MI Hops – Beers With Mosaic Hops

The term ‘Breakout’ is associated with items that are suddenly and extremely popular or successful, such as “a breakout movie.” For commercial and home brewers, the Mosaic Hop has been an overwhelming breakout success for artisanal brewing.  

The Mosaic Hop features a complex but clean flavor characteristic encompassing bittering, flavor, and aroma. It is regarded as pleasantly hoppy, carrying many exotic flavors, including mango, pine, citrus, and herbs, and complex aromas of tropical and stone fruit.  Many skilled brewmasters, such as Michigan’s Founders, have taken the Mosiac Hop and crafted delightful beers that have taken our palates to places they have never been before.  

Here is a roster highlighting many unique creations and some insights into how they achieved their results. 

Mosaic Promise from Founders Brewing Company – This Michigan-based brewer crafts its Mosaic Promise in the autumn of the year. Mosaic Promise showcases two unique ingredients: Mosaic hops and Golden Promise malt. The versatility of the hop’s pleasing aroma and flavor characteristics and the traditional barley’s depth of flavor comprise this clean, rich, golden beer. 

Fearless Mosaic from Fearless Brewing Company – Fearless Mosiac is available year-round. It is characterized as a hazy medium amber color with minimal head or lace. The aroma is a mild sweet caramel one, softly toasted, with a bit of tangy lemony nitrogenous quality. The taste suggests mildly toasty caramel on the mid-palate with some lemon and floral notes with a tangy finish.

Fresh Hop IPA from Indeed Brewing Company – Described as bright, resinous, and bursting with fresh blueberry and tropical fruit aromas, Fresh Hop IPA Ale delivers a uniquely robust flavor and aroma this limited release ale. The botanicals come through pleasantly right away, with lighter notes of dark berries and tropical fruits. This is a great flavored hop-forward beer without either significant bitterness or sweetness as featured in many NE IPA’s

Mango Mosaic from Breckenbridge Brewing Company – Available year-round, Mango Mosaic hops feature aromas of guava, mango, and passion fruit, lending sweetness to its hop character. To add to the tropical attributes, Mango Mosaic features pounds of mango puree per batch. Munich malts provide body and balance as well as a subtle sweetness that pairs with the fruit. 

Mosaic Session IPA from Karl Strauss Brewing Company Originally known as Mosaic Session Ale, Karl Strauss Brewing was one of the first commercial brewers to experiment with the Mosaic Hop when it was known as HBC 369. Mosaic Session IPA is an incredibly drinkable lower ABV beer without sacrificing a single hop beer appeal. 

Red Rye IPA from Terrapin Brewing Company – This seasonal beer is released in the spring.  Red Rye IPA is a single hop brew known for its aesthetically pleasing ruby red color and spatial depth from the rye malt. The rye malt is not so much a highlight of the beer, but it contributes to the mouthfeel. The result is a refreshingly dry finish with no overwhelming sweetness of which to speak. 

While single hop beers brewed with Mosaic Hops are wildly popular, many brewers have paired these wonder hops with other varieties with tremendous results. Here are several of these brews of note that Mosaic Hop fans will also appreciate. 

Born Yesterday IPA from Lagunitas Brewing Company —  Born Yesterday is a newborn version of Lagunitas’ Newer New Dogtown Pale. This Un-Freakin-Filtered, wetter-than-wet beer has 11lbs-per-barrel of Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic, and Sabro Hops. Born Yesterday is bottled and shipped the very same day, making it the freshest Fresh Hop available.

Fresh Squeezed IPA from Deschutes Brewing Company — This mouthwateringly delicious IPA gets its flavor from a heavy helping of Citra and Mosaic hops. It pours a dark amber color, with a nice bubbly off white head. The aroma consists of caramel and fresh honey malts, alongside floral and dank hops. The taste is very similar to the aroma but has some juicy hoppiness as a surprise.

Insurrection from Fulton Brewing Company — Insurrection’s flavor profile is spearheaded by Nelson Sauvin, and Mosaic hops are added at a rate of over 3 pounds per barrel. Both hops are new breeds that overwhelm the senses with an onslaught of citrus, sauvignon blanc, and blueberry notes. Loads of 2-row barley and a touch of honey malt combine to form a serious malt backbone.

Society & Solitude #8 from Hill Farmstead Brewing Company — The series of experimental imperial IPAs from Hill Farmstead Brewing continues with this offering. Society & Solitude #8 Imperial IPA is brewed with Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops. This Imperial Pale Ale is also brewed with Oats and Wheat. A satisfying beer indeed. 

Tropical Torpedo from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company — Sierra Nevada uses a  one-of-a-kind Hop Torpedo to deliver an intense rush of hop flavor and mango lush aroma, papaya, and passion fruit. Tropical Torpedo features Citra, El Dorado, and Comet hops in addition to Mosaic. 

White Out from Marble Brewing Company —- Mosaic, Citra, and Crystal Hops combine to produce a quite complex Witbier with lots of flavors. The result is a very well balanced and unique blend, featuring a spicy orange aroma, a nice golden orange cloudy hue, and a white head.

Whizbang from New Belgium Brewing Company —A spring seasonal offering, Whizbang, is a hoppy blonde ale bursting with flavorful hops riding atop a malty backbone. This light and refreshing ale has a soft malt base, with vibrant notes of mango, lemon, blueberry, and pine thanks to the combination of Mosaic, UK Admiral, and Centennial dry-hopping.

Yakima Wheat from Schlafly Brewing Company —Yakima Wheat Ale is a hoppy wheat beer brewed with Marynka, Challenger and Mosiac hops. These hops contribute spiciness of juniper and pepper.   The blend of wheat and barley lends a touch of toffee sweetness.   U.S. Challenger is a hop that is traditionally grown in the United Kingdom.  This hop was selected for its connection to the UK and its unique flavor and aroma.