Ingredient Insight: Oskar Blues Gubna Imperial IPA sports new hop bill

Oskar Blues‘ spring seasonal, GUBNA Imperial IPA, rolls out in March with a new hop bill featuring some of the most exciting and aromatic hops, all of which were sniffed out by Oskar Blues staff at concurrent hop selection panels at both breweries.

Each year GUBNA is reinvented, taking the season’s highest quality hops and creating a formidable and complex Imperial IPA. Coming in at 100-plus international bitterness units and 10 percent ABV, this inimitable beer is an IPA unlike any other.

Mash-hopped with whole-leaf Galena hops, Oskar Blues brewers then kettle hop with Columbus and Sorachi Ace, which spikes GUBNA 5.0 with spicy, blackcurrant notes and lemon zest overtones. The brewing is then finished with more Galena hops in the whirlpool to accent these aromas. These colossal hop varieties fuel a serious assault on the senses, balanced by the satisfying warmth of 10 percent ABV.

The 2015 GUBNA is dry-hopped with prodigious amounts of El Dorado, Comet and Chinook hops. These hops create a dank, dense nose and a unique blend of grapefruit, apricot, pineapple and herbs, while finishing clean and bitter, but smooth. The GUB sits on a base of Rye, North American Pale and Munich malts, which offers a smooth and flavorful backbone to support the gargantuan load of hops.

For more on all things Oskar Blues, visit the brewery’s website.