Mosaic first entered the hop market in 2012, thanks to Jason Perrault, a fourth generation hop farmer — and hop breeder — in the Yakima Valley, where his family owns nearly 1,500 acres of hopyards. Perrault’s breeding company, Select Botanicals, is responsible for creating some of the more popular hops in the States, including Simcoe (impressively bitter, deeply floral), and Citra (citrusy, as the name suggests, and grassy, too). The Mosaic breeding program started in 2001, when they crossed a female Simcoe (YCR 14) and a Nugget derived male, which had a linage including Tomahawk, Brewers Gold, Early Green, and an unknown variety. The test plant was called HBC 369. For about the 10 years they selected for the best plants and then let a few brewers peek. The name Mosaic was given to the variety because of the complex and broad aromas it imparts. It may be most noted for its “blueberry” or “berry medley” aromas, but other descriptors used include mango, stone fruit, rosy or floral, bubblegum, tropical, citrus, grassy, pine, earthy, herbal, spice. This complex profile is backed by a clean bittering, which makes it especially remarkable in single hop ales. Today, Peaks & Pints presents an in-house flight of beer brewed with Mosaic — a flight we’re calling Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: Mosaic.
Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: Mosaic
Cerebral Rare Trait
6.4% ABV
In 2015, homebrewer and Doctor of Physical Therapy Sean Buchan, homebrewer and microbiologist Chris Washenberger and financier Dan McGuire opened Cerebral Brewing in Denver’s Congress Park neighborhood along the city’s famed Colfax Avenue. The three met at Washenberger’s Denver homebrew club where the idea “to combine scientific methodology with an artistic viewpoint to create extremely drinkable beers spanning a broad spectrum of styles” became a reality. With their scientific background, Buchan and Washenberger want to make quality one of their hallmarks — and idea that carries through in their name. Cerebral’s flagship hazy IPA, Rare Trait, “is our crown jewel, our mission statement, a proverbial shot over the bow, our raison d’etre,” states Rare Trait hype. Brewed with Citra, El Dorado, and Mosaic hops, expect note of tangerine, mango, and candied peach, but riding a restrained bitterness that has defined Cerebral’s style since day one.
Pure Project Pure West
6.5% ABV
Jesse Pine grabbed his backpack, locked his Costa Rican door, picked up his buddy, Mat Robar, in San Diego, and headed to Colorado to summit a 12,253-footer. On the way up they discussed Costa Rica’s beauty, exotic fruit, and beer. Pine saw a rise in beer enthusiasm in Costa Rica. Two years later, the duo opened Manuel Antonio Brewing Company in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. The beer, scenery, and ingredients were good. The wastewater treatment, cold transportation, and other brewing infrastructures were not good. They moved the brewery to Miramar, San Diego, and renamed it Pure Project. Pure Project’s first core unfiltered West Coast IPA showcasing hand-selected Mosaic, Simcoe, and Nelson hops for intense aroma of pineapple with a subtle dankness, followed by sweet floral notes leading to a solid bitter finish.
The Veil IdontwanttoBU!
6.9% ABV
In April 2016, Matt Tarpey, Dustin Durrance, and Dave Michelow opened their The Veil Brewing doors in Richmond, Virginia’s Scott’s Addition Historic District. They opened with a 450-gallon coolship in their building, previously a church, complete with raised ceilings, imposing stone, black leather, white taxidermy, and a 40-foot-long cement bar. This past spring, The Veil moved several blocks down the road to open an 8,262 square foot taproom, three times the size of their founding space, bring their Richmond footprint to four locations. Their IdontwanttoBU! Is a zero IBU hazy IPA brewed with Citra and Mosaic for aromatics and flavors of cantaloupe, fleshy tropical fruit, some blueberry, grass, and honey. It’s straight up hop juice.
Stoup Super Fun Time
6.9% ABV
“The other day we were rubbing and sniffing a bunch of hops and we had a SUPER FUN TIME!” screams Stoup Brewing. “Thought we’d share the good times by brewing up an IPA with all those SUPER FUN hops. We started with a base of 2-row and wheat malt because every fun IPA starts with a strong malt bill. Then we added Zappa hops as a late flavor addition, followed by Amarillo and Mosaic Cryo in the whirlpool. For even more fun we added Galaxy, Medusa and more Mosaic Cryo in the dry hop. So much guava, berry, and orange and FUN!”
Ruse Brain Glow
7.2% ABV
Shaun Kalis and Devin Benware began brewing their Ruse Brewing beers on a big system before Ruse was a thing. When not brewing for Tomas Sluiter at Culmination Brewing, whom they originally worked under at the Old Market Pub & Brewery in Multnomah Village, they used Tom’s tanks to make their Ruse beer. Kalis and Benware moved into their big southeast Portland facility a little over two years ago. Their Brain Glow is a hazy IPA brewed with all Ruse’s favorite adjuncts and dry hopped with dramatic amounts of Mosaic, Galaxy, and Citra for notes of pineapple, citrus, peach, mango juice.
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