Master brewer brings German experience, traditions to popular hoppy style

By Steve Graham

India Pale Ale, or IPA, is not a beer name that fits neatly alongside Märzen, Kölsch and other umlaut-laden German styles at Prost Brewing.

Broken Hops launch party
WHERE: Highland Tap and Burger, 2219 W. 32nd Ave, Denver
WHEN: 11 am to 6 pm Friday March 7
WHAT: Food and beer pairings, also debuting a Double IPA collaboration with Seedstock Brewing

But Prost brewer Christopher O'Connor wanted to make excellent IPAs, so he started his own side project that officially launches this week as a new distribution-only Denver brewery. Broken Hops Brewing Co. debuts on Friday at Highland Tap & Burger with a Hazy IPA and a crystal-clear West Coast IPA.

O’Connor is the president of Broken Hops, and Jacob Schneeberger is director of sales. We caught up with both at King of Wings in Wheat Ridge for a soft launch event.

“We are breaking the tradition of what IPAs have become in America,” said Jacob Schneeberger, director of sales at Broken Hops and Prost. “Everything we have done has reimagined what an IPA could be.”

The history of the traditional IPA is, well, hazy. But the style certainly originated in England with traditional English ale brewing techniques (and plenty of extra hops), and IPAs are relative youngsters in the beer world (going back only about 200 years).

Broken Hops is going back to the future, so to speak, by using classic German ingredients and far older German techniques to make a new but familiar type of IPA. Both IPAs go through open fermentation, and are double dry-hopped and naturally carbonated.

“It’s a very, very unique process for making a modern IPA, and we are very excited about the results,” O'Connor said.

The resulting beers are approachable, soft on the palate and surprisingly sessionable for a beer with above 7 percent ABV.

Test versions of the Hazy IPA and West Coast IPA have been on tap at Prost and with limited distribution in cans for several months, but the company officially launches on Friday with a party at Highland Tap & Burger.

O’Connor said Broken Hops also will have seasonal variations and collaboration beers with other Colorado breweries.

Prost is distributed in seven states, but Broken Hops will only be available in the Denver metro area for now.