A recent article I have in The Bulletin covers terpenes in beer, specifically looking at the new Cross Joint Terpene IPA from Silver Moon Brewing. Terpenes are naturally occurring compounds derived from plants, largely responsible for the aromas and flavors of plants.

The term “terpene” is often associated with the aromatic qualities of cannabis and some varieties of hops (the two plants are closely related). In fact, terpenes are derived from many sources, including pine trees, citrus fruits, lavender and much more.

A number of breweries have released beers brewed with terpenes, which typically involves adding the concentrated terpene profile to the conditioning beer, similar to dry hopping. In most cases, the desired effect is a brew with the “dank” aromatic characteristics of cannabis (without actually using cannabis).

For Silver Moon’s Cross Joint, I reached out to the brewery to learn more about the process behind it.

The recipe was developed by Ben Kinzel, Silver Moon’s manager of brewing operations. He started with a standard IPA featuring Citra, El Dorado and Sabro hops, all varieties known for their fruity qualities.

The article covers some of the background of Cross Joint along with my own review notes for the beer (hint: it delivers on what I’d expect for a terpene IPA), be sure to check it out.