Baxter Brewing Co. Unveils Hopothecary Double IPA

Baxter Brewing Co. in Lewiston, Maine has announced the debut of a new Double IPA called Hopothecary.

Billed as the "most aromatic and juicy IPA" the brewery has ever produced, Hopothecary is brewed with the experimental Bru 1 hop varietal from Washington cultivars, which offers lush tropical elements along with a white wine grape note and pine traces.

The full release from the brewery is below.

For the better part of this decade, Baxter Brewing has been known throughout New England as the brewery that puts the hops into the cans. There have been a lot of developments in hop varieties and brewing techniques in that time and now the old guard is up to some new tricks. For this brewing project, we decided to take a fresh look at the science of yeast and hop synergy and develop Hopothecary.

SYNERGY & AMPLIFICATION – When Brewers use the terms ‘esters’ and ‘terpenes’, we are talking about aromatic compounds, with esters being created by yeasts and terpenes being contributed by hops. Hoppy ales generally have a great deal of both, but something really interesting happens with the organic Vermont yeast strain that we used. The synergy of the fruity esters with the tropical smelling terpenes of the hops amplifies the overall aroma profile. We left this beer unfiltered to preserve as much of these compounds as possible and retain its hazy glow.

SEXY HOPS – The search for the hops that everyone seems to want in their IPAs these days, is a constant priority for all Craft Brewers. At Baxter, we are most interested by the search for what’s next in flavor development. During our trip out to the hop fields of the Pacific Northwest this fall, we were really impressed by the Bru 1 variety. Developed on Brulotte Farms in Toppenish, Washington by sixth generation hop farmers, this new cultivar brought crazy tropical aromas along with juicy white wine grape and spicy pine aromas.

Hopothecary is one-part yeast biochemistry, one-part hop variety and processing innovation and a whole bunch of Brewer nerdery. We are so excited to bring you the most aromatic and juicy DIPA we have ever put in a can! So… put on your lab coat, get out a 12 ounce beaker and engage in some sensory analysis with us!