Fear & Lotus In Lexington
Mirror Twin Brewing

Always up for a challenge, the brewers at Mirror Twin take on the Lotus hops for new and promising flavor with these intriguing hops, but with the tried and true familiarity of Amarillo varieties. Together, this hop tandem takes the tastebuds on quite the adventure.

Matte gold and crowned with a dense cream cap, Fear & Lotus in Lexington hosts a visually dense appearance but then wafts across the nose with bold citrus, and lighter tropical and winey notes before settling on mild pastry-sweet taste of caramel, shortbread and graham cracker.

As the hops blossom on the middle palate, the particularly strong taste of grapefruit and orange rise to prominence with a pep of lemon. Trending slightly bitter, the hops chase off much of the malt sweetness in favor for a nuanced bright taste that trends tropical with pineapple, passionfruit and even with a winey twinge with the sprucy, herbal and spicy balance on the late palate.

With a slightly more bitter taste than usual, the beer's tighter bitterness leads to a sharper and drier finish with a stronger linger of tea, sassafras, cedar, spruce and fruit peel. Where the grapefruit boldness of Amarillo hops set the tone, its the Lotus hops that bring the complexity of tropical fruit and vinyard nuances.