The Hop Chronicles | Mystic (2020) Pale Ale

Author: Steve Thanos

Recently released by the Charles Faram Hop Development Programme out of England, Mystic is purported to impart beer with a unique blend of passion fruit, citrus, and black currant while having a relatively low alpha acid content. As such, it’s viewed largely as an aroma variety, though it’s also said to contribute a clean bitterness when used in lighter beer styles.

Alpha: 4 – 7%
Beta: 2 – 4%
Cohumulone: ​​30 – 40% of alpha acids
Total Oil: 0.5 – 1.5 mL/100g
Myrcene: 30 – 40%
Humulene: 30 – 40%
Caryophyllene: unknown
Farnesene: > 1%
Linalool: unknown
Geraniol: unknown
ß-Pinene: unknown
Parentage: unknown

I first heard of Mystic hops while perusing Yakima Valley Hops for novel varieties about a year ago, at which time the only crop year available was 2020. Fully trusting the hops were stored in ideal conditions, and anxious to try something new, I picked some up for use in The Hop Chronicles.

| 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.

Mystic Pale Ale

The night prior to brewing, I collected the full volume of water, which I adjusted to my desired profile before weighing out and milling grains.

When the water was properly heated the next morning, I incorporated the grains then checked to ensure the mash was at 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 the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops at the times stated in the recipe. When the boil was complete, I quickly chilled the wort with my JaDeD Brewing Hydra IC.

A hydrometer measurement showed the wort was at my target OG.

After transferring the wort to a sanitized fermented, I direct pitched a single pouch of Imperial Yeast A07 Flagship and left it to ferment at my desired temperature of 66°F/19°C.

After a week, I added the dry hops then left the beer alone for another 2 days before taking a hydrometer measurement confirming FG was reached.

With fermentation complete, I cold crashed the beer then transferred it to a CO2 purged keg that was placed on gas in my keezer. After a week of cold 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 14 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: I was rather impressed with the fruity characteristics in this single-hop Mystic Pale Ale, which I perceived as mainly tangerine along with a whisper of passion fruit. The bitterness was smooth and clean, which contributed to the overall drinkability of this beer.

| CONCLUSION |

Whereas British hops tend to be associated with classic ale that’s not known for being too hop-forward, there are some modern varieties that are following the fruity trend, one of which is Mystic. With its relatively low alpha acid content and purported ability to contribute fruity characteristics to beer, Mystic has been labeled an aroma hop that’s best used later in the process.

The most prominent aroma and flavor characteristics noted by people who evaluated a Pale Ale made solely with Mystic were citrus, tropical fruit, and stone fruit, while less desirable onion/garlic and dank/catty were the least endorsed characteristics. Moreover, a majority of tasters rated the overall hop pungency as moderate, which is likely a function of the amount of hops used in this beer. Unsurprisingly, the beer style nearly every taster felt Mystic would work well in is IPA/Pale Ale, though a few also endorsed Saison and pale lager.

Having use classic British hop varieties many times over the years, I admittedly had some expectation of what to expect in this single-hop Mystic Pale Ale, though I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. While my palate is geared more toward over-the-top hoppy beers, the more subdued fruitiness in this beer was quite pleasant. I certainly look forward to pairing Mystic with other hops in future batches of IPA, though I’m even more curious to see how it plays in less hoppy styles like Blonde Ale and pale lager.

Mystic 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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