The Hop Chronicles | McKenzie LUPOMAX (2023) Pale Ale

Author: Will Lovell

Introduced in 2023 by Haas, McKenzie LUPOMAX hops are concentrated lupulin pellets said to deliver vibrant grapefruit, lemon, nectarine, and melon aromas with hints of pine and resin. With less vegetative matter than traditional T-90 pellets, McKenzie LUPOMAX offers cleaner, more intense hop character while reducing the chances of grassy off-flavors and improving beer yield.

Alpha: 15.5%
Beta: 8.7%
Cohumulone: ​​unknown
Total Oil: 2.3 mL/100g
Myrcene: unknown
Humulene: unknown
Caryophyllene: unknown
Farnesene: unknown
Linalool: unknown
Geraniol: unknown
ß-Pinene: unknown
Parentage: unknown

Having had great experiences with LUPOMAX hops in the past, I was excited to get my hands on some McKenzie LUPOMAX based largely on the existing descriptions of this relatively new variety.

| MAKING THE BEER |

I went with our standard Hop Chronicles Pale Ale recipe for this batch, making small adjustments to the kettle hop additions to keep the bitterness in check.

McKenzie LUPOMAX Pale Ale

I started by collecting the full volume of RO water and adjusting it to my desired profile before weighing out and milling the grains.

When the water was properly heated, I incorporated the grains then set my Delta Brewing Systems AIO controller to maintain my desired temperature.

During the mash rest, I prepared the kettle hop additions.

Once the 60 minute mash was complete, I removed the grains and proceeded to boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at the times stated in the recipe.

When the boil was complete, I took a refractometer reading showing the wort was at 1.054 OG before quickly chilling it then transferring it to a sanitized FermTank.

I then direct pitched a single pouch of Imperial Yeast A07 Flagship.

The beer was left to ferment at 66°F/19°C for a week before adding the dry hop addition. After another 4 days, I took a hydrometer measurement confirming FG was reached.

With fermentation complete, I cold crashed the beer then pressure-transferred it to a CO2 purged keg, which was placed in my kegerator and burst carbonated overnight before the gas was reduced to serving pressure. After a couple weeks of conditioning, it was ready to serve to blind tasters.

| METHOD |

Participants were instructed to focus only on the aromatic qualities of the beer before evaluating the flavor. For each aroma and flavor descriptor, tasters were asked to write-in the perceived strength of that particular characteristic on a 0-9 scale where a rating of 0 meant they did not perceive the character at all and a 9 rating meant the character was extremely strong. Once the data was collected, the average rating of each aroma and flavor descriptor was compiled and analyzed.

| RESULTS |

A total of 16 people participated in the evaluation of this beer, all blind to the hop variety used until after they completed the survey. The average aroma and flavor ratings for each descriptor were plotted on a radar graph.

Average Ratings of Aroma and Flavor Perceptions

The 3 characteristics endorsed as being most prominent by participants:

The 3 characteristics endorsed as being least prominent by participants:

Next, participants were asked to rate the pungency/strength of the hop.

Tasters were then instructed to identify beer styles they thought the hop would work well in.

Finally, participants were asked to rate how much they enjoyed the hop character on a 0 to 10 scale.

My Impressions: To my senses, the most prominent hop characteristics in this beer were stone fruit, particularly apricot, and tropical fruit. While single-hop beers often tend to be somewhat unidimensional, I thought this one was really nice with decent hop pungency.

| CONCLUSION |

Commercially released in 2021, McKenzie hops were developed in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and boasts characteristics that hit many of marks modern brewers are looking for. In 2023, Haas began selling a LUPOMAX version of this notably fruity hop variety, offering brewers a concentrated pellet that purportedly imparts beer with even more pungent hop characteristics while improving overall kettle efficiency.

 The most prominent aroma and flavor characteristics noted by people who evaluated a Pale Ale made solely with McKenzie LUPOMAX were citrus, tropical fruit, and stone fruit while onion/garlic, earthy/woody, and berry were among the least endorsed characteristics. Ratings on the hop pungency of this beer were a bit spread out, though a good number of tasters felt it was strong while one person endorsed it as being extreme. Predictably, the style of beer most tasters felt McKenzie LUPOMAX would work well is in hoppy IPA and Pale Ale.

Based on the existing descriptors for McKenzie LUPOMAX, I had high hopes for this single-hop Pale Ale, and I was not let down. To my palate, stone fruit and tropical fruit led the organoleptic charge, and while I felt those characteristics were quite pungent. I feel this hop would work well paired with other fruity varieties in modern versions of IPA, though would likely fit nicely is more modestly hopped styles like Blonde Ale and even pale lager.

McKenzie LUPOMAX hops are available now at Yakima Valley Hops, get some while you can! If you have any thoughts on this variety, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.

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