Broken Hops Brewing New Old School IPAs

The IPA is ubiquitous in craft beer. After all, it is the style most responsible for the category’s explosive growth over the past 25+ years. While these hoppy beers can be found everywhere, it is not often that a new innovation with staying power is introduced. The last couple years have seen the rise of modern West Coast IPAs using Lager yeasts and new age hop styles to yield easier drinking beers with juicy fruit-forward flavor components. Enter Chris O’Connor, Prost Brewing Vice President of Brewing Operations and President of Broken Hops Brewing. With the new brand, Chris is looking to utilize the advanced technology and methods found in Prost’s brewhouse on more modern hop forward styles.

Brewing IPAs using traditional German methods is not something often found in the modern market. Chris believes that using Prost’s advanced equipment and incorporating German brewing methods will allow Broken Hops to distinguish their IPAs. As Broken Hops is merely a side project at the moment, their lineup of beers will be limited. Year-round they will feature a Hazy IPA and West Coast IPA, and they will augment those with seasonal offerings and planned collaboration takes on their core beers. At the recent Great American Beer Festival, Broken Hops was pouring their San Diego Style IPA, a DDH West Coast IPA, as well as Black IPA, their dark coffee-forward winter seasonal. 

Focusing back on those 2 core beers, it is immediately apparent that Broken Hops is doing something different. On the process side, their West Coast IPA uses single decoction, a traditional brewing method where part of the mash is boiled before adding it back to the main mash. This allows for a unique malt expression and subsequent dryness that cannot be achieved through other brewing methods. On the palate, West Coast IPA presents super clean. There is a nice balance of malt and hop as all German ingredients were used. With its modern fruity character, it is somewhat surprising that new age hops were not used. The expression of grapefruit, melon, and citrus flavors speak to the methods Broken Hops is using to unleash elements in their ingredients.

Hazy IPA is using an even higher level of specialization with double decoction, a method traditionally reserved for big malty German styles. With the use of the modern hops Crush, Strata, and El Dorado, a formidable hop presence is able to balance the expressed malt characteristics. The Hazy drinks incredibly light and pillowy for the style, owing to the smoothness created with the traditional German methods. This beer is unlike any other Hazy IPA on the market, truly setting apart Broken Hops for their unique approach to brewing modern IPAs.

As a new brand in the saturated craft beer market, it’s difficult to distinguish yourself. Clever marketing and packaging can only go so far. At the end of a successful business day, the beer itself must offer something special that resonates with consumers. Broken Hops is certainly offering something special not currently found in the market, and they are executing at a high level. Let’s hope the market rewards them for their innovation.