Karl Strauss Brewing Company is launching Mosaic Session Ale, the latest pioneering release in its Coastal Reserve Series. Since its inception, Karl’s Coastal Reserve Series has served as a hoppy playground for Karl Strauss brewers to experiment with new hop varietals, different hopping techniques and push the envelope on traditional beer styles. This unencumbered creativity has led to award-winning, critically acclaimed beers like Big Barrel Double IPA and Blackball Belgian IPA. “Our Coastal Reserve Series is a great sandbox to channel the brewers’ creativity and really put the focus on hops,” says Paul Segura, Brewmaster, Karl Strauss Brewing Company.
Mosaic Session Ale is the brainchild of brewer Sean Albrecht, who oversees the company’s original brewery in downtown San Diego. A hophead at heart, Albrecht wanted to showcase the newly developed Mosaic hop, which is known for intense citrus and vibrant tropical flavor and aroma.
“The first time I smelled Mosaic hops, I knew I had to brew a beer featuring them,” says Albrecht. “I was inspired to brew a hop bomb that Californians would love, but something that was drinkable enough to enjoy a few pints at a time. I started with a clean malt profile and then double dry-hopped for big citrus aromatics.” The result is Mosaic Session Ale—an unfiltered 5.5% ABV single-hop beer with a hefty dose of wheat for a light body and crisp finish.
Originally released as part of the company’s small batch ‘Tank Tap’ program, Mosaic Session Ale was wildly popular and several batches took only days to sell out. “The overwhelming market demand for this unique beer inspired us to scale it up to a full production run,” says Segura.
Beginning late May 2014, Mosaic Session Ale will be available on draft for a limited time throughout California. Beyond draft an extremely small quantity of 22oz bottles will also be available at the company’s main tasting room in Pacific Beach, San Diego. “We can’t wait for our fans across California to enjoy this fresh hop bomb,” says Albrecht. For more information on Mosaic Session Ale, visit karlstrauss.com.
