The inspiration for LolliHop, our new Double IPA, began in the hop fields of Yakima Valley, Washington, during our annual pilgrimage to this hop-growing hotbed. “We walk the rows, eyeball the hops and crush them in our hands til their oils fill the air,” says Tröegs founding brother and brewmaster John Trogner. “We’re like kids in a candy store.”

It was almost a year ago, back at the brewery, when we started homing in on some new techniques that would get the very best out of those hops we find in the Pacific Northwest. It changed the way we brew hoppy beers.

Like we always do, we started from scratch … our Scratch Series. That’s our small-batch system where we look for the right ingredients and the right ways to use them. Scratch #327 was the genesis. That’s when the combined aroma of Citra and Mosaic grabbed our attention.

“There’s only a handful of beers that have an a-aha origin,” says John. “And this is one of them.”

Through a series of Scratch releases, we made subtle tweaks to mash temperatures, the mineral composition of our water, and the timing and temperature of hop additions. We loved the results: a fluffy, almost pillowy mouthfeel smoothed by a proportionally dry finish.

After four Scratch batches, we landed on a recipe for our new Double IPA LolliHop. We added three of our favorite hops – Mosaic, Citra and Azacca – hot, warm and during fermentation to pull the best out of each. Dry-hopping with Citra and Mosaic layers in notes of orange, grapefruit and melon, while Azacca in the kettle adds hints of papaya and pineapple.

For the backbone, we use Rustic pale malt grown in Mount Joy, Pa., about 15 miles from the brewery. The grain is malted by Double Eagle near Philadelphia.

“Rustic Pale is a 2-row barley kilned slightly higher than normal pales for more flavor and body,” says Double Eagle’s Scott Broussard. “The slightly nutty cereal flavors are complex and aromatic.”

For fermentation, we use a new estery ale yeast to pump up those pineapple and fruit-cup notes. Wheat and oats make this beer silky smooth with a touch of haze.

In the end, LolliHop weighs in at 8.2% ABV with notes of pear, citrus and a hint of melon.

The cherry on top of LolliHop is the otherworldly label art that was dreamed up by Baltimore artist and Art of Tröegs alum Devin Watson.

“I wanted to tell a story,” Devin says. “And LolliHop had all the elements: a quest to find a great hop combination, three different hop varieties, and this kind of candy theme. The design grew organically from there.”

The Art of Tröegs contest, now under way, encourages fans to create a piece of art inspired by Tröegs. It can be flat. It can be 3-dimensional. It can be a sculpture or a song. It can be anything, as long as it has a Tröegs twist. The deadline for entries is April 28, and the winner gets $500 and a starring spot in our Art of Tröegs gallery above the Splinter Cellar here at the brewery. Find more at troegs.com/art.

LolliHop will roll out over the next two weeks on draft and in 4-packs of 16-oz. cans wherever Tröegs is sold.