SAN FRANCISCO, California – 21st Amendment Brewery and lauded family-owned hop farm CLS Farms team up for a limited-edition Imperial IPA brewed with innovative hops grown in the premier hop region of Yakima Valley in Washington State. Close Encounters of a Hop Kind (8.5% ABV) transports beer drinkers far beyond typical Double IPAs with CLS Farms’ extraterrestrial proprietary hop varieties: El Dorado®, Zappa®, and the brand new, never before used X-14. Handcrafted out of a love for experimental hops, Close Encounters of a Hop Kind is a deceptively easy-drinking DIPA.
“Close Encounters goes well beyond just a beer name,” says Shelley Desmarais, Co-Owner of CLS Farms. “Our communities of hop farmers and brewers are full of close connections, and we tell our stories best through exciting collaborations such as this one. Hops arrive in different ways either by a nursery, born in a field, or fallen from the sky. The composition of hops and how they affect beer are so unique that they seem out of this world. Close Encounters allows us to share the lure of hop mystery.”
21st Amendment is an open-door brewery that welcomes collaborations with industry professionals they admire. In turn, CLS Farms offers 21st Amendment exclusive access to world-renowned hops so 21st Amendment Co-Founder and Brewmaster Shaun O’Sullivan can be inventive with how he approaches the hottest beer styles.
“Discovering new and experimental hops is a driving energy behind the excitement for craft beer. Our friends Eric and Shelley Desmarais at CLS Farms along with their family and crew are at the tip of the spear with hop innovation and exploring new varietals. That innovation brings our collaboration to a higher level. Close Encounters with its light haze and deep straw color has flavor and aroma bursts of tropical, stone fruit, lime, melon, and purple, that’s right purple. All those flavors wrapped and tucked into a double IPA in a 16 ounce can, well, we can all definitely dig that,” says O’Sullivan.
The new Close Encounters of a Hop Kind will be available this summer in 16 oz. can 4-packs and on draft in all 34 states where 21st Amendment distributes.
About CLS Farms
CLS Farms is a fifth generation, independent, and family-owned hop farm in the heart of hop country. Owners Eric and Shelley Desmarais have been farming for the last 26 years in the Yakima Valley. CLS Farms stands for the women in the Desmarais family, Claire, Lauren, and Shelley.
The intense climate and stable water supply produces consistent, bold aromas that make the Yakima Valley the premier hop growing region in the world. After growing mostly alpha hop varieties, CLS switched to growing aroma varieties during the craft beer boom, with a heavy emphasis on Centennial, enabling CLS to become a leader in the Centennial variety category. CLS continued to expand by putting in more aroma acreage and started growing its own proprietary varieties, El Dorado®, Zappa®, Medusa™, and X-14.?CLS Farms grows over 20 varieties, with a mix of both public and proprietary varieties.
About 21st Amendment Brewery
22 years ago (established in 2000), Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan opened the doors to the 21st Amendment brewpub in San Francisco’s historic South Park neighborhood. In addition to quickly becoming one of the city’s favorite pubs, 21st Amendment began expanding beyond the Bay Area by helping to pioneer the movement to canned craft beer. Known for their witty names and delicious brews, 21st Amendment offers year-round selections, as well as seasonal offerings and their infamous once-in-a-while limited-edition releases. Sold in 34 states plus Washington D.C., 21st Amendment produces beer in its state-of-the-art brewery headquarters in San Leandro, California, and is among the top 50 craft beer brewers in America.
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https://www.21st-amendment.com
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