Today we unveil Hopnosis IPA–the culmination of Firestone Walker’s 15-year quest to master the West Coast IPA style. Brewed with Mosaic Cryo Hops®, Hopnosis is a seamless, aromatic, and explosively tropical IPA.
“Hopnosis represents everything we’ve learned about hopping techniques over the years, all rolled into one beer,” says Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “This is our ultimate new-school expression of the West Coast IPA.”
West Coast Style
Long before Hazy IPAs took the brewing world by storm, there was the “West Coast” IPA–the style that popularized IPAs and ignited the craft beer revolution that really got rolling in the mid-2000s.
And just as we helped drive that movement with our original Union Jack IPA, we have created Hopnosis to join the growing renaissance of the West Coast style.
As beer writer John Frank puts it, “The latest fervor is reimagined West Coast editions — the clear but still bold-flavored IPA that birthed the hop-forward craft beer boom.”
Cryo Hops® Magic
Over the years, Matt and his team have developed an arsenal of favorite new-age hops for IPA brewing–all of which are featured in Hopnosis. These include hops from New Zealand and the Pacific Northwest, with a focus on Mosaic Cryo Hops® as well as Idaho 7 and Nelson.
Cryo Hops® are made by collecting the concentrated lupulin from whole-leaf hops, which contains the pure resins for bitterness and aromatic oils. “Mosaic Cryo Hops® are the centerpiece of Hopnosis,” Matt says. “They provide intense hop aroma and flavor with incredible integration, enabling us to make a hop-forward beer that is super smooth and delicious.”
Hopnosis is extravagantly double dry hopped, with nearly five pounds of hops used for every barrel brewed. The resulting beer is loaded with hop-derived flavors of mango, passionfruit, white grape, and lychee.
Future Proof
The origins of Hopnosis date back to our Union Jack IPA, which was introduced in 2007. Hopnosis also reflects concepts learned while developing the Luponic Distortion revolving IPA series and the Mind Haze family of IPAs. Finally, it draws inspiration from numerous brewing collaborations here and abroad.
These experiences have yielded a variety of hop integration techniques that Matt and his team brought to bear in creating Hopnosis.
“This is where the West Coast style is headed,” Matt says. “Aromatic hops and new hopping techniques are driving the future. On top of that, Cry Hops® are opening up fresh possibilities. Now you can get all the ‘oomph’ of hop saturation that you want from a West coast IPA, but with less of that classic bitterness, more of these new-age hop flavors, and a whole new level of balance and drinkability.”
Hopnosis is now rolling out to all Firestone Walker markets in 6-pack and 12-pack (12-ounce) cans, 19.2-ounce cans, and on draft. Use our Beer Finder to locate it at a retailer near you. It’s also available at each of the Firestone Walker locations–Paso Robles, Buellton, and Venice.
