Having put the “Beer by the Grill” series briefly aside for the winter, I still have some craft beers sent me by their brewers for my comment. And here’s a India Pale Ale with yet another hophead-tempting variation.
“Northern Discovery” is a hop varietal that was found growing wild in Wisconsin in 2007. This hop was found to have higher levels of the flavoring compounds Farnesene and Linalool than any commercially grown hop. The Northern Discovery is now under cultivation, and currently is being used exclusively by Pearl Street Brewery of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. The result is now out as Linalool India Pale Ale.
According to the brewer’s sell sheet, the extra compounds in the hops will actually strengthen over time, as the basic hop oils fade away. So it may bear up under cellaring, but I’d rather not take that chance. Let’s talk about the beer while it’s still out there.
The beer starts out with a big puffy head, which throws up aromatics of, well, animal dander. That means it’s pretty strong, like the Amarillo hops in, say, Gumballhead. Then there’s a side of lemonade to go along. The body is a cloudy burnished brass color, with some particles visible.
Of course, the taste has a tongue-curling bitterness, like chewing on pine needles with a lime rickey chaser. There is caramel or Crystal malt to provide support, which helps mitigate the extra hop aromatics. The finish brings an added bit of cantaloupe for good measure. Another beer with a taste all its own, and not for the faint of heart.
Now that I’ve talked this beer up, I have to admit that it’s not available here in Illinois. Yet it was offered for my comment, and one should never turn down a free beer. But according to the Pearl Street website, Linalool can be found at liquor stores in madison, and at some bars and restaurants in Milwaukee. So this is something you might look to bring south along with the latest New Glarus.
