I know I am a little late with this. The mystery has already been solved (so my headline is a bit misleading). But while in Halifax I got a chance to get a bottle of La Vache Folle Mystery Hop Double IPA, the last in their (current) series of single hop IIPAs. The adventure in this beer was that they refused to say what hop they used and wanted everyone to guess.

I sampled the beer in May, which puts the beer a bit past its prime but as a Double IPA it probably held up okay. (Yah, I know I didn’t post this back then – I was a bit busy…). I have had a couple of the Vache Folle single hops, and in general found them a bit sweet and not quite where they should be. However, I commend them for the effort, and I respect their beer in general. The folks at Charlevoix are good brewers, make no mistake.

The Mystery poured an golden orange with a moderate white head that lays down impressive lacing. It has an aroma of thick caramel and toffee, burnt caramel, like in a brulee, earthy hop aroma. The first sip presents a lot of crystal malt upfront, some toffee, honey, nuts and fruit. It is thick and sweet. As for the hops, they are woody, earthy and quiet. There is no citrus here. I quite enjoy the linger for its quiet presence. It is, on the whole, an understated double IPA.

Overall I really like the hop character in this beer, although it seems to present at a single IPA level, rather than a double. The woody earthiness really works for me. It also tells me (and, honestly I didn’t cheat) that the hop was Northern Brewer. Indeed that was the hop, but I recognized it without needing to be told, mostly because I like brewing with Northern Brewer, so I am quite familiar with it. I suspect most of you already knew that was what the hop was. Most of you likely also know that Northern Brewer is the mandatory hop for Steam Beer (which is why I know it – I brew that style often).

I suspect that Northern Brewer is not the best hop for a double IPA, which is asking for something more assertive and in your face. However, I gotta love that fact that they tried it. I really hope they do this single hop experiment again, and that I can get some bottles of it more consistently next time. I am a big fan of crafting beer that are both yummy and educational.