With 3,000-plus craft breweries now operating in the U.S. accounting for a 2014 increase in sales of 17.2 percent and the National Restaurant Association (NRA) designating micro-distilled/artisan spirits as the top trend 2015, it’s hard to keep up with what’s coming to market. Always up for a task like this, Shore magazine chatted with local breweries and distilleries about what’s new.
“Currently I’m showcasing two very popular hops in a beer called Intergalactic,” says Michael Lahti, head brewer at Figure Eight in Valparaiso. “The hops featured are Mosaic and Galaxy, the beer also uses malt from Chile and yeast from Belgium. I also have on tap a single hop beer that I use to showcase hops styles—usually a new hop that is fresh on the market. It’s called the # Series and the current one on tap is Northdown—a British hop—but in the near future will be Green Bullet, a hop I’m not familiar with at all. The series gives me a chance to try new hops in an isolated situation so I can learn what the hop will do and see if it would fit into a new beer in the future. Then our final beer featuring trendy hops will be coming out in a few weeks is called Choss and it features three hops that are quite popular Citra, Polaris and Cluster.”
March releases at Greenbush Brewing Company in Sawyer include 400 Divine Rabbits, a 6.3% Agave Nectar Wheat Ale described as light bodied with dry fruitiness.
“It’s named for the 400 drunken rabbit gobs, renowned in Aztec mythology for their legendary shindigs,” says Jennifer Piotter, Greenbush’s marketing director. “We also are featuring Indispensable, an 8.2% IPA. It’s a full-bodied hoppy ale with big melon and tangerine aromatics—the citrus notes come from the German Mandarina hops used in the recipe. Both beers are available at the Greenbush Annex and throughout our distribution area which includes all of Michigan, Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland.” … CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY AT NWI TIMES
