New Belgium Releases Latest Hop Kitchen Offering, Botanical Imperial IPA

22 Mar 2016 --- Using the fresh aroma of the spring landscape as inspiration, New Belgium Brewing’s Botanical Imperial IPA uses a blast of essential oils from backyard botanicals. Basil, sage and juniper help create the freshest IPA around, with Bravo, Cascade, Sterling, and Willamette hop varieties delivering a potent hop punch.

“The essential oils intensify the citrusy, herbal and spicy hop flavors,” noted Ross Koenigs, New Belgium Pilot Brewer. “The idea for a botanical IPA came from our love of both IPAs and gin. So back in 2014, we had our hop chemist run a bunch of gin botanicals alongside different hop varieties and then we started beta testing how those different herbs and spices played with the hops. The result offers notes of citrus, pine, wood, cedar, mint, and a little spice.”

Botanical Imperial IPA comes in at 8.5% ABV with 85 IBUs. It is available on draft now through mid-April.

Botanical Imperial IPA
- Malts: Pale and Caramel
- Hops: Bravo, Cascade, Sterling, and Willamette
- ABV: 8.5%
- IBU: 85
- Draft Only