodes with Amarillo, Azacca, Centennial, Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe hops for fresh flavors of citrus, fruit and pine. Starburst is backed by 100 percent pale malt for a super clean finish and puts the focus on the hop flavors and aromas.
Triplehorn Intervention
8.8% ABV, 80 IBU
According to Norse mythology, the world was created when Odin and his brothers slew the primeval Frost-Giant Ymir, and it will come to an end when the Giants rise against Odin and his comrades and kill them in battle. Certain doom awaits the gods and men alike, but in the face of that doom the one noble activity is war, and to die courageously fighting was the only way to enter Valhalla, the warrior’s paradise. Triplehorn Brewing Co. follows the ways of Norse mythology, at least in its décor and brew names. “For men of consequence a mound should be raised to their memory, and for all other warriors who had been distinguished for manhood a standing stone, a custom that remained long after Odin’s time,” states its website. We’re not sure what that means, but it sound like someone needs an Intervention … the brewery’s double IPA. With aroma full of resinous pine and a sweet grain backbone, the flavor follows suite, thanks to Munich malt, honey and wheat on a mix of Amarillo, Citra and Cascade hops.
Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws
11.5% ABV, 70 IBU
People have been making pilgrimages to Portland for Alan Sprints’ beer since the dark ages — back when hazy and sour beers weren’t made that way intentionally. Hair of the Dog’s Doggie Claws, a holiday-themed barleywine, is brewed with Simcoe and Amarillo hops along with Organic Pilsner malt, British crystal and dark wild flower honey collected on Mt. Hood. It smells of thick, decadent caramel coupled with notes of raisins, molasses and dark fruits. First sip brings a sweet caramel-raisin infused maltiness that carries hints of dark fruits, cherry and sourdough. This is followed by a nice wave of piney, citric, herbal hop bitterness causing a nice interplay between the sweet and bitter aspects of the craft beer. The beer is ready to drink now but will improve with age.
Garage Project Death From Above
7.5% ABV
Based in a former auto shop in Wellington, New Zealand, Pete Gillespie and childhood friend Jos Ruffell are rock star brewers Down Under. That status transferred to the States a couple years ago when their Garage Project began exporting. Their Garage Project Death From Above IPA combines aggressive, high citrus character of American hops Chinook, Centennial and Citra with the heat and sweetness of Indochine flavors as in mango, chili, Vietnamese mint and lime juice.
