From the Beer Writer: Once upon a time, the term “hoppy” simply meant “bitter,” and all craft-beer fans seemed to want was hoppy IPAs. These days, imbibers still crave hoppy IPAs, but the term has come to mean so much more, referring to the more nuanced aromatic and flavor features that hops bring to the table. Craft enthusiasts want to dissect hop bills and get the most vibrant tropical, citrus, herbal, floral and spice characteristics from each varietal. But the bitterness…not so much. This shift in tastes really picked up steam when hazy, Northeast-style IPAs bringing on oodles of the aforementioned hop attributes with nary any bitterness burst onto the scene. Recently a company specializing in haze-craze-appropriate ales, Offshoot Beer Co. (an offshoot of Orange County’s The Bruery) collaborated with North San Diego County’s Mason Ale Works to create an IPA so low in bitterness they call it “zero IBU.” The acronym stands for international bittering units, the measurement by which beers’ bitterness is calculated. In doing so, the brewers added zero hops during the brewing process. Ditto flaked oats, wheat and other haze-inducing ingredients, so the finished product, Mason / Offshoot Zero Moustafa IPA, is a traditional, clear IPA. The experiment makes good on its promise to present myriad hop flavors undeterred by even a hint of bitterness. It really is a mind-blowing experience; enough so that anybody who is into hops should try it, even if as an everyday beer (which it definitely is not) it comes up a bit short. There isn’t enough body for IPA lovers, but this beer will do its best work as a “gateway” beer for those who are scared off by the aggressive nature of IBU-laden IPAs or think of hops solely as bite-you-back botanicals. I can easily envision lupulin-averse blonde and wheat ale drinkers having a-ha moments care of this creation.
From the Brewery: “I’ve got to give a ton of credit to Eagle Rock Brewery co-owner Ting Su, who came to [Mason Ale Works head brewer] Matt Webster with the idea for this beer up at the Craft Beer Summit in Sacramento last year. Matt and I were both very intrigued. It sounded like a challenge: a beer that can be just as juicy as a hazy IPA, but without all the yeast particulate. We did a pale ale first as a collab with Eagle Rock and were intrigued by the results, but we wanted to turn things up a notch. So Zero Moustafa was formulated at the Great American Beer Festival with Andrew Bell and Patrick Rue from Offshoot Beer Co. over some drinks. We talked as much about brewing theory as anything else; there’s a lot about timing and temperature that make this beer what it is. Patrick mentioned that they were running some in-house experiments with terpenes to accentuate certain flavors and aromas. So we messed around with some grapefruit and citrus terpenes in this beer until we got it just right. The finished product is a trip. The nose is huge (especially as it warms) with big orange, grapefruit and lemon as well as a touch of pine. The body is on the lighter side of the spectrum which makes it super crushable at 7% alcohol-by-volume. I think brewers will appreciate the challenge of making a beer like this while craft fans will like the ‘juice.'”—Grant Tondro, Co-owner, Mason Ale Works