Perhaps I'm overthinking things a bit? Maybe I'm hyper-fixated on aromatics and olfactory hues? Regardless, here's my old brewer hot-take: Beer is Art and Science in a glass. As brewers, it is our job to pay VERY close attention to not just how our beers smell, taste and look... but we need to know why, as well. Buckle up, buttercup...we're about to get all "Weird Science" up in here!
Case Study 306A
Terpene Dream Elevated Pale Ale
Var: Pineapple X-Press
Let's take a moment to talk about terpenes and, in particular NoCoast's terpene enhanced Terpene Dream Elevated Pale Ale, shall we? Very good. Well... for starters, you might ask, "What the heck is a terpene?" A fine question. Okay. Terpenes are a form of hydrocarbons that are the building blocks of aroma compounds like, say, essential oils. They are found in almost all plants. For example, humulene is an earthy and woody aroma that can be found in hops. Limonene has a citrus aroma and can be found in...you guessed it! Citrus fruits! And then there's myrcene. Typically, myrcene is found in cannabis (and hops), and it smells like the diggity-dank.Ever had a pale ale or IPA that has found its way to the "Dank-Side of the Force?" Yup... that, my friends is mycerene.
All of that said, many of these terpenes can be found in both hops AND cannabis, as they, scientifically speaking, are close cousins. And we think that is a VERY interesting fact!
We thought that it would be a hoot to try to make a legal, proper beer that smelled and tasted like the "Devil's Lettuce." And so the brewers here at NoCoast set off on an internet voyage to learn everything that we could about terpenes.
What we found is a company called Abstrax. These good people "mapped" a number of different cannabis varieties by their respective terpene content. A little myrcene here? A little beta-citronellol there? And what they came up with was something quite extraordinary. Strain specific aroma compounds. And these terpenes were found from non-cannabis plants. Beta-citronellol can be found in coriander. Myrcene, as I mentioned, can be found in hops.
The NoCoast Brew Crue decided to make a batch of pale ale that was high in myrcene content. So, we utilized Idaho 7 hops as a substantial dry hop along with Simcoe and Amarillo. To that, we added Abstrax's Pineapple Express terpenes and... BOY HOWDY! This beer has the aroma of a Phish concert parking lot! (The good aromas, though)! Pretty interesting!
We named the beer Terpene Dream Elevated Pale Ale. It's 5.5% ABV and just BURSTING with Pineapple Express terpene goodness! Botanical Bliss, if you will! Feel free to pair NoCoast's Terpene Dream with laid-back afternoons, elevated evenings or any time you're looking for a terpene-laced, tropical twist...with 0% THC!
Cheers,
