Mother Earth launches new Project X HIPA

Mother Earth Brew Co. just released the latest in its rotating hazy IPA (HIPA) series and it’s a monster…Hop Monster, that is. Following its series forebearers, Hop Monster leans into its bitterness quite a bit more than the typical New England style of hazies typically found on the shelf, clocking in at 60 IBUs (international bittering units) and loaded with Rakau, Nelson and Citra Hops.

“We’ve been having a lot of fun with these Southern Hemisphere varietals lately. The sweet/tropical/stone fruit characteristics really lend themselves well to the style. The increased bitterness also helps to balance that perceived sweetness,” says Mother Earth Director of Brewing Operations, Chris Baker. “We typically don’t use lactose in our hazy beers, which is often done to assist with haze stability and to increase body, but we’ve found that we can achieve those qualities through brewing methods rather than loading the beer with adjuncts. The result is a medium-to-full-bodied beer with tons of hop aroma and flavor but without the cloying sweetness.”

As for the other half of the collaborative project–the label art–Mother Earth enlisted Ecuadorean artist, Gabo Zeta, to illustrate the can and the results are wild. Gabo’s “lowbrow” art is defined by its bright saturated colors, psychedelia, ’80s and ’90s cartoons, punk rock, horror and toy culture, and is inspired by the work of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, the creator of Rat Fink.

Hop Monster HIPA is available now on draft and rolling out in 16-ounce cans throughout August and September. Customers are urged to locate it using Mother Earth’s beer finder to locate near them.