Samuel Adams - Latitude 48 IPA Deconstructed - A First Sampling

I’m a big fan of all things hoppy, and I really love the subtleties and flavors each individual hops impart into a beer….and when that beer is an IPA and the hops are prominent, I’m a happy beer drinker.

I was excited to receive some early samples of the 2014 Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA Deconstructed beers and even more excited to get to sample all 5 single hop beers and the base Latitude 48 IPA together.

I started with the basic Latitude 48 IPA since it seemed like a good idea to create an IPA-baseline to sample the others. Latitude 48 uses 5 different hop varieties that are all grown on regions falling along the 48th latitude line (aka the “Hop Belt”). This beer uses all five varieties, but as you can see in the photo, Samuel Adams is allowing us to sample 5 different beers that each use one of the 5 varieties of hops.

The basic Latitude IPA is hoppy, citrusy and it has a satisfying mouthfeel. This beer is a really drinkable IPA and it shares the same 6% ABV with the others, so it will sneak up on you. These beers all carry a common (and good) malt balance and I strongly recommend you try them all side by side. If you think you know hops, this is a great way to fine tune your palate. If you’re new to hoppy beers, this is a great way to learn their characteristics.

Rather than hit you with all sorts of details on each beer of the 6, I’ll give you some highlights of the characteristics of each:

Mosaic: This hop/beer is new to the series for 2014. Coming from the Yakima Valley, Mosaic imparts orange, citrusy & pineapple flavors.

East Kent Goldings: This hop comes from East Kent in the UK and it adds a mild earthy and floral flavors with some peachy tones.

Hallertau Mittlefrueh: This hop comes from Bavaria, Germany and it imparts flavors of pine and really lets the malt shine through.

Simcoe: This hop comes from the Yakima Valley and it will impart prominent flavors of grapefruit.

Zeus: This hop comes from the Yakima Valley and it will impart a really sticky flavor of resinous earthy pine.