Liberty hop was first bred in 1983 in the United States and is derived from Hallertauer Mittlefrüh, which originated from the German Hallertau variety. It was bred to be downy mildew resistant. After years of testing, they were first released commercially in 1991. Liberty is commonly used in lagers and pilsners but can be used in a wide variety of beers calling for a mild hop flavor. Slightly spicy and floral, it German heritage makes the hop especially well suited for German-styles of beer. However, because of its American origins, it is primarily used in American beers. Peaks and Pints salutes Liberty hops with today’s beer flight Craft Beer Crosscut 5.11.17: A Flight of Liberty.
New Belgium Anne-Françoise Spiced Dark Ale (Lips of Faith)
9.5% ABV, 25 IBU
Kim Jordan was New Belgium‘s first bottler, sales rep, distributor, marketer and financial planner, earning her current title as CEO and making New Belgium what it is today. What started as a door-to-door hustle has clearly paid off, as New Belgium has since been cranking out notable beer and even more notable green awareness practices: the company became the first wind-powered brewery in the United States in 1998 and continues to find ways to be more environmentally efficient. Anne-Francoise Pypaert helped Brewmaster Peter Bouckaert craft the recipe for this special batch. The result: a dark, strong, chocolaty dry beer brewed with spruce tips, French Sprisselspalt, grains of paradise, spicy Liberty and Willamette hops and medium-toasted American oak.
Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale
5.1% ABV, 26 IBU
Sure, the name is slightly revolting, but once you get past that, you are in for a treat. Big Sky Brewing’s Moose Drool Brown Ale is brewed with pale, caramel, chocolate, and whole black malts balanced with Kent Goldings, Liberty and Willamette hops. Hints of robust toffee and honey swirls around the nose mostly from the malt with a hint of spice added by the hops. On the tongue, brown sugar and chocolate blend perfectly finishing with a clean bitterness and slightly dry, but not harsh.
Rogue 5 Hop Black IPA
5.55% ABV, 55 IBU
Rogue Ales’ new 5 Hop IPA — the missing member of their family of Rogue Farms grown Hop Family series IPAs (4, 6, 7 and 8 — is the black sheep of the family. It’s a black IPA. Rogue Brewmaster John Maier selected Rogue Farms proprietary Liberty, Yaquina, Freedom, Alluvial and Rebel hops to compliment the Risk and Dare malting barley from Rogue’s farm in Tygh Valley, Oregon. The 5 Hop IPA features hop aromas and flavors of citrus and pine from five varieties of Rogue Farms hops, with the added bonus of a roasted malt finish.
North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
9% ABV, 75 IBU
According to legend, it took copious amounts of poison, three gunshots, a beating and a drowning to take down Grigori Rasputin. Fortunately, North Coast Brewing‘s Old Rasputin is more refined than its namesake and easier to drink than most of the imperials we’ve come across. Black as night and tasting of dark roasted malts and bitter chocolate, this is a complex, strong beer, both in flavor and alcohol content. Old Rasputin is a giant beer, true to style, with a beginning specific gravity of 1.090 and a huge hop bitterness from Liberty, Cluster, Centennial and Northern Brewer hops. Though slightly astringent, Old Rasputin finishes clean and refreshing.
Rogue 6 Hop IPA
6.66% ABV, 87 IBU
The six proprietary hop varietials chosen by Rogue Brewmaster John Maier to craft 6 Hop IPA — Liberty, Independent, Freedom, Revolution, Yaquina and Alluvial — were grown on Rogue’s 52-acre hopyard in the heart of the Willamette Valley. From ground to glass to gold, 6 Hop IPA was awarded a gold medal at the 2016 World Beer Championships. The six hops weave a complex aroma packed with under ripe tangerine, navel oranges and mango skin. These notes appear in muted form on the tongue before a surge of sweet cherries emerge. The fruit’s quickly replaced by dried mint and rough, woody bitterness that builds and builds.
