Oskar Blues Brewery Introduces Steep Coast Zappa Double IPA

(Longmont, CO) –  Oskar Blues Brewery continues the Steep Coast Mountain IPA Series with Steep Coast Zappa Double IPA. The series spotlights one hop varietal at a time, focusing on cutting-edge hops added in hefty heaps (nearly six pounds of hops per barrel) to each given brew. Steep Coast Zappa DIPA (8.0% ABV) will be available on draft and in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans in Oskar Blues Taprooms in Longmont and Boulder, CO, and in select markets starting mid-July.

Zappa hops belong to the subspecies Neomexicanus – a group of distinctly American hops native to the dry mountainous region of New Mexico. Steep Coast Zappa DIPA celebrates non-conformity, loudly expressing the lemon and white pepper flavors of these boisterous hops. Frankly, Zappa IPA is as complex and provocative as its musical namesake. Two other varietals of Neomexicanus – Medusa and Sabro – are used in small amounts to support Zappa’s wild, boisterous character.

So what makes Steep Coast Zappa DIPA a “Mountain” style IPA? “It’s a blending of the distinctive styles of West and East Coast IPAs,” said Tim Matthews, Head of Brewing Operations for Oskar Blues. “It doesn’t have the pallet-wrecker bitterness of an old school West Coast IPA, nor the fluffy bitterness of the New England – it’s definitely somewhere in-between. We targeted the hop load of a New England but the palatability of the West Coast style.”

The series exhibits a wide spectrum of hop flavors, with the goal of diversifying the craft beer lover’s Double IPA experience. Southern Passion and Enigma variations will appear in the rotating Steep Coast Mountain IPA Series later this year. Find Steep Coast Zappa DIPA near you via the beerfinder or contact Aaron Baker at [email protected] with questions.

Founded by Dale Katechis in 1997 in Lyons, Colorado, Oskar Blues Brewery launched the craft beer-in-a-can apocalypse with their hand-canned flagship brew, Dale’s Pale Ale. Today, Oskar Blues operates breweries in Colorado, North Carolina and Texas featuring Dale’s Pale Ale as the nation’s #3 top-selling craft can six-pack at U.S. supermarkets. Oskar Blues is available nationwide in the US and in over 20 countries. Oskar Blues Brewery is a proud member of CANarchy, a disruptive collective of like-minded craft brewers dedicated to bringing high-quality, innovative flavors to drinkers in the name of independent craft beer.