Hop Monster - Paper City Brewery Co., Inc.

far333

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Apricot color with a beige bubbly foamy head. There are large particles suspended in the beer. The aroma is honey and light hops, and masks the huge flavor lying beneath. The flavor kicks you in the teeth all at once. Big flavors of bitter hops, with a slight piney aftertaste and a bitter orange peel finish. Mouthfeel is tingly. An alcoholic flourish lingers afterward. This beer can stand up to all of the big big Imperial IPA's out there, however, like those big IIPA's, I feel that the flavor is overtaken and ruined by the strong alcohol power.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2003 02:06:51 | More by far333

Jdiddy

Rhode Island

3.43/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I was a bit let down by this. It's not bad but it is not spectacular either. Suprisingly, the scent is not very hoppy. I prefer the scent of a 90 IPA from Dogfish. It does hide the alcohol well but the taste is just ok. It has that bitter (cellar/dirt-like) aftertase that some very hopped beers have. That shows me that something was not done right. The beer is ok until the aftertaste. A bit musty. I am all for hops (the hoppier the better!) but it has to be balanced right and this isn't. I would not rush to buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2003 22:58:35 | More by Jdiddy

mikeys01

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The hop monster served from the bottle appears a hazy amber/orange, with a fairly foamy white head. Aroma is fairly sweet and the hop aroma is actually fairly subdued, or at least balanced with enough malt that it isn't scary to inhale. First sip was like sucking on a mouthful of hop flowers, reach out and grab you hop bitterness. The palate quickly adjusts and the beer also mellows a bit as it warms a bit, the malt character becomes more evident. You briefly taste a nice caramel malt sweetness, then a vicious citrus tang on the back of the tongue kicks in as an aftertaste. Wow, hop monster indeed, probably the best brew I've tried from Paper City. Would love to try some on draft...

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2003 21:35:32 | More by mikeys01

chaduvel

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark gold copper color with a wispy head that doesn't stay around for long at all. Aroma is of woodsy hops, oak, maple, and leafy. Now for the first taste. Overwhelming hops on the intake, woodsy hops at that, then comes cloying malt sweetness, fruity malts--apricots, pears maybe? Thick mouth feel. Ends with another welcome of leafy hops and more sweet malt. The cloying malts remind me of a Malt Liquor [I'm not a big fan]. This is a well-balanced beer for such big hops, but I didn't care for the malt characteristics or the weird sweet flavors. Definitely worth a try though.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2003 15:10:21 | More by chaduvel

UnionMade

Colorado

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

That's my picture of the beer to the right of this. I poured it out of that very bottle.
The beer pours a hazy orange-gold color, topped with a thin misting of head. The head actually seems to pick up as you drink, finishing with about 1/8" of creamy white foam. I've never had that happen before. Unprecedented retention, with active streamers of carbonation quickly rising to feed to head.
The aroma is initially very well balanced, particularly for being such a huge beer. Big malt is balanced with equally big hops. A nice toasty character to the malt, with a touch of caramel. A resinous hopping takes over as the beer warms, with a pungent citric/piney aroma. Some phenolic esters hiding under the hops, with some green apple, pear, and apricot. Very light grain. A moderate grapefruity quality to the hops, with a floral feel. Wether from the hops, esters, or a combination, I'm not sure. Very light alcohol peeping through towards the end.
The flavor is big, very big. Huge malts start up the beer, with a big, thick mouthfeel. Some caramel and toasted malt, quickly swallowed by an agressive hop attack. Big piney hopping enters the picture, somewhat oily, mingling with some estery fruitiness in the middle. The hops gain in stature, taking on a big, resinous citric quality, nearly drowning out the malt, and finishing the beer with a big explosive bitterness. Some grapefruit towards the end, with hints of apple and apricot hiding under the hops in the middle. A bit of under-ripened peach. Some alcohol is apparent in the finish as the beer warms up, with an oily hoppiness becoming more and more apparent. The malt comes through more, balancing out the massive hoppiness nicely.
I'd say this is somewhere in imperial IPA territory. The beer is really huge, with better balance than most imperial IPAs, in my opinion. The malts are more complex and come through a bit more, so it's not just a hop tea. Nice and complex, with plenty of layers to both the hops and malts. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2003 06:32:31 | More by UnionMade

goz

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Chill hazed cloudy blonde pour, good size creamy white head, slowly recedes to a good lace. Aroma is perfumy, flowery, and some citrus. Flavor has a slight malt twang at the front, and a strong citric, flowery, bitter hop ending that lingers on. Medium in body, medium carbonation, and a bit of a medicinal quality sneaks in at the end. I liked the original Hop Monster more than this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2003 01:23:43 | More by goz

HighGravity

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This beer has a great nose of floral, yet bitter hops. Amazing mouthfeel just klings to your taste buds leaving a dry finish that lasts for a long time. I've tried many of the Paper City line, but this brew far surpasses anything I've tasted. Long lasting head with a hoppy taste. The Hop Monster name suggests all you need to know for this overly hopped blonde.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2003 02:42:30 | More by HighGravity

UncleJimbo

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Sampled on tap at Redbones (listed as Paper City Blonde Hop Monster on the menu).

This beer poured a hazy, amber color with white foam that left lace on the glass. The smell was a strong floral hops aroma with some citrus thrown in. The taste was dominated by fruity hops (floral and bitter) with some sweet and tangy malt to balance. The mouthfeel was smooth with a dry finish and a slightly astringent aftertaste. The body was medium. this was a nicely drinkable ale.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2003 07:14:55 | More by UncleJimbo

IrishRedRock

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Redbones BBQ. The beer menu lists it as Blond Hop Monster.

My first taste of Paper City, and I was not disappointed. This is gooooooooooood. Golden amber from the tap, with a strong hoppy aroma with some grapefruit and citrus in the nose as well. Beers that smell like this remind me how much I truly love hops. Mouthfeel is smooth, clean, and has a great hop kick to bite you at the end. Hops dominate, but not to the point where the citrus fruits and grassy pine flavors do not stand out as well. Those who enjoy complex, hoppy, well balanced ales should definitely give this a shot. A tasty brew indeed.

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2003 01:05:07 | More by IrishRedRock

edchicma

Massachusetts

4.47/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nice cloudy medium gold with small head and light lacing. Smell is extremely nice...fruity and hoppy. Taste is excellent...extreme hops that linger, but do not beat up on you. Nice full mouthfeel that invites you to sip again. Not sure about alcohol contenet, but you certainly know it's there. Extremely drinkable as long as you don't guzzle. Best brew from Paper City that I have tried.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2003 22:31:33 | More by edchicma

beerman599

Connecticut

4.22/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep reddish-brown color,thin tight head and scattered lace. The aroma was great! ripe fruit aroma with hops at the end. is soon as this enters your mouth you no it's special clean bitterness and great hop flavor that finishes with malt first and then a lingering hops that go on for ever!

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2003 18:00:35 | More by beerman599

OldFrothingSlosh

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Cloudy deep "pink-grapefruit" in color with a thin white head. Sparse lacing. Very, very fruity and citrusy aromas noted. Slight sweetness noted on the first sip, but the hops patrol rolls up and sets up a barricade on your taste buds. All kinds of hops, too...piney, citrusy, spicy, you name it and it's in there. A powerful bitter aftertaste sets in. Slight penalty for the thinner-than-expected mouthfeel, but definitely a drinkable beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-31-2003 18:09:17 | More by OldFrothingSlosh

Bierman9

New Hampshire

3.58/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Redbones.... Poured a dark chestnut color, and was somewhat opaque. Possessed a thin, fine white head, with good lacing. It is quite darker than most IPA's I've experienced, though. The nose was odd, to me. It had a definite grapey aroma to it, and even smelled a bit winey. It had fairly good body, as well as being relatively smooth on the tongue. The flavor, like the aroma, was grapey, with some grapefruit appearing also. In the finish and aftertaste I seemed to get a taste of chocolate lingering on my palate. Not that bad a bier, yet I was expecting loads of hops and was presented a strange array of flavors instead.

overall: 3.65
appearance: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | mouthfeel: 4 | drinkability: 3.5

447

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2002 08:06:35 | More by Bierman9