Hops shortage leads to birth of a new beer

So a mild state of panic has set in here. There is a world shortage of hops or rather, one particular hop that I use in Blonde Bombshell … the legend in it’s own lunchtime: Nelson Sauvin.

This “new” hop has found favour with the craft brewing scene and given it is only grown in one place in the middle of nowhere, New Zealand (sorry to all Kiwis but it seems a long way from Bristol) it’s run out. It was always VERY expensive but it gives a lovely fruity Sauvignon Blanc flavour to pale ales, so was worth it.

Now I can’t get it and my stocks are low.

But I think I have a solution – Mosaic – another new hop that is going to be wildly popular and soon become unavailable! Brilliant.

Mosaic has a light fruity flavour profile with overtones of blueberry, so slightly richer than NS. It is also new (2012) expensive and hard to get, but worth it.

I’ve used Mosaic in experimental brews and it is fantastic. In a side by side tasting with NS, Mosaic comes over as smoother with a richer fruitiness rather than the slightly dry acidic white wine of NS.

So the Blonde Bombshell is going to be in short supply, but there is a new blonde on the block, Platinum Blonde. Coming soon!

UPDATE:

Here she is my new baby:

Platinum cropped