Na Zdravi !: Stoked! Belma

Monday, February 08, 2021

Stoked! Belma

"Part of our year-round Stoked! Single-Hop Pale Ale series. We rotate through different hops throughout the year, using only one variety for each batch. Only the hops change in Stoked, keeping it interesting yet familiar. Grown exclusively by Puterbaugh Farms in Washinghton, Belma is the hop that gives our IPA its strawberry notes. This beer is maximally stoked out with strawberry, peach and pink starburst aroma."

Initial sharp citrusy (grapefruit?) bitterness gives way to some subtle melon and berry flavors. Definitely for hop lovers.

ABV 5.4%,
Hops: Belma

Na Zdravi!

A 10-second take.
Not really reviews, just my way to keep track of the beers I've tried.

My mother's family is Czech. They emigrated from Bohemia and settled in Nebraska in the mid-1800s.
They were from the region that included the town Pilzen (Pilsen) where a brewery called Měšťanský pivovar Plzeň, now Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj in Czech), started brewing a uniquely Bohemian-style beer we now know as pilsner.
So, as I raise a glass in honor of my Bohemian roots ...

Na Zdravi! (to your health).

Hops?

A "hop" is the cone shaped resinous flower of the female hop plant. It is used in brewing to add bitterness, flavor, aroma, and stability depending on when it is added.

Hops are one of the 4 basic ingredients of beer although they are not esential in the brewing process. The are used simply to add flavor and complexity to the brew.
Double and even triple IPA's feature an extreme amount of hops, and an ABV to match.
Noble Hops - The traditional varieties of hops that were used to make early European beers. Medieval brewers used Hallertau, Saaz, Spalt, and/or Tettnang hops. All are from Germany except Saaz from the Czech Republic (Žatec in Czech). All are still used today.