The next Hop in our Hop Idol series has had a more recent debut. Introducing Krush hops! This hop was first bred in 2007, but not made commercially available until 2024, coming in with quite the fanfare. Krush has been particularly popular amongst brewers due to its intense orange, mango and guava character, with hints of resinous, cannabis-like nuance. As for how we used it, we wanted to lean into this overripened, almost candied fruit characteristic as it pairs so well with those cannabis notes, and so the base beer was kept simple, designed as a blend of modern and classic West Coast IPAs. The base malt is Golden Promise, adding a slightly fuller body than pilsner malt alone and from there we went with rye malt to add to the spice, and complimenting the danker notes of the beer, before finally adding a small amount of caramalt, giving the beer a deeper golden colour and adding some malt sweetness. This beer has a bit more of a full-bodied finish than modern IPAs, as this provides support for this full spectrum of hop flavour. Speaking of hops, we layered Krush throughout this beer using a combination of T90, T45, and Hyperboost. We've been looking forward to the release of this beer, as this is our first heavy usage of this hop, and at this year’s hop selection Krush was an absolute stand out! This IPA is a treat, pulling inspiration from the classics, but with some more modern touches.