Maskeron The Mystery of Todd Bates
Why tribute to Todd Bates?
For all of you who love hoppy craft beer, Todd Bates should be an icon and a hero, as it is to me. Bates, a biologist and a hobby home-brewer at first, discovered over 80 varieties of wild hops in New Mexico that ended up being quite different than any commercial beer he could find at the time. His first wild hop - neomexicanus, grew in the canyon behind his house and survived severe conditions only to hang out in the ground and wait for the perfect conditions to grow again. In cooperation with CLS Farms, he managed to cultivate these pureblood, wild, American hop varieties we love and use today in brewing. Medusa, the core of my new beer The Mystery of Todd Bates, is one of my favorite hops, is 100% American Neomexicanus, delivering strong flavor and aroma characteristics of intensive guava, melon, apricot and citrus fruit.
- Niko, Maskeron headbrewer
_________________________
