Other Half All Mosaic Everything Imperial IPA & the first drop
You'll always remember your first time.
The beer: Other Half’s All Mosaic Everything Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.5%
How we got it: Other Half’s All Mosaic Everything was announced on Instagram on May 12 and was available for curbside pickup and home delivery to South Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens.
Photo by Other Half Brewing Co
What they say: “Mosaic joins the All “—-” Everything family with our choice hand picked Mosaic hops. Punchy with tropical aromas and a hint of blueberry.”
What you say: The beer sports a 4.31 rating on Untapped and a 4.27 on BeerAdvocate.
What Mike says —
I got this beer as part of a special delivery I ordered from Other Half’s Brooklyn location for my birthday. All I wanted for my birthday was beer delivered during quarantine -- and I got it. The All Mosaic Everything four-pack I received — I purchased three other varieties because I’m a professional — is special, however, because it’s my first “drop” beer ever.
What’s a beer drop, you might ask? I’m still trying to figure out the full significance myself. But what I can say for certain, dear reader, is this: Beer drops are new beers that breweries drop when they’re ready to release to the thirsty people some fresh goodness. They seem akin to the “drops” that brands like Supreme and Nike do for sneaker collabs, etc. Do beerheads line up around the block waiting for the brewery to release the drop the same way the sneakerheads do outside the Soho boutiques? Impossible to fully investigate in these home-confined times. Though, there’s at least one documented late night lineup outside Other Half...that almost ended tragically with some outta town yokels shooting a bunch of beerheads!
Other Half posted about All Mosaic Everything on their Instagram last Tuesday; I got it Thursday. They wrote, “We've never used Mosaic in this classic series it has a straight forward grain bill and showcases the hop...Punchy with citrus aromas and a hint of blueberry.”
It’s an imperial IPA, which means it’s pretty high test stuff — 8.5% alcohol. You can definitely feel the extra percentile points after a few sips. On imperials, double IPAs, and the like: I stopped worrying and started to love stronger IPAs about a year ago. Before that, I resisted the heavier beers. I preferred more crushable strains like session IPAs. But humans are highly adaptable creatures; I’ve learned to enjoy strong beers. The All Mosaic Everything isn’t too heavy, in fact. I give you my full blessing to drink multiple AMEs during your next session.
On the Mosaic hops...ok, what exactly are Mosaic hops? When I first started drinking and loving hoppy beer I thought that, well, hops are just hops and they are fantastic. Now I’m starting to learn that there are different hops. This is new information to me personally. Hopslist.com describes Mosaics as “complex but clean flavor characteristics” with “carrying flavors of mango, pine, citrus and herbs and aromas of tropical and stone fruit.” Even more fun, they’re apparently known as ““Citra on steroids”. Mosaic, Citra, Simcoe, et al. We’re gonna get into all of this hop business in this newsletter. This pandemic presents an opportunity for new discovery while we’re cooped up at home on quarantine. Some folks are becoming sourdough bread baking experts. We’re going to become hop experts.
Back to the beer. I had my first All Mosaic Everything at Monday happy hour. Note: happy hour under quarantine occurs in my living room while I supervise my almost three-year-old son Caleb as he turns the couch into a “tent” (it’s mostly just throwing the cushions on the floor). I had a second one during the second half of happy hour when Caleb moved onto watching a YouTube video where Pringles boxes turn into the Hulk, Captain America and Spiderman. This video obviously has 21 million views on YouTube.
I served these beers to myself in frosty pint mugs I procured from my own freezer. The chilled mug obviously kept the beer super cold, however, I don’t think this beer necessarily needed the icey mug. If you’re drinking it kinda slow and it gets a little warm that would be ok.
I enjoyed the buzz that hit less than halfway through the first pint. The body of the beer is nice and hazy. After the second pint, I was ready to close out the All Mosaic Everything experience for the night. I dialed it back to another beer from my Other Half haul: the DDH Small Galaxy Everything. A little lighter. Pared better with my bowl of chili. We’ll have more thoughts on the Small Galaxy later on…
Finally, a thought on my ideal drinking scenario next time I get my hands on the All Mosaic Everything…
The world has opened back up, so I’m in a bar. It’s around dusk. The beer is served to me in 10 oz. glass. The sun is starting to set and the light coming in the window hits the glass and highlights the slight gradient of the beer’s yellow and orange body. The first beer primes me with a nice buzz. The second sip of the second All Mosaic Everything — the best sip — is the perfect combo of warmth in the belly and refreshment in the gullet. Well now, that sounds pretty sublime to me.
Back soon. In the meantime, remember the quarantined drinking man’s affirmation. You’re stuck at home. You’re drinking beer. And that’s ok.