While it's not new to 2021, the current prevalence of the phrase in beer names and label descriptors suggests Cryo is making a bid to be the DDH or oat cream of the year. I dunno about you, but for me – which perhaps says something about my vintage – the word conjures thoughts of a David Cronenberg-penned dystopian movie in which something is brought back to life in a troubled future before embarking on a body-dysmorphia-themed, psychologically-insidious rampage.
In the case of beer, however, it's far less sinister: Cryo is the trademarked name US hop grower Yakima Chief Hops have given to a process which, in layman's terms, sees them isolate the bits you're after (essential oils and resin) to inject your beer with aroma and flavour. With Cryomofo – a beer visitors to Balter HQ on the Gold Coast may have tried on tap before – the brewers have injected Cryo Mosaic and the lesser known Loral (a variety I'm surprised hasn't been used more widely to date) into a West Coast IPA.
Glowing gold like an ingot in a brightly lit bank vault, it's a showcase for clean tropical hops – melon, pineapple and candied orange and grapefruit – without being explosive. Indeed, thanks to its full yet not flabby, sweetly fruity yet not sticky body, plus a gently lingering, fruit ‘n’ bubblegum bitterness, it has no need to be explosive. Instead, Cryomofo delivers everything it needs to impeccably: an exhibition of how to corral the building blocks of a beer into a delicious whole.
James Smith
Published February 5, 2021 2021-02-05 00:00:00
