One of my favorite types of hops out there right now are Mosaic. They have a wonderful intriguing aroma that is hard to put a finger on. Some people say they smell fruit juice, some say they smell garlic, dill, onions, others say that they get a lot of floral characteristics. I get a bit of everything with the tropical fruit juice dominating my palate.
This is one of my most popular beers that I’ve personally brewed. Born as more of a dare then anything else, it turned out to be a stellar beer. Notice, there is a little of everything in the grain bill. Barley, rye, wheat, corn, honey, rice (well rice hulls, but still rice derived right?).
My buddy and I were talking about different grains and how we wanted to create a franken-beer of sorts. A beer with a little of everything. I started grabbing every different adjunct that I thought could make a great beer. You’ll notice that flaked oats are missing, sadly, my local homebrew shop was out of oats. I was able to incorporate most of the adjuncts.
Grain
The grain that really makes this beer great has to be the cara-rye. Such a unique grain as it provides all the benefits of a middle of the road SRM crystal malt and the great benefits of rye. The added spicy complexity work out wonderful as a compliment to the honey and Mosaic hops.
One thing that I might change is the Crisp Pale Chocolate malt. It added a slight roast note that seemed to be out of place. Next time I may use a little Special B to bring the color in to where I wanted it.
Hops
Mosaic hops are the only hops in this recipe. I use the first wort technique that I use for all my IPAs. I think it imparts a smoother bitterness then the traditional start of the boil battering addition. While at the National Homebrew Conference in Grand Rapids, MI this past spring, I attended a lecture on the differences in traditional hopping and first wort hopping. The results vindicated my premonitions.
A blind panel thought that the first wort hops had a more appealing bitterness. It creates a more “smooth” bitterness rather then a harsh bittnerness. After the first wort hops, I do not add anything until the last 5 minutes. 1 ounce of Mosaic at five minutes, then 2 ounces with just one minute left.
This is called hop bursting. Leaving all your flavor and aroma hops until the end of the boil. This ensures that all the oils in the hops are not boiled off.
Yeast
I used Wyeast American Wheat Ale 1010. I’ve never used it before and it is really hard to say what type of contributions it left in this beer. The beer was dominated by the Mosaic hops and the floral notes of the honey, it left little room for yeast character. I’m sure that this recipe could be produced without using a wheat yeast and using the standard American Ale 1056 yeast.
The next time I make this beer I will try exploring a different style of yeast to try and get some more yeast character. I’m thinking english. I’m curious if the fruitiness of a London ale yeast, or ESB yeast will play in harmony of just clash. If anyone decides to brew it with this, let me know, I’d love to hear your tasting notes.
How to Brew Mosaic IPA
| Recipe Specs |
| Batch Size: | 5.25 gallons |
| Volume Boiled: | 6.72 gallons |
| Original Gravity: | 1.062 |
| Final Gravity: | 1.011 |
| SRM: | 15.4 |
| IBUs: | 62.8 |
| ABV: | 6.7% |
Ingredients:
- 6 lbs. Briess Pale Ale Malt 2-row
- 3 lbs. Briess Red Wheat
- 1 lbs. Crystal Rye (Cararye) (80 SRM)
- 1 lbs. Good Honey (add last 5 minutes)
- 8 oz. Carapils
- 8 oz. Rice Hulls
- 4 oz. Crisp Pale Chocolate Malt
- 4 oz. Flaked Maize
- 1 oz. Mosaic – First Wort
- 1 oz. Mosaic – 5 mins
- 2 oz. Mosaic – 1 min
- 3 oz. Mosaic – Dry Hop
- Irish moss (15 mins)
- Wyeast Yeast Nutrient (15 mins)
- 1 pack Wyeast 1010 American Wheat Ale
- 1.5 tbs of PH 5.2 into the mash
- 5 oz. corn sugar (if bottling)
Procedure:
Mash at 152° for 60 minutes. Fly sparge very slowly until you have 6.72 gallons of wort in your boil pot. During the sparging process, add the 1 oz of Mosaic hops (first wort hops) to your boil kettle. Add irish moss and yeast nutrient with 15 minutes remaining.
Add Mosaic hops and honey with 5 minutes remaining. Add 2 oz Mosaic hops with 1 minute remaining. Chill wort down to 68° and aerate well. Pitch yeast and ferment 7 days at 68°.
Once fermentation is done, transfer to your secondary vessel. Add dry hops (3 oz Mosaic) to your secondary. Dry hop for 5-7 days. Cold crash at 38° for 3 days. Bottle or keg.
The tasting notes on this beer are incredible. This beer was enjoyed by so many of my friends and family. With the mouth filing fruitiness created by the Mosaic to the floral notes the honey added, there wasn’t much to not like.
FAQs
Tasting Notes
There's a tropical impression evoking papaya and mango, shot through with a bit of resinous citrus zest. We also picked up shades of tangerine juice, sliced melon, stone fruits, and tropical flora.
What makes an IPA mosaic? ›
This beer gets its name from a new hop variety named “Mosaic,” which is predominantly where the immense, raw hop aroma and flavor is derived. Mosaic IPA has a noticeable malt backbone to help soften the high level of hop bitterness and flavor, while keeping the body fairly light.
What hops go well with mosaic? ›
Hop Pairings
Some hops just taste better together. We recently analyzed hundreds of the most popular beers to find which hops are commonly paired together. We found that Citra, Simcoe, El Dorado, Amarillo, Galaxy & Azacca hops are commonly used alongside the Mosaic hop.
What is the difference between mosaic and simcoe? ›
Simcoe is known for passionfruit, citrus, and pine notes, while Mosaic can lend tropical fruit, stone fruit and berry notes. Interestingly (if you are into hop genealogy, not everyone is…), Mosaic is the 'child' of Simcoe, having been bred originally from Simcoe and a Nugget derived male plant.
What is the alcohol content of Mosaic IPA? ›
Dallas, TX | 8.6% ABV All aboard the hopwagon! While this big American-style IPA is bold, it's a well-balanced brew that won't knock you over with hop bitterness thanks to a soft malt backbone.
What is the mosaic pattern? ›
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly popular in the Ancient Roman world.
What does Mosaic IPA taste like? ›
Mosaic IPA is bursting with vibrant grapefruit aroma and flavors of citrus and tropical fruit.
What is the flavor profile of mosaic? ›
Mosaic hops are quite complex in its profile. It may be most noted for its “blueberry” or “berry medley” aromas, but other descriptors used include mango, stone fruit, rosy or floral, bubblegum, tropical, citrus, grassy, pine, earthy, herbal, spice.
Is mosaic good for dry hopping? ›
“I like to capture all Mosaic brings. You can use it in whirlpool, active fermentation, or dry hop,” he says. “For me, the only way you get the most out of that aroma is late in the dry hopping schedule.”
What is a substitute for mosaic hops? ›
There are many different types of hops, so there is no one perfect substitute for mosaic hops. However, some popular substitutes include Citra, Amarillo, and Galaxy hops.
Simcoe, Ont, urban area, population 14 777 (2011c), 14 522 (2006c). Simcoe was named after John Graves Simcoe, first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada (1791-96), who visited here in 1795 and granted milling privileges to Aaron Culver, a Loyalist settler.
What is Simcoe known for? ›
As the founder of Upper Canada and its Legislature, Simcoe's impact on the province's history is significant - in spite of the fact that he only spent four years here. Simcoe was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada following the passage of the Constitutional Act by the British Parliament in 1791.
Where did Simcoe hops come from? ›
The Origin Story of Simcoe Hops
Simcoe hops were created in 2000 by Charles E. Zimmerman at Yakima Chief Hops. Because Simcoe hops were patented a year before its release, their exact plant parentage is still a trademarked secret. We do know that Simcoe hops are grown in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.
What are the few lines on Mosaic? ›
Mosaic art is the decoration of a surface with small, variously colored pieces of material, called tesserae. Various materials can be used for tesserae, but stone, glass, and ceramic are the most common. Mosaic art has some similarities to painting as a method for creating pictorial art on a two-dimensional surface.
What is the code of the Mosaic? ›
The Mosaic Code is the ancient code of laws that, according to the Old Testament, were given by God to Moses. The Mosaic Code is an ancient legal system believed to be delivered by God to Moses on a mountain called Sinai, as told in the Old Testament of the Bible.
What are the elements of mosaic art? ›
Mosaic artists use a variety of tools and materials to make their opus. These include basics like tesserae (the tiles used to create the design), adhesives (used to help the tesserae adhere to the base), grout (used to fill the spaces between the tesserae), and sealer (used to protect the mosaic from the elements).
What is the difference between Citra and Mosaic hops? ›
“The Citra brings that bright citrus and tropical fruit with a touch of bitterness, while the best Mosaic gives us the berry medley, papaya, earthiness that all blends so well in the soft, juicy, and luscious body that we strive for in this style.” Cracking open a can of Phresh, one's overwhelmed with the aroma of ...
