Re-Deconstructing: Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA

Samuel Adams has “deconstructed” their Latitude 48 IPA again and I couldn’t be more excited.

Three years ago, Dave and I went through our first deconstruction.  While I don’t know where the time has gone, I do know we had a great time.  It’s fun to not only drink beer, but learn something in the process…and I don’t mean something like “gasoline doesn’t burn, it explodes.” I’m talking good solid sensory beer knowledge.  We’ll save fire safety for later.

Latitude 48 is brewed with a combination of five hops.  By "deconstructing," the brewers at Samuel Adams created five different Latitude 48s each with just a single hop from the five varieties in the finished style.  

By doing so, each individual hop is front and center and helps the drinker identify the flavors that go into the finished product.  

This year I had the help of Bryan to complete our beer homework.  If only school were this fun.  

Changes in Latitude

Latitude 48 is a hop growing region, or “hop belt,” running rom the Pacific Northwest of the US through southeast England, to southern Germany.  All five hops in Latitude 48 come from this region.

The Hops

Mosaic - Mosaic hops are a new addition for this year’s style.  I really tasted them in the bottom of my mouth.  They were quite earthy, with the interesting addition of pineapple.

Hallertau- This is one of the oldest hop varieties.  I tasted these on my lips.  Although subtle, I found them accentuating spice.

Simcoe - Ahhh Simcoe, while I love Simcoe hops, I didn’t enjoy them as much by themselves in Latitude 48.  Simcoe always has that citrus hit.  By itself, I would be hard pressed to drink this one all night.  As part of the chorus of hops, it is hard to put down.

Zeus - The piney notes here ride firmly in the front of my mouth.  

East Kent Goldings - When I have these by themselves, I think one thing, an English Ale.  Subtle, smooth, and distinctive.  

Bryan and I poured out our tasters and worked our way back and forth.

It really is interesting to compare one hop variety to another.  When we brew, the “passing of the hops” is a fairly common occurrence. There is something wonderful, if not magical, about the fairly non-magical act of sticking your nose into a bag of hops and taking in the pungent, yet magical, smell.

While there is a lot I don’t know about beer, awesome ideas like the Latitude 48 IPA Deconstructed pack brings me one step closer.  For even the most causal fans of IPAs, this is a “class” I highly recommend!

My thanks to Bryan for spending some hard earned studying time.  It was probably our easiest task all week long.

Note: Samuel Adams was kind enough to provide me with samples of this year’s Latitude 48 IPA Deconstructed.  A 12-pack is available now, nationwide.  Run, do not walk, to pick one up before they are gone.