Pete and Matt were on the road to the Sunshine Coast last week. They sat down together to discuss:

• What it means for a beer to be truly local
• Endeavour hitting its crowdfunding target
• Our writer Megan asks the question “Have you noticed any changes in the number or prevalence of pokies machines in your area in pubs? If so, has craft beer had anything to do with the change?”

And we have a full mailbag including this one from Shane McNamara who sent us this article on NEIPAs:

The compound known as Geraniol may just be the key to a great NEIPA

One of the hottest new craft beer styles being brewed in the United States is the New England IPA, also known as Hazy IPA or Juicy IPA. When brewed properly these beers can taste fruity and juicy, making them extremely unique. How do they manage this?

For starters getting the grain bill right is important. Brewers generally use a mixture of oats and wheat, which usually makes up 10% to 50% of the total grain bill. This combination of oats and wheat is important because it allows the beer to be hazy and it’s been reported this haze captures non-polar hop compounds and most likely other unique flavors. What hops are used and how they’re used is also important. As much as 3 to 4 pounds of hops per barrel of beer are added to the fermenter incrementally over 3 to 4 days, usually, 24 to 48 hours after the yeast is pitched. Hops are added to the fermenter to take advantage of the biotransformation that can take place when yeast converts oxygenated hop compounds into fruity tasting esters, acetates, and other flavor compounds.

Our research in association with several craft brewing partners believe that hop varieties rich in geraniol might be driving these fruity/juicy flavors. In fact, our research suggests the hop essential oil geraniol could be responsible for much of this biotransformation. Hop varieties rich in geraniol include Centennial, Cascade, Chinook, Crystal, Bravo, Brewers Gold, and 06277 (formerly Denali) to name a few. Our research has also indicated linalool rich varieties in combination with geraniol rich varieties work synergistically for enhancing hop aroma. Further explanations for this can be discovered in Dr. John Paul Mayes latest research titled “Hidden Secrets of the NEIPA.”

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