Indie Hops
Audacia
BREWING PROFILE
Two worlds merge to create a hop with class and sass. Hersbrucker mom meets nephew of Strata to create Audacia, a hop that thrives in IPA — West Coast & Hazy — yet is classy enough to liven up hoppy lagers. Black currant, pomegranate, lychee and huckleberry mingle with rose, lilac and lavender. Feels like a mid-summer picnic in the mid-latitudes!
See brewing notes by beer stylePack Types
- Pellets
- Whole Cone Hops
Salmon-Safe
95% of our hops are certified Salmon-Safe, reducing watershed impacts and protecting our wildlife.
BREWING NOTES BY BEER STYLE
Endless possibilities. Here are a few that are tried and true.
Flavor Tip: New England / Hazy IPA
During trials we got to see Audacia pretty much as a single hop at four pounds/barrel in a hazy IPA. Suffice to say the hop thrived in this environment and proved it can be a heavy hitter in any weight class. The lychee seemed to rise to greater prominence, but the tangy berries and mid-range floral provided the depth needed for a single hop hazy.
Flavor Tip: American / West Coast IPA
We had the chance to collaborate with Grains of Wrath Brewing on a West Coast IPA for 2025 CBC. 60% Audacia / 20% Citra / 20% Amarillo, Audacia took the lead with a catchy lilac-lavender aroma, and tangy lychee / dark berries flavor that was a big hit at our booth and showed how well Audacia character combines with a couple of heavy hitters like Citra and Amarillo.
Flavor Tip: Lager
Audacia can help bring hoppy lagers to life with its floral aromas and sweet/tangy berry flavors. West Coast Pils is an excellent style for Audacia where the hop character is the focus, but in a lighter style such as a Rice Lager it’s important to be light-handed with Audacia and ideally combine with varieties like US Tettnang, Sterling or Willamette so that just the right amount of Audacia comes through..
Flavor Tip: Pale Ale / XPA
Perhaps our most versatile variety, Audacia presents elegant and classy on the rub, but delivers high-impact flavor and aroma in hop-forward beers. Black currant, pomegranate, tangy berries and lychee dance together in a lovely ensemble all capped with a floral lilac, lavender and rose bouquet. Audacia can lead the dance number, or smoothly groove in tandem with other loud hops. Rhody XPA (feat. Audacia, Strata, Krush, & Galaxy) from our dear friends at Grand Fir is an excellent showcase of just how well Audacia works in Pale Ales/XPAs. Rhody delivers maximum taste and refreshment, and bursts with bold flavors of ripe juicy peach, black currant and floral lavender.
Audacia pairs wonderfully with fruity, ester-forward ale yeasts and provides floral and sweet berry nuances that paint a wonderful summery picture. Blending a base of pale and wheat malts creates an elegant canvas that allows Audacia to shine bright while providing just enough body to keep the beer full, but not so much that a pint becomes hard to finish. We recently collaborated with Smog City Brewing and Admiral Maltings to brew Picnic Weather, an English-style Summer Ale that drank like a glass of Ambrosia on Mount Olympus. Summer never tasted so good!
Flavor Tip: Stout / Porter / Dark Ale
Audacia’s sweet-tart berry flavors are a winning touch on dark roasted malt beers. Two gold medals already reeled in by Loowit Brewing for their Shimmerglow Imperial Stout in the 2023 and 2024 Washington Beer Awards. Dark days never tasted so good!
Flavor Tip: Farmhouse / Saison / Belgian
Although we didn’t trial Audacia in Belgian styles prior to launching, it didn’t take saison-focused brewers long to imagine Audacia’s character in this format and show how well this hop combines with farmhouse/saison yeast derived flavors. Proceed with confidence!
Fresh flavor for your brew!
Chemistry
