Several years ago, when fruited IPAs were the latest craze to hit craft beer and many breweries were releasing different variations of a grapefruit IPA, we chose to step aside and looked to our brew team to lead with innovation and create a beer that exhibited these fruit-forward flavors without adding any fruit.
We set out to make a rotating IPA series that mimicked these fruited IPAs, but our challenge was to do so without adding any fruit adjuncts. Instead, we relied upon our brewers’ ability to create flavors through hops. With each release, we use the same base beer but incorporate a new hop blend, offering flavors such as grapefruit, lemon drop and piña colada.
Now on our 14th rendition, Luponic Distortion is the beer that’s here to remind you the magic of hops.
Luponic Distortion No. 14 is dry hopped with a blend of seven hops from South Africa, Australia, Germany and the Pacific Northwest, all combining to produce pronounced flavors of white grape, mandarin orange and passionfruit.
Our purpose when setting out to create this beer was to discover new hop cultivars and experimental hops, which has allowed us to form a closer relationship with hop farmers as they go on this journey with us. For our brew team, it’s been a way to really hone in on their palates to understand what flavors specific hops produce. If fans are clamoring for an exotic, citrus-forward IPA with notes of guava, we know the exact hops to use to create that.
No. 14 represents some of our best finds in the hop world over the past several years.
“No. 14 represents some of our best finds in the hop world over the past several years, including newer Southern Hemisphere hops that drive these intense tropical fruit and Sauvignon Blanc-like flavors,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson.
So after 14 iterations of this beer, how do we keep making them different and unique? The answer is all in the hops. “Luponic Distortion is all about finding new ways to make different tropical characters pop on the palate—naturally and solely through hops,” Brynildson said. “No. 14 hits all of these marks while providing its own unique flavor experience.”
Seek out a sixpack and see if you’re able to pick up on the white grape, mandarin orange and passionfruit flavors that #14 showcases. Available now through early 2020.
Stay tuned for the next announcement on our newest Luponic Distortion, coming February 2020.
Grab yourself a sixpack while it lasts – use our Beer Finder.
