The Hottest New IPA Hop Combinations | VinePair

For brewers, Citra and Mosaic hops can serve as the agronomic equivalent of vocal-correction software, letting any IPA become a taproom star. “Citra and Mosaic indeed make any IPA good, can cover a flaw, and basically serve as brewers Auto-Tuning,” says Jeremy Marshall, the brewmaster at Lagunitas Brewing in Petaluma, Calif.

The combination’s ubiquity also leads to opportunity. There are scores of commercial hop varieties grown around the globe, from the Pacific Northwest to Germany, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Australia, New Zealand, and beyond. Researchers and farmers are constantly working to create the next great variety, from Sabro’s Piña Colada profile to the pineapple-and-peach pop of New Zealand’s Nectaron. Brewers are mixing and matching the latest hops, finding fresh new blends to create IPAs with not-so-common scents.