Two to Tangier Puts a Tango Pun on an Orange Blossom Fresh Hop

Two breweries, one fresh hop batch, and a name that has clearly been workshopped. Kulshan Brewing Co. has released Two to Tangier, a Hazy Fresh Hop IPA brewed with Seattle's Fremont Brewing, and it is pouring now at the Bellingham brewery's Roosevelt and Sunnyland taprooms.

The hop character, Kulshan says, runs to navel orange, orange blossom and citrus zest. That is a more specific set of notes than fresh hop releases usually come with. Navel orange is sweeter and less sharp than the grapefruit that anchors a lot of American IPA description, and orange blossom points somewhere else entirely, toward a floral, almost perfumed quality rather than a straightforward fruit one. Taken together they describe a citrus profile with some range in it.

Fresh hops, and what that means here

The beer belongs to Kulshan's fresh hop run for the season, alongside separate Strata, Citra and Amarillo releases. Fresh hop beers use cones that go into the kettle within hours of being picked rather than dried and pelletized first, which is why the style exists as an autumn event rather than a year-round option. The window is short and the hops do not travel well. Kulshan has not named the variety behind this particular batch.

The collaboration partner is worth noting. Fremont Brewing has been operating in Seattle since 2009 and runs its own substantial fresh hop program, so this is two Washington breweries working in a format both already know well.

As for the name: "it takes two to tango" is the obvious source, bent toward Tangier, a Moroccan port city long associated with orange groves and orange blossom water. Kulshan has not spelled out the connection, but the beer's stated tasting notes make the reading hard to avoid.

Two to Tangier is available now on draft at the Roosevelt and Sunnyland taprooms and in four-packs to go.