Hopulist Issue 7

would deliver IPAs and Pale Ales that did things
differently and did things well. And so Brew
By Numbers was born. The ethos is to create
forward-thinking beers that focus on quality
and drinkability – whether that’s perfecting
traditional styles, or creating new ones entirely.
And we just happen to believe one of their very
best beers is the one you see right before you.
Brew By Numbers describes 11/03 – its
session IPA created only with the single hop
mosaic – as a beer with “all the hop character
of an Indian pale ale, crammed into a low
ABV beer. Mosaic hops take centre stage
here.” Now, before we go any further, we must
unashamedly admit that one of the reasons we
THE ETHOS IS TO CREATE FORWARD-
THINKING BEERS THAT FOCUS ON
QUALITY AND DRINKABILITY.
love this beer so damned much is that mosaic
is among our top three hops in brewing. But
that aside, we simply have to share this beer
with you due to its all round quality.
The hazy golden colour when poured
is only the beginning of the pleasurable
experience that is drinking this beer. When
you bring it to your nose, you’ll enjoy those
oh-so-familiar notes of lemon, mango
and other citrus fruits as well as a grassy,
piney undertone. The taste packs a similar
punch with those citrus flavours perfectly
complementing a mild bitterness and
essence of malt. But the punch does not
leave you on the floor, the beer has a light
finish and a relatively light mouthfeel, which
reminds you that this isn’t some heavyhitting
DIPA, it’s a session beer, that you can
enjoy several of without losing your senses.
Quite frankly, this is a beer that is just so
ridiculously drinkable it kind of summarises
exactly what Brew By Numbers is about. It
doesn’t rely on a witty name or some crazy
pyschadelic artwork on the can (although
just for the record and with our designer’s
cap on, we absolutely love these latest slick
and clean can designs) – it simply relies on
a beer that will get you telling your friends
about it and desperately trying to remember
the number combination that is it’s name.
Brew By Numbers makes several of these
types of beers in its 11 range of session
IPAs, and many of those combine mosaic
with other well-suited hops – but for us this
is mosaic at its purest, mosaic at its finest
and mosaic delivered in a no frills way that
is hard to resist. And it’s important to pay
homage to this hops, as it was one of the first
major hops to be picked up by American
and British craft brewers to start developing
beers that offered some real punchy flavour
with citrusy twang. And we all have a chance
meeting on a rock climbing adventure in
China to thank for a beer that us at Hopulist
couldn’t imagine being without. Cheers.