Shall We "Hop" in the Sauna? And Other Questions

Upcoming events:

Ever get that feeling that you’re just spinning in circles, not really going anywhere? We here at Klockow Brewing Company get you. We understand. How, you may ask? I’d like to think that as makers and sellers of beer, we’ve heard enough stories from people across the bar that we could be certified therapists, all of us. 
Our advice — embrace it. Hell, it’s still the middle of winter and our bodies are doing their best to tell us to slow down and conserve energy lest we freeze, so if there were ever a time to embrace this mentality, it’s right now. 
This doesn’t mean it has to be depressing or otherwise not stimulating. Heavens to Betsy no! Case in point, our Beer & BS event this past Sunday, where we all learned a bit about how a play is produced; from funding, to casting, to set design, to script rights, etc. A big thank you to John Schroeder for taking the time to talk about the process with us in the midst of his latest production, Murder on the Orient Express. Which, by the way, be sure to check it out! Opens Friday, Feb. 21. 

John Schroeder talking about the process of directing Murder on the Orient Express.

Looking ahead, you could simply come in and enjoy a beer. Or if you want a bit more to think about, order the Poirot; our offering for the Orient Express Passeport: A Spirited Itinerary. It’s a Belgian Tripel with a mystery snit, and we challenge you to solve the mystery of what’s in the glass. Only about a third of people who have ordered it have successfully named their mystery beer, so it’s harder than you might think! 
If games are your jam, this is your reminder that this Sunday is once again Board Games & Records Day! Sure, you could just sit and enjoy your tasty beverage, but it would be all the more enjoyable if you were sitting around a table with friends and your favorite board game while your fellow drinkers help with DJing responsibilities. All you need to do is show up with games and records, and we’ll do all the rest. 
This all sounds great, like they’re the kind of days one could look forward to. But maybe you genuinely just want to sit back and relax. Like, really, truly, just sit back. Like sauna-levels of kick back. For you, we’ll be starting our Mobile Sauna Residency on Thursday, Feb. 13. We’re partnering with Stonegrove Saunas for a four-week residency in mid-February and mid-March, where they’ll be parking one of their mobile saunas in our lot on Thursdays. See the website for more information as well as to sign up! 
And once you got a solid sweat on, come back inside and enjoy So You Think You’re Smarter Than Your Bartender! Yes, just like those sick days when you were a kid and you stayed home to watch game shows, we have the next installment of Ditty Wish Ventures to do a GAME SHOW on Thursday, Feb. 13, all for your relaxing entertainment pleasure. A variation of So You Think You’re Smarter Than A Fifth Grader, Ditty Wish has assembled contestants to be pitted against Klockow bartenders to see who is smarter on general trivia. Are you smarter? Are we even smart enough to merit a decent show?? All good questions, and we’ll find out the answers next week. 

Ok, What Is That?
Maybe this is you; you’re at a brewery and you ask the bartender to describe a certain beer and they say it’s quite hoppy. So you nod, knowingly, and then ask about the next one. You know this term. You know that it applies to IPAs. But you don’t know what it actually means. This certainly describes some percentage of you out there, because we’ve been asked point blank before this very question. 
So today we’re going to talk about what “hoppy” means.  
One answer I know I’ve given before is just to say “bitter.” It applied to the moment, and the person asking just wanted a short answer before moving on, so I was correct in saying so. But like so many lessons you learn in elementary school, you find out later that it’s much more complicated than that. To keep it from getting too complicated, we’re mostly just going to look at three different hop varietals (out of hundreds) that many people are familiar with: Columbus, Citra, and Mosaic. 
When it comes to curating the flavor of a particular beer, let’s say an IPA for the sake of this conversation, one of the choices a brewer has to make is what the hop profile is going to be. How bitter do they want it? How floral? Any earthy notes? Fruity? These are all questions that different hops can answer, and the reason there are so many different varietals out there. So if a brewer wants to make a really “hop” forward beer, like a classic West Coast Style IPA, Columbus is often the go-to hop for the job. 
“That’s our main bittering hop here,” said Zach Wood, assistant brewer (and self-described janitor) at Klockow Brewing. “It’s a danker hop.”
“Piney, resiny… it’s what people think of when they say ‘hoppy beer,’ whether they like it or not,” added fellow assistant brewer, Russ Alioth.

Russ Alioth stirring a combination of Saaz, Cascade, Centennial, and Willamette full cone hops into our 22 Hop Road Wet Hop Pale Ale.

As was said, “hoppy” can be synonymous with “bitter,” and Columbus is certainly a beautiful example for that quintessential hoppy character. But if hoppy means anything, it has to mean “hop-like.” So we’re just scratching the surface of what these buds actually taste like. 
Citra, as the name suggests, is widely used to bring out bright citrusy notes in a beer. Very common in hazy IPAs, which are characterized as being juicy and fruity, Citra as a hop is known for lemon and orange flavors, as well as floral. 
Alioth described an interesting aspect of Citra, namely that you could use it as a bittering hop if you keep it in the boil for a long time. But it’s not usually done because it evolves into more of a grassy, green onion flavor, as opposed to the more traditional pine flavor. Clearly, it has more value in bringing the brighter, more acidic notes. 
A common pairing with Citra, the peanut butter to its jelly, is Mosaic. 
“I mean, it’s one of my favorites,” said Alioth.
“It seems like an industry standard at this point,” added Wood. 
Stone fruit, melon, berries: these are some of the unique flavors that brewers use Mosaic for. It sneaks in tropical fruit flavors to blend with the other hops and the malts and yeast in order to give a richer flavor. Indeed, all three of the hops mentioned so far are used in our Travelin’ Jack West Coast IPA, which is likely why so many people are fans of its hop profile. 
So what is “hoppiness”? You can easily get through life describing it as the bitter flavor in beer, but it’s also any vegetal notes you might get. And any citrusy notes. And tropical fruit. And grass. And just about anything else that isn’t bready or grainy. And we’ve only been talking about IPAs so far, the quote-unquote hoppy beers. Maybe another time we’ll take a look at the old world noble hops. So yeah, it’s complicated. But also kinda fun to learn about. 

~

Thanks for checking out our humble little brewery! As long as you keep coming by, we’ll do our part by making the best damn beer possible and serving it in our always inviting atmosphere.

The Klockow Staff

Beer drops this past week:

Local, etc -

  • Zorbaz on the Lake - Grand Rapids

  • Bear Ridge Pizza - Cohasset

  • Hotel Rapids - Grand Rapids

  • Bottles & Brews - Grand Rapids

  • Locker Room - Coleraine

  • Smoke on the Water - Coleraine

  • Unwined Up North - Grand Rapids

  • NoPo Coffee Co. - Grand Rapids

  • SuperOne Liquor - Grand Rapids

  • Pokegama Plaza Liquor - Grand Rapids

  • Rocket’s - Cohasset

  • SuperOne Foods South - Grand Rapids

  • SuperOne Foods North - Grand Rapids

  • Eagles Club - Grand Rapids

  • The Craft House - McGregor

Duluth, etc. -

  • 27 Liquors - Duluth

  • Wussow’s Concert Cafe - Duluth

  • 7 West - Superior

  • New Scenic Cafe -

  • Boulder Tap House - Superior

  • SuperOne Liquor - Pike Lake

  • SuperOne Liquor - Cloquet

  • Dovetail Cafe & Marketplace - Duluth

  • D.E.C.C. - Duluth