BOSTON – Craft beer enthusiasts are increasingly thirsty for IPAs and, last summer, the brewers at Samuel Adams answered the call with a new offering: Samuel Adams Latitude 48. Brewed with a blend of five different hops [Hallertau Mittelfrueh, East Kent Goldings, AhtanumÔäó, Simcoe┬« and Zeus] from regions all falling within the 48th latitude line — prime hop-growing territory— Latitude 48 provides a flavorful and unique variation on the popular IPA style.
This year, the brewers have taken this beer apart, hop by hop, to create an all-new limited release variety 12-pack—Samuel Adams Latitude 48 Deconstructed, which includes the original Latitude 48, plus five new IPA variations. Each variation is brewed with only one of the five hop varieties, allowing the drinker to experience each type of hops on its own.
The 12-pack includes two bottles of Samuel Adams Latitude 48, as well as two bottles of each of the following single-hop IPAs.
- Latitude 48 Hallertau Mittelfrueh IPA — Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops [Hallertau, Germany] create soft bitterness along with delicate lemony citrus and resinous pine notes, balanced by a slight sweetness and full body from the malt blend.
- Latitude 48 East Kent Goldings IPA— East Kent Goldings [East Kent, UK] add a mellow bitterness with earthy, floral and apricot notes, offset by a slight sweetness and full body
- Latitude 48 AhtanumÔäó IPA— AhtanumÔäó hops [Yakima Valley, WA] contribute a very balanced and typically “American” orange peel, piney and floral flavor and aroma to this brew, tempered by a slight sweetness and full body
- Latitude 48 Simcoe┬« IPA— Simcoe┬« hops [Yakima Valley, WA] add bitterness and dramatic grapefruit peel and pine resin notes, with the slight sweetness and full malt body to round out the concentrated hop character
- Latitude 48 Zeus IPA— Zeus hops [Yakima Valley, WA] contribute bitterness and an intense, pungent resinous pine flavor. The balance of the brew leans strongly toward the hop character, but is softened by the malt sweetness and body
The Samuel Adams Latitude 48 Deconstructed 12-pack is available nationwide mid-May through mid- July for a suggested retail price of $13.99.