We’re excited to release the latest video in our Behind the Beer series with Brewmaster Matt Brynildson.

In this episode, Matt’s passion for hops is clear to see as he shares the story behind the unique New Zealand hop blend used to create Luponic Distortion No. 18.

No fruits. No flavorings. No shortcuts.

Just the magic of 100 percent natural hops, expertly blended to offer mind‑bending flavors with each numbered release. Luponic Distortion 18 is a punchy West Coast IPA brewed with 100% New Zealand hops, delivering bold tropical fruit aromas and flavors of white grape, passionfruit, peach and pink grapefruit.

“Luponic Distortion is near and dear to my heart,” said Matt. “It’s a low ABV West Coast IPA, I call it a New Generation IPA, and it really created a beer canvas that allows us to perfect express hop aromatics.”

“This particular time, number 18, is all about Southern Hemisphere/New Zealand hops, particularly from the Nelson region. It’s a great place to grow hops. We worked with hop farmer Brent McGlashen, he’s an expert in growing New Zealand cultivars.”

“Used in this batch are Riwaka, a very hard hop to grow but has explosive aromatics; Nelson, a very well-known New Zealand hop; Motueka and Nectaron, an experimental hop with deeper fruit/dank characters resembling something from the Pacific Northwest almost.

We’re really proud to be one of the first breweries to get large quantities of the Nectaron hop and employ into a production beer.”

“Luponic allows us to get to know the hops, and it’s just a really cool ode to the West Coast IPA, done a little different every time,” said Matt.

Luponic Distortion 18 is now available wherever Firestone beers are sold. Learn more about the beer and sourcing the hops in our blog post. Use the Beer Finder to stock up on this limited release.