Mikkeller Single Hop Series

Mikkeller is a brewery with a penchant for brewing bold American-style beers.  In honor of this tradition they released a single hop series containing twenty-two different single hop IPA's.  We managed to get our hands on fifteen of them to share with you.  All of them were delicious - some showed off their hop characteristics a bit more than others but all were worth a try.  Learning the different hops and their uses is very important for an aspiring home brewer and hop head like myself.  Below are the different beers we sampled and a brief description of the hops used.

Challenger - An English Ale hop introduced in 1972 and used in many traditional English ales, primarily bitters.  Copper, clear, good head retention and lacing.

Tettnanger - A Noble German hop from the small town of Tettnang in southern Baden-Wurttenberg - a region known for its abundant hop production.

Citra -  This newer American variety is a cross of U.S. Tettnanger, Hallertauer Mittelfruh, Brewers Gold, Bavarian, East Kent Golding, and other unknown hops. It has a heavy citrus aroma and flavor with hints of tropical fruits.

MT Hood -  Named for Mount Hood in Oregon, this American variety (developed from Hallertau) is often used to add a subtle hop aroma.

Super Galena - This is a super high alpha variety developed by the Hopsteiner breeding program and released in 2006. It is a good bittering hop which contains high alpha and beta acids, giving it a pleasant aroma.

Willamette - An American take on the English Fuggle Hop, it shares many of its characteristics but is a bit more fruity and floral.    It is named for Oregon's Willamette Valley, an influential hop growing area.

Magnum - This hop was created in 1980 at Hüll, the German Hop Research Institute, from a cross of a American and German hops - Galena and the German male 75/5/3 respectively.   It is primarily used as a bittering hop.

Columbus - Also known as Tomahawk, this is a high alpha acid American bittering hop.  Similar to Cascade and Centennial, it has an abundant citrus flavor along with piny / woody notes.

Bravo -  A very recent addition to the hop community (released in 2007), this hop is very versatile. With an average alpha acid content of 17.5%, it's safe to say to say bittering is the name of the game.

Simcoe - An American hop introduced in 2000 with high alpha acids used for both bittering and dry hopping.

Nugget - Very floral and resiny with some citrus hints.  It is used as a bittering hop.

Centennial - A citrusy and floral American hop released in 1990.  It is similar to Cascade and Columbus and used for adding to aroma.

Pallisade - A new addition to the hop family using  a Noble German hop and open pollination.  It has moderate alpha acid content and is used for bittering and flavoring.

Cluster - Also known as Golden Cluster, it's a hybrid originating from wild male American hops and those imported by Dutch and English settlers during the migration to America.

Cascade - A well known American aroma hop developed by Oregon State University's breeding program in 1956 but was not released for cultivation until 1972.  It is a cross between Fuggle and Serebrianker and has a distinct citrus/grapefruit aroma.  Similar to Centennial and Columbus but with much less alpha acids.

I really enjoyed this line of single hop IPA's by Mikkeller.  Many of the beers had similar qualities but each had a distinct aspect bestowed upon it by its given hop.  It was a good way to familiarize myself with with different hops and contrast all the different flavors and mouthfeel they bring.  Even though the bottles are a little pricey I encourage you to go out and try some of this series.

Mikkeller

-Jared