The hops you use impact more than just flavor—different hops impact mouthfeel and texture in different ways. “Even in IPAs that attenuate more—beers with Galaxy and Citra, they tend to drink much fuller. A beer that doesn’t attenuate as much—let’s say we went Mosaic, Amarillo, El Dorado—it has a different feel. It’s all perceived juiciness.”
Too much fruit character alone in your hops is counterproductive. “A lot of IPAs of the style we notice people make have this sensation—it tastes like sweet tea. People really do enjoy those beers because they tend to be like simply drinking canned juice. For us, that’s not the profile we’re after. We’re actually looking for more of the idea of squeezing juice out of hops, where it’s still an assertively hoppy beer.”
“Galaxy on its own is really good, Citra on its own is pretty good, and the two together are pretty magical. Every other hop we find needs to be in some kind of balance. Some of the newer hops, like Vic Secret, we enjoy but find that over a certain percentage, it just doesn’t work. We’re always trying to find that right blend, and some blends we just stumble upon, and it’s just beautiful.”
