Author: Malcolm Frazer

Mosaic was released by Hop Breeding Company in 2012 and quickly became one of the most sought after varieties by brewers for its ability to impart a vast array of aromas and flavors to beer. Many experience the character from Mosaic as being complex and layered enough to stand on its own with descriptions similar to what usually requires the use of multiple hop varieties including floral, fruity, tropical, and earthy. It makes sense why brewers clamor to get their hands on this variety.

Alpha: 10.5 – 14%

Beta: 3 – 4.5%

Cohumulone: 21 – 25% of alpha acids

Total Oil: 0.8 – 3 mL/100g

Myrcene: 30 – 40%

Humulene: 10 – 15%

Caryophyllene: 3 – 8%

Farnesene: <1%

Linalool: 0.4 – 0.8%

Geraniol: 0.5 – 0.9%

ß-Pinene: 0.6 – 1%

Parentage: daughter of Simcoe and Nugget derived male

I’ve been a fan of Mosaic since it was first released and have used it many times with great results. I’ve tried a number of commercial beers featuring Mosaic as the sole hop, most tending to be as complex and tasty as I’ve come to expect. Of course, I’ve always known what to expect due to knowing what hop was used, which made me wonder how blind tasters would experience a Mosaic single hop beer.

| MAKING THE BEER |

I brewed a 10 gallon batch of this single hop Pale Ale, half for The Hop Chronicles and half to enjoy myself, the simple grist and clean yeast allowing the Mosaic to play the leading role.

Mosaic Pale Ale

Recipe Details Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV 5.5 gal 60 min 54.8 IBUs 6.0 SRM 1.054 1.012 5.6 % Actuals 1.054 1.013 5.4 % Fermentables Name Amount % ESB Pale Ale Malt, Gambrinus 10.875 lbs 95.08 Vienna Malt, Avangard 7 oz 3.83 William Crisp Crystal Light 45L 2 oz 1.09 Hops Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha % Mosaic (HBC 369) 15 g 60 min Boil Pellet 13.5 Mosaic (HBC 369) 30 g 10 min Boil Pellet 13.5 Mosaic (HBC 369) 28 g 20 min Aroma Pellet 13.5 Mosaic (HBC 369) 56 g 3 days Dry Hop Pellet 13.5 Yeast Name Lab Attenuation Temperature California Ale (WLP001) White Labs 77% 68°F - 73°F Notes Water Profile: Ca 69 | Mg 11 | Na 33 | SO4 130 | Cl 45 | HCO3 67

I pitched a fresh pack of WLP001 California Ale yeast into a starter a couple days prior to brewing.

As the strike water was heating, I measured out and milled the grain.

When the water had reached the temperature indicated by BeerSmith, I transferred it to my cooler MLT and gently stirred the grains in to hit my target mash temperature.

I stole a small sample of sweet wort about 15 minutes into the mash to check my mash pH. Dead nuts.

I left the mash alone for 60 minutes before collecting the first runnings then performing a quick batch sparge to reach the proper volume. As the wort was coming to a boil, I measured out all of the kettle hop additions.

The wort boiled for an hour with hops added at the points indicated in the recipe.

At the end of the boil, I hastily chilled the wort to just below 150˚F/66˚C then added the whirlpool addition and let it stand for 20 minutes before proceeding to finish chilling.

A hydrometer measurement confirmed I’d hit my target 1.054 OG, after which I racked the wort to a fermentor.

With the wort sitting at 66°F/19°C, I pitched the yeast and set the temperature controller to 68°F/20°C. Visible airlock activity was observed the following day and I let the beer continue fermenting at this temperature for 5 days before adding the dry hop charge and raising the temperature to 71°F/22°C to encourage complete attenuation. Signs of activity were all but absent another week later so I took a hydrometer measurement that confirmed the beer had reached target FG.

The beer was cold crashed overnight then pressure-transferred into a keg.

Into the keg of cold beer I added gelatin fining then burst carbonated overnight before reducing the CO2 to serving pressure where it sat to condition for a few more days. When it came time to serve the beer to tasters, it was looking quite lovely.

| METHOD |

Participants were instructed to focus only on the aromatic qualities of the beer before evaluating the flavor. For each aroma and flavor descriptor, tasters were asked to write-in the perceived strength of that particular characteristic on a 0-9 scale where a rating of 0 meant they did not perceive the character at all and a rating of 9 meant the character was extremely strong. Once the data was collected, the average rating of each aroma and flavor descriptor was compiled and analyzed.

| RESULTS |

A total of 24 people participated in the evaluation of this beer, all blind to the hop variety used until after they completed the survey. The average aroma and flavor ratings for each descriptor were plotted on a radar graph.

Average Ratings of Aroma and Flavor Perceptions

The 3 characteristics endorsed as being most prominent by participants:

Aroma Flavor Tropical Fruit Resinous Citrus Citrus & Pine (tie) Resinous Tropical Fruit

The 3 characteristics endorsed as being least prominent by participants:

Aroma Flavor Onion/Garlic Onion/Garlic Earthy/Woody Apple/Pear Apple/Pear Berry

Participants were asked to the pungency of the hop the hop character.

They were then instructed to identify beer styles they thought the hop would work well in.

Finally, tasters were asked to rate how much they enjoyed the hop character on a 1 to 10 scale.

My Impressions: I perceived this beer has having a strong tangerine presence with the floral, earthy, and citrusy notes reminiscent of sweet orange blossom jam. Unlike the participants, I didn’t perceive much resinous character in the beer and found that result a bit surprising, though it’s possible my evaluation was influenced by my awareness of the hop used. Overall, this beer was as delicious and easy to drink as I’ve come to expect from Mosaic hopped Pale Ale!

| CONCLUSION |

I’ve used Mosaic quite a bit over the last few years and have developed a rather strong fondness for its ability to impart the impression of layered flavors all on its own. In my experience, Mosaic tends to lack a bit when it comes to dank, pine, and “catty” characteristics, a non-issue for some that can easily be addressed by those who care with complimentary hops. With descriptors like resinous, tropical fruit, and citrus being the most common among the blind participants, Mosaic certainly seems an ideal variety for IPA and hoppy Pale Ale as well as modern twists on Saison and even some some funky wild and sour ales.

If you have any thoughts on Mosaic hops, please feel free to share them in the comments section below!

Support for The Hop Chronicles came from Yakima Valley Hops, suppliers of over 40 varieties of hops ranging from classics like Saaz and Cascade to yet-to-be-named experimental options. Offering great prices with reasonable shipping, consider Yakima Valley Hops for your next hop purchase.

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