In the hop fields we daydream and study, and at the brewery we tinker and test. That’s how our new Hop Cycle IPA Field Study came to life.
Every fall, we travel to the Yakima Valley in the Pacific Northwest to study the fields for the right hops and to muse about the best ways to use them. Then we bring that knowledge back to the brewery and get to work on our 15-barrel Scratch brewhouse.
The path to Field Study started with Scratch #327, the same starting point for our recent Double IPA LolliHop. That’s when we first started experimenting with some new hopping techniques and making tweaks to water chemistry and the timing and temperatures of additions.
Scratch #335 built on those experiments, and it was there that we landed on a grain bill featuring a backbone of local Rustic Pale Malt. Rustic Pale is grown in Mount Joy, Pa., about 15 miles from the brewery and malted by Double Eagle near Philadelphia.
We then fine-tuned the hop combination through Scratch #344 and #361.
“After a few trials,” says brewmaster John Trogner, “we finally arrived at what we think is a winning combination for Field Study: Citra, Mosaic and El Dorado.”
Field Study is dry-hopped with 2,300 pounds of hops per tank, taking four full brewing shifts to get the job done. In the end, the hops deliver notes of ripe grapefruit, mango, pear and melon. Add in that local Rustic Pale Malt, and Field Study is just what we were after: a slightly hazy yet bright summer daydream come true.
The 6.2% ABV Field Study joins the ranks of our Hop Cycle series of rotating IPAs, which also features First Cut, Hop Knife, and Blizzard of Hops. It’ll be rolling out on draft and in 12-ounce bottles and cans to all Tröegs markets over the next two weeks. It is also featured in the upcoming Anthology Summer sampler pack set to release on May 6.