Science Versus Tradition 

click to enlarge

• Mike Riedel

Kiitos - Hobble Creek: If Utah has a flavor, this beer may have narrowed it down to just a few local ingredients. This new pale ale from Kiitos was made with sage, juniper, elderflowers and, of course, Northwest hops. The result is an herbal ale with tons of character and a uniquely Utah flavor.

It looks like a legitimate pale ale; it was only on draft for a couple of days before I came across it. There's a nice unfiltered but mostly-clear appearance, with a pleasant golden hue. The aroma is largely based on the herbs used. Sage was most prominent and pungent, with juniper following. Some mango and clover-like hops along with honey-based malts round things out.

As was the case with the nose, I get a ton of sage at the beginning as it hits my tongue, with citrus (specifically grapefruit rind and tangerine) and pine at the tip of the palate. The juniper shines through like sucking on a Christmas tree, and the resins bleed onto your advanced palate. The malts take backstage, but not too far back, and are honey- and cracker-based deliciousness. I get a light-bodied feel with a mild carbonation content from this 5.0 percent draft beer. The tongue is left with a strong resinous coating that is pleasant and herb-dominated.

Overall: I was pleasantly surprised by this otherwise herbal-forward pale ale. Kiitos really brought something new to the table—or should I say, palate. It has a nice balance between each relevant component, and I'd definitely say that I will try this beer again.

Bewilder - Cosmic Pop: To deliver this beer's insane hop/fruity profile, the Bewilder crew snagged some cryo hops for this new IPA. The hop pellets are created from concentrated lupulin of whole-leaf hops, containing resins and aromatic oils. They're designed to provide intense hop flavor and aroma, enabling brewers to efficiently dose large quantities of alpha acids and oils without introducing astringent flavors or vegetative material. Basically, it's the more intense hop flavors that you want, with less of the flavors you don't want.

Made with a special cryo-hop blend known as TRI-2304, the beer pours a hazy golden-orange color with a one-finger head of billowy white foam. The aroma of the brew is big with tropical fruits, plus lots of orange and tangerine citrus smells. Pineapple, papaya, and mango are mixed in as well. Along with these aromas come some notes of melon and bread, along with a bit of a pine smell.

The taste begins with a little bit of the tropical and citrus sweetness that was detected in the nose, all balanced out by some cracker and bready flavors. There are some citrus hop tastes upfront, which match the fruit rather well, and they increase a bit as the taste advances, before being joined by flavors of herb and grass. The bready taste almost completely fades toward the end of the taste, and the fruitiness seems to lose some potency in sugar but not fruit taste (as odd as that sounds). With the lightening of the breadiness, and the sweet dying out a bit—as well as with a little more hop of an earthy nature coming to the tongue—one is left with a somewhat crisp and moderately hopped taste to linger on the tongue.

Overall: I really enjoyed this 6.8 percent brew. It has a wonderful hop blend that is citrusy but still , with a fruity taste that isn't overly sweet. Well done!

This was a fun week to try two beers that are basically from the same family, but utilize their bittering components in two completely different ways, with the old world meeting the cutting edge of science. Cosmic Pop is available in 16-ounce cans, while Hobble Creek is only on draft and in growlers. As always, cheers!