PASO ROBLES, Calif. — The next release in Firestone Walker’s Luponic Distortion IPA series harnesses six hops from three continents to deliver explosive fruit flavors of peach, pear drop and dragonfruit.
“We combined some our favorite new hops from New Zealand, Germany and the Pacific Northwest to create this really unique flavor profile,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “It’s all about showing how these distinctive fruit flavors can be achieved solely through 100-percent pure natural hops.”
The latest edition of Luponic Distortion is now available in all Firestone Walker markets.
Luponic Distortion is not a single beer, but rather an ongoing series of beers that rotate approximately every 120 days. While the base beer always remains the same, each release features a different hop blend built around new and experimental hops, designed to showcase the growing possibilities of pure hop aromas and flavors without any assist from fruit or other adjuncts.
Flavors Through Hops
The latest Luponic Distortion includes three “new school” Pacific Northwest cultivars—two with a softer, juicier character, and one with a more edgy citrus quality. “The alchemy of these three hops resulted in this cool tropical dragonfruit character,” Brynildson said.
The beer also features two German hops that are among Brynildson’s favorite discoveries from his forays to a variety of family hop farms in Hallertau. “With these hops, it’s all about getting this fresh, bright fruit without a lot of dank character, reminiscent of ripe peach,” he said.
Finally, there’s a New Zealand-grown hop that fittingly happens to be a cross between an American cultivar and a German cultivar. “It has this fresh peach and pear drop character that’s really distinctive,” Brynildson said. “It’s the perfect way to tie this blend together.”
The result is the latest beer to exemplify Luponic Distortion’s mantra of “flavors through hops.”
“Luponic Distortion is this beer that can keep morphing and stay interesting and remain out in front of this crazy new hop wave,” Brynildson said.
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Founded by brothers-in-law Adam Firestone and David Walker in 1996, Firestone Walker Brewing Company is an innovative California beer company with three state-of-the-art brewing facilities. Firestone Walker’s main brewery in Paso Robles produces a diverse portfolio ranging from iconic pale ales to vintage barrel-aged beers. The Barrelworks facility in Buellton makes eccentric wild ales, while the Propagator pilot brewhouse in Venice specializes in R&D beers and limited local offerings. Firestone Walker is also the brewery behind 805, one of the nation’s fastest-growing beers. Firestone Walker was recently named “Best American Brewery of the Decade” by Paste Magazine. More at FirestoneBeer.com.