We got a bunch of hops from Yakima Valley Hops, which included their new product called LUPOMAX. From their website, they state that it is a “new concentrated pellet that is consistent, efficient, and optimized for hop flavor.”  We wanted to learn more so we brewed a few SMaSH beers to compare and contrast Citra LUPOMAX with regular old Citra hop pellets. Watch this video to see what we discerned from tasting these beers:

Have a SMaSH Beer or Three

First off, let’s set the scene. Here’s the details of the 3 beers I brewed:

Citra LupoMax SMaSh Beer Challenge

Three 1 gallon batches (3.78 Liters)

2 pounds (.9kg) of pilsner malt

2 gallons (7.56L) of filtered tap water – treated with a segment from a Campden tablet

1 hour mash at 150°F (66°C)

Boiled for 1 hour

Beer #1 hops additions:

7 grams Citra hops pellets – 15 minutes to go in the boil

14 grams Citra hops pellets – Flameout

7 grams Citra hops pellets – Day 3 of fermentation

(12.8% AA)

Beer #2 hops additions:

7 grams LupoMax Citra hops pellets – 15 minutes to go in the boil

14 grams LupoMax Citra hops pellets – Flameout

7 grams LupoMax Citra hops pellets – Day 3 of fermentation

(18.5% AA)

Beer #3 hops additions:

5 grams LupoMax Citra hops pellets – 15 minutes to go in the boil

10 grams LupoMax Citra hops pellets – Flameout

5 grams LupoMax Citra hops pellets – Day 3 of fermentation

(18.5% AA)

Yeast: US-05 – Fermented for 10 days at 72°F (22°C)

Starting Gravity: 1.050

Finishing Gravity: 1.011

What Did We Learn?

As with other concentrated hop products, the LUPOMAX beers had a noticeably fresher hop presence in the aroma and flavor. We perceived the trademark Citra notes in all three beers but the LUPOMAX ones were the better in terms of showing off the citrus notes. Mike thought it was like grilled lemons.

We liked LUPOMAX and we think you should try them, especially if you are looking to brew a beer that is hop forward.

Brew ON!