Denver, Colo. — Collaboration requires creativity, passion, friendship, patience and an open mind. When all of these elements come together you have the conditions for a perfect storm or in our case, a blizzard. We’ve teamed up with our good friends at Telluride to bring you “Blizzard Conditions”: a New England-Style IPA featuring Cashmere hops and enough haze to create a delicious little snow globe-in-glass.
While enjoying pints together this winter Telluride’s brewmaster Chris Fish and Epic’s Kevin Crompton discovered neither of them had brewed a New England-Style IPA before and both were intrigued by the new hopping techniques many breweries were using to pack insane amounts of juicy hop flavor into the beer without a high level of bitterness.
Approaching the new style together, both brewmasters set out to find just the right hops. “The excitement is all about juicy hop goodness! Not bitterness!” says Chris Fish. “We’re looking to present super tropical fruitiness in both flavor and aroma. To achieve that we got our hands on a new hop variety, Cashmere.”
Cashmere hops are relative new on the market, having been released in 2013 by Washington State University, and is the product of a marriage between Cascade and Northern Brewer hops. Their resulting daughter, Cashmere, is unique, producing aromas full of lemon and lime citrus, sweet ripe-cantaloupe, and tropical fruits like guava and mango. Because of these qualities Cashmere excels as a cold-side dry hop and is perfectly suited for New England-Style IPAs, which pull as much hop character as possible from late boil additions and dry-hopping.
“IBUs are a thing of the past,” says Epic Brewmaster, Kevin Crompton. “These IPA’s are about the myriad of hop flavors we can infuse in the brew. So much of those delicate compounds are lost in the steam of the boil – we’re doing as much as we can to avoid that and pack all of the interesting parts of hops into the final beer.”
Blizzard Conditions is hazy gold color with just a hint of green highlights. Its huge aroma is bursting with orange blossom, ripe melon and guava. The spelt, a type of malted wheat, helps give good body to the beer, which supports the sticky hop character. Bitterness is low with just a moderate amount lingering on the palate. If you’re a hop lover and enjoy the newer American varieties emerging on the scene this beer won’t disappoint; and if you’re the type of drinker who shies away from the traditional, piney IPA, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how bright and juicy New England-Style IPAs can be.
Blizzard Conditions was brewed to be showcased during Denver’s Collaboration Fest on March 25th. Tickets are available online at www.collaborationfest.com. The beer will also be tapped around Denver leading up to the fest.
- 3/20 – Sloans Tap and Burger Run event – 6 pm
- 3/21 – Choice City Butchers 12-1 pm Ft. Collins
- 3/21 – Freshcraft 7 pm
- 3/22 – Epic Brewing Company Denver Tap Room 12 pm 3/22- West End Tavern Boulder 5-7 pm
- 3/22- Highland Tap and Burger 5-7 pm
- 3/23 – Lowery Beer Garden 6:30pm
- 3/24 – Walter’s Pizzeria and Publik House Uptown 6 pm
About Epic Brewing Company
Epic Brewing Company, LLC was opened in May of 2010 in Salt Lake City and expanded to Colorado in 2013. Epic is known for its passion for style and currently offers over 40 distinctly different beers. Epic is distributed in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia & Washington D.C., Washington, Wisconsin & Wyoming. More information at www.epicbrewing.com.
About Telluride Brewing Company
Telluride Brewing Company makes gold-medal beer in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Brewed with premium malts and worthy hops, the beers it produces are distinct yet classic. And in just four years, the brewery has grown from a local favorite to a state-wide sensation, serving up its beers in kegs and cans throughout Colorado. More information at www.telluridebrewingco.com.
About Collaboration Fest
Collaboration Fest returns for a 4th year! Don’t miss out on America’s most creative beer festival featuring 100+ beer projects with over 150 participating breweries. Come for the beers, stay for the conversation! Every beer tapped at Collaboration Fest has a unique story as two or more breweries come together to brew something special. The result? Some of the most exciting, delicious beer tappings you’ll find anywhere. More information at www.collaborationfest.com.