BOSTON – The Samuel Adams brewers are proud to finally release two new brews to the Rebel IPA family: Rebel Rouser Double IPA and Rebel Rider Session IPA. These two new brews are inspired by the West Coast hops found in Rebel IPA, a West Coast-style IPA released for the first time in 2014. All brews in the Rebel IPA family are brewed to maximize the aromatics and flavors of the brewers’ favorite American hop varieties from the Pacific Northwest. In particular, these new brews follow Rebel IPA in emphasizing the fruity/juicy characteristics of the newer West Coast hop varieties like Amarillo and Simcoe.
Samuel Adams Rebel Rouser is a Double IPA, a style brewed to showcase the hop character of West Coast hops at 85 IBUs and a higher alcohol content. Samuel Adams Rebel Rider is a Session IPA, a brew with intense hop flavors and aromas but with lower alcohol content and 45 IBUs for session drinking.
To create a Double IPA and a Session IPA that showcase the unique flavors of West Coast hop varietals, the brewers didn’t simply double Rebel IPA’s hops to create Rebel Rouser Double IPA, or cut them in half to brew Rebel Rider Session IPA. Both of these new brews were developed after dozens of test batches to perfect the addition of different hop varieties to the kettle, which contribute hop flavor and bitterness, and different hopping techniques during the dry-hopping process, which contributes hop aroma to the brews.
Rebel Rouser Double IPA
Rebel Rouser, at 8.4% ABV and 85 IBUs, is brewed with more than five pounds of hops per barrel and showcases bright hop flavors of pine, citrus, floral and spice, and is accented by a pale malt blend and a higher alcohol content to create a big, flavorful brew. To impart the bold, unapologetically hoppy notes characteristic of a Double IPA, several hop varieties were carefully chosen and added to the kettle including Bravo, Galaxy, Simcoe®, and Centennial.
To balance hop bitterness and showcase hop aroma, five American hop varieties from the Pacific Northwest are used during the dry-hopping process to impart specific aromatics to the final Rebel Rouser recipe including:
- Amarillo Hops: Orange, grapefruit, and notes of tangerine with sweetness from the fruit character
- Cascade Hops: Piney, resinous, floral, spicy, citrus and grapefruit notes
- Centennial Hops: Medium citrus, intense floral and woody aromas
- Simcoe® Hops: Grapefruit, juicy character
- Zeus Hops: Earthy, spicy and citrus overtones
Rebel Rider Session IPA
At the other end of the IPA spectrum, Rebel Rider is a bold yet mellow Session IPA with all the hop character of a classic West Coast-style IPA but with a lighter body at 45 IBUs and 4.5% ABV.
Like with Rebel Rouser, each hop variety lends a unique character to Rebel Rider’s flavor profile. Rebel Rider is brewed with Citra, Topaz and Cascade and dry-hopped with a variety of West Coast hops. Dry-hopping highlights the flavor and aroma of the hops rather than boiling them off or increasing bitterness. When used in dry-hopping, the hop varieties in Rebel Rider express notes including:
- Centennial Hops: Medium citrus notes, intensely floral with hints of wood
- Cascade Hops: Varying degrees of piney, resinous ,floral, spicy, citrus and grapefruit notes
- Simcoe® Hops: Grapefruit, juicy character
What Seth Adams, Brewer at the Samuel Adams nano-brewery, has to say about these additions to the Rebel family:
“We worked hard and had a lot of fun experimenting and developing Rebel Rider and Rebel Rouser IPA in our nano-brewery. Working on a small system, we’re able to tweak the recipes and create lots of test batches with different hop varieties, quantities of hops and recipes for dry-hopping. We offered early batches on draft at our Boston Brewery so that visitors could try them, until we perfected the recipe. These two brews use some of my favorite West Coast hop varieties and both feature robust hop flavor and aroma without palate-scorching bitterness. In fact, all three Rebel beers – Rebel IPA, Rebel Rouser Double IPA and Rebel Rider Session IPA – use Cascade, Centennial and Simcoe hops as part of their recipe, which is a cool thread that ties all three brews together.”
How to get your hands on these brews:
- Samuel Adams Rebel Rider Session IPA is currently available on draft, in six-packs nationwide for a suggested retail price of $7.99-$9.99, and in 12-packs for a suggested retail price of $14.99-$17.99 (prices vary by market).
- Samuel Adams Rebel Rouser Double IPA is currently available on draft and in six-packs nationwide for a suggested retail price of $8.99-$10.00 (prices vary by market).
- To find where Samuel Adams brews are sold near you, visit: http://www.samueladams.com/find-a-sam
ABOUT THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY:
The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that Founder and Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father’s attic. Inspired and unafraid to challenge conventional thinking about beer, Jim brought the recipe to life in his kitchen. Pleased with the results of his work, Jim decided to sample his beer with bars in Boston in the hopes that drinkers would appreciate the complex, full-flavored beer he brewed fresh in America. That beer was aptly named Samuel Adams Boston Lager, in recognition of one of our nation’s great founding fathers, a man of independent mind and spirit. Little did Jim know at the time, Samuel Adams Boston Lager would soon become a catalyst of the American craft beer revolution.
Today, The Boston Beer Company brews more than 60 styles of beer. It relentlessly pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of classic beers by searching the world for the finest ingredients. Using the traditional four vessel brewing process, the Company often takes extra steps like dry-hopping, barrel-aging and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. The Company has also pioneered another revolution, the ‘extreme beer’ movement, where it seeks to challenge drinker’s perceptions of what beer can be. The Boston Beer Company has been committed to elevating the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions around the globe, and is one of world’s most awarded breweries at international beer competitions. As an independent company, brewing quality beer remains its single focus. Although Samuel Adams beer is America’s largest-selling craft beer, it accounts for only one percent of the U.S. beer market. The Boston Beer Company will continue its independently-minded quest to brew great beer and to advocate for the growth of craft beer across America. For more information, please visit www.samueladams.com.