Hop Explosion - Allentown Brew Works

Omnium

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle > Sam Adam's Alpine Spring Glass
A - Pours a murky orange color, off white, thick 1.5 finger head, medium lacing.
S - Smells very fresh, lots of floral hops goin on, with some nice tropical fruits, and a sweeter malt.
T - This is a full flavored beer, good hop bitterness that has a somewhat fruity flavor that finishes with strong malt flavors.
M - The bitterness can tend to be a little much, but its decent.
O - Having this on tap last spring when it first reached the pittsburgh area, I didnt care for it, but revisiting it, I enjoyed it much more this time. Its a good full tasting IPA that can be appreciate in a number of areas.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 01:22:09 | More by Omnium

57md

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Appearance is a striking copper with a full finger of head that retains well and leaves some intricate lacing behind. The nose is hoppy, but not overly so. This is a solid example of an East Coast IPA - nice malt and hop balance. The finish could stand to be a bit hoppier, but that is a small criticism considering this offering is truly a rare example of a sessionable IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2013 21:07:06 | More by 57md

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

4.09/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Slightly hazy copper with two-finger, white, foamy, creamy head that lasted more than several minutes. Great lacing.

S: Citrus and pine hops. Pineapple.

T: Moderate sweetness and solid hop bitterness. Bitterness throughout. Citrus and pine.

M: Medium bodied with lively carbonation. Smooth.

O: Great looking IPA with a vivid aroma and a refreshing taste.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 02:40:43 | More by SolipsismalCat

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a cloudy orange/golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is dominated by hops. Taste is well balanced hops and malts, a bit of pine, good amount of bitterness. Very easy drinking. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 01:26:48 | More by tone77

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

3.18/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

12oz bottle served in a glass beer mug.

L - clear copper color with a fluffy white head that left sticky lacing.

S - a mix of pine and citrus.

T - sharp pine with citrus rind bitterness finishing things off.

F - medium bodied with mild carbonation making the beer go down easy.

O - a decent beer but just an average IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 22:05:59 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

lovindahops

New York

3.48/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- hops explosion pours a reddish copper with massive head of foam. Some floaties are even present in the brew

S- grassy, herbal, and pine notes represent the bulk of that profile. Even some spices and pepper

T- a bitter and dry taste coexist with some of the herbal flavors. Slightly medicinal at the finish with some malt lingering

M- good carbonation with a sticky flavor

O- I really look for a highly grapefruit, citric, or pine presence when a strong hop profile is suggested by the flavor. Nevertheless, it's very drinkable and consistent in some of the bitter aspects of the brew. I would have another

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 00:04:26 | More by lovindahops

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: A pale rustic orange shows a well established fill of effervesce. The head is the crowning achievment here, a solid 2+ fingers of bubbly foam that is light beige in color, frumpy in texture, with a strong shellacking of patchy foam work on the vessel walls.

S: Fresh grass and pepper arrive on the nose first with a dash of pepper, dry citrus and a touch of munich dry toastiness. Celery and flowers with a strength that was kinda light for a cautionary warning.

T: The hops didn't seem much at first but do gain some strength and momentum towards the swallow. Dry toasted grain and dry toasted citrus peel. A bit of peppercorns, pine and oregano comes with a warm toasted flowery bitterness. The hops pick up a bit more upon warming but still fall somewhat short of a hop explosion.

M: Malty mouthful, toasty warmth, decent level of bitterness.

O: Overall with a name like hop explosion you better bring the hop bang. It doesnt dissappoint, but doesnt exactly live up to its billing as well, more of a m-80 then a explosion. Love the chinook and tomahawk hops but there are most better examples of thier usage (arrogant bastardfor chinook & mikkeller single hop for tomahawk.)

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 02:20:59 | More by beerthulhu

cpolking

Iowa

3.4/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to tone77 for tihs one! The beer pours a slightly hazy dark amber and burnt orange in color. There is half an inch of thick and creamy off-white foam.

The aroma is fairly light, tea with lemon, a hint of pine. The taste is as malty as hoppy, lots of tea with lemon, very light caramel, and a decidedly, almost massively, bitter finish.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 02:50:49 | More by cpolking

HopStopAndRollOne

4.4/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I agree with the price being way too high for a 6 pack. Why so much? And i also live
An hour from the brewery. Although its a little pricey i still love this beer.. Just flat out tastey and at 7 % its quite Enjoyable very light, smooth, not so hoppy, but a little bitter, which i love.. I would reccomend this beer to any IPA lover.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 14:10:01 | More by HopStopAndRollOne

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.65/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance – Served a deep golden with a one finger white head. The head fades fast to give a nice level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is rather light overall, with some pine and a grapefruit hop. Mixed with this is a light caramel and bready base. Overall it is very light.

Taste – The taste begins with a bready and caramel flavor with some notes of a pine hoppiness. The sweetness fades out more toward the middle of the taste and a lighter grapefruit flavor comes to the tongue. The breadiness remains strong till the end, where the grapefruit fades. While the grapefruit fades, a nice surge of the pine as well as a earthy hop flavor comes to the tongue, in the end a nice slightly bitter hop flavor is left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel- The body of the beer is on the average side with the carbonation level being very average as well. Good for the style, although it may have been a little better with a slightly thicker body.

Overall - A very easy drinking IPA with some nice pine flavor. Give it a go if you have a chance.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2012 23:39:02 | More by Darkmagus82

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Darker than your typical IPA it is clear amber in color with brown tint and a 1/2 inch of head that sticks around for quite a while.

S - Mind pine and resin with caramel malts. Seems more malt forward so I assume it might be over two months old.

T - Mostly balanced bittering pine next to bready gram cracker malts and a nice twang of hops in the finish. Balanced yet no where near a "hop explosion"

M - Light to medium quite easy to drink.

Overall I really enjoy the balanced hops to malt ratio and it does have some great bittering in the finish. A nice IPA that's worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 23:31:09 | More by DrDemento456

metter98

New York

3.43/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at the Brass Rail, Hoboken, NJ

A: The beer is clear copper in color and has no visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high dense and frothy beige head that has good retention properties and consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of pine resin and grapefruit hops in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of caramel malts and pine resin hops along with some hints of grapefruit hops. There is a light to moderate amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and slightly crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink because the alcohol is well masked from the taste and the bitterness is not overpowering since there is a good balance between the malt and hops.

Serving type: on-tap

08-16-2012 11:08:31 | More by metter98

thedoubler55

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - A nice golden color that is transparent, a nice finger of beige head at the top, that leaves sticky lacing throughout.

S - Basic IPA Nose, hops, pine, citrus, and slight hint of brown sugar.

T - Very hoppy, I guess the name goes good for this one because most of the taste is hops. Slight hints of grapefruit and pine as well but the hops are overpowering.

M -Medium bodied and a good amount of carbonation.

O - Very hoppy brew, one was enough for me. I would recommend this brew to all the hop heads.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 16:35:26 | More by thedoubler55

beerdedking

Pennsylvania

3.18/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Typical appearance for an IPA, slightly murky golden copper leaning a bit towards the look of an APA

Hardly any hop "explosiveness" heading up my nose. Was let down here

One dimensional flavor which reminded me of Harpoon's IPA (I'd choose a Harpoon over this anytime). Just went from muted pineyness to bitter without any compexity or play on any of the other lovely hop flavors available like grapefruit, floral, mango, etc...

Was a touch too soapy/syrupy which canceled the carbo. Perhaps this is where the major problem is with this beer, because the hops are hardly to be found.

I am railing on this beer because at $16.50/sixer it falls into Sculpin territory and there is absolutely no comparrison. (I live an hour from the brewery also).
After I finished this one I downed a Green Flash West Coast IPA and was so much happier...

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 11:38:44 | More by beerdedking

Samp01

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours an orange amber hie with a good medium off-white head with some lacing. Aroma and Taste is sweet caramel malt with some piney citrus hops, grapefruit. Palate is a medium body with mild carbonation. Finish is caramel malt, some yeast, some fruity citrus and grapefruit notes ending with some good dry bitter hopped piney citrus hops for balance. Flavor and aroma of malt, and yeast come out more as it warms up. Overall a good IPA

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 20:40:35 | More by Samp01

ommegangpbr

New York

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

$13.99 for a six pack? here goes
I should probably point out that the last IPA I had recently was a Stone IPA so my palate is still primed for such a beast.
Looks like an IPA should for the most part. Not very much head forms and very little in the way of lacing on the glass. Clear amber body.
Scent is pleasant but not very powerful. Sweet citrus notes and tea scone notes that I have to dig my nose in to find.
More of those notes in the flavor coated with hop sprinkles. The feel of the beer is fizzy on the palate that leaves a coating of pine resins and grapefruit pucker. Thin bodied
Pretty enjoyable all in all when in need of a hop fix but I wouldn't bother at that price point again.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 02:30:01 | More by ommegangpbr

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up at Thirsty's enjoyed chilled from a willybecker.

The color is deeply hazed amber with a mild golden accent and thick cream cap of over 2 fingers. The bead is very fine. The lace sticks in a thick pattern and the bead is fine. The smell is very fruity and pine accented from the hops w/ slight lemon rind odor and hint of pineapple with light tinge of floral from the hops throughout. The feel is mildly bitter with subtle sweet base and a moderate carbonation with mild astringency and semi dry finish.

The taste has a hint of tropical and slight herbal hop flavor with lemony accent and light pine-like bitterness with a subtle pepper in the peripheral that is only mildly vegetal with a light tinge of malt sweetness underpinning the hops with a balance more toward bitter than sweet. The subtle toasted taste is noted as it warms with very mild alcohol and slight grassiness in the finish. Overall a good beer with plenty of hop flavor. I enjoyed this version better than the tap so it may have been a not-so-fresh keg...uncertain.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 14:04:50 | More by Slatetank

BuxMontBeerLover

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Beer was purchased at Wegmans in Warrington, PA

6pk - $12.99

Enjoyed and reviewed from a DFH Signature Glass

A - Pours a translucent, golden color. A one to one and a half finger beige colored head on the initial pour. It fades to a light coating on top of the beer. Lots of lacing left on the glass.

S - A nice, typical IPA aroma of citrus, hops and pine.

T - A pretty heafty dose of bitter hops on the intial sip. In fact, the hops dominate the taste throughout the sampling. There is the typical citrus (grapefruit) and grassy/piney taste as well. A slight backbone of malt which lends a tad of sweetness but this is a beer that lives up to its name. The alcohol is slightly noticeable.

M - A thin to medium consistancy. Decent carbonation. A dry bitterness coats your mouth after each sip.

O - I'm a hop-head for sure so this beer was right up my alley. It is a good beer but it's very hop dominate with little else happening. This will curl the toes of a BMC drinker for sure. Recommended for hop-heads only!

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 00:07:34 | More by BuxMontBeerLover

TheFightfan1

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I had this on tap about a month ago at the brewpub. I figured lets try it from a bottle. Poured into a tulip. Crystal clear, Deep golden color with an amazing white heading. Left lacing all over the place after every sip and swirl.

Well this is a tad different. The one on tap I thought was very heavy with tropical fruits,this seems to be just the opposite. Very grassy and floral aroma with just a slight tropical fruit nose and taste to it.

Mouth is medium bodied, excellent carbonation with a just a touch of syrupy thickness.

Overall this is amazing. I can't understand why there would be any negative ratings for this one. If it were brewed in Cali it would be in the high 90's. Just my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 18:06:33 | More by TheFightfan1

NoLeafClover44

Delaware

3.83/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into shaped dogfish pint.

A - Pours a cloudy orange with a one finger head that dies pretty quickly. Leaves a beautiful lacing down the glass.

S - Predominantly citrus hops and grapefruit with a touch of smooth herbal sweetness.

T - There is a big orange/grapefruit start with a sweet caramel backbone. The hops are not overpowering as I expected from the name of the beer. Well balanced.

M - Medium bodied and good carbonation. Crisp, dry finish.

O - Very good IPA from Fegley's. I tried it because it is local, but I was impressed and will probably get it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 03:39:02 | More by NoLeafClover44

kennylopez

New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: a clear golden brew with a lot of carbonation in the pour but little head retention that left small spots of lacing.

Smells: a pine hop that has a sweet ring to it.

Tastes: a very hop forward IPA with a floral pine hop that bites my tongue in a great way. I enjoy the sweet citrus fruit flavors that are more apparent as it warms up a little.

Mouthfeel: there is a strong bitter bit from the generous amount of hops they infused in this ale but quite refreshing and smooth with the 7%.

Overall: I paid close to $16 for a six pack of this stuff. I enjoyed their hop'solutely more than this and the price was better. but overall taste of this brew was good, just not a regular for me at the price.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 21:43:13 | More by kennylopez

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into an imperial pint glass.

A: Pours a hazy orangey gold with 1 finger of head that dissipates quickly leaving some decent webbed lacing. Moderately heavy carbonation.

N: Nice orange citrus aromas mostly. Rich caramel, some red grapefruit, lemon zest and maybe some Juicy Fruit bubblegum.

T: Juicy orange, red grapefruit, lemon zest and Juicy Fruit bubblegum upfront. This is followed by rich caramel, grassy florals, pilsner malt and faint pine mid-palate. Finishes with bitter orange & lemon zest, grassy florals and rye.

M: Medium bodied, creamy, juicy, bitter and dry.

O: Big and juicy at the front of the palate while highly bitter toward the finish. Bitterness lingers on the tongue for quite a while. Pretty nice American IPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 13:43:43 | More by justintcoons

muletrane

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

No bottle date :(

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Bruery tulip.

A: Pours a slightly hazy amber colour. 2 fingers of creamy white head with tight bubbles and nice retention and lacing.

S: Nice balance between the citrusy hop character and the caramel malt character.

T: I'm getting a nice amount of caramel malt mixed with a touch of citrus up front. Big piney hop bitterness on the back end. Lingering bitterness throughout.

M: Crisp and medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation. Slightly dry with lingering bitterness.

This just might be my favorite Fegley's beer to date. Nice crisp refreshing IPA. Nothing crazy or out of the ordinary. Just solid, and there is nothing wrong with that!

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 15:01:50 | More by muletrane

sametimesometime

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

A: Mostly clear with a nice copper hue. Has a thin white head that dissipates fairly quickly and leaves a little lacing.

S: Doesn't put off much aroma... just a touch of floral hops.

T: Hops initially, followed by a mild bready malt flavor and then hop bitterness. A slight tartness runs through it all. Hard to pick out particular flavors from this hop profile... more of a generic "hop" taste.

M: A good fine carbonation and a thin but slick consistency. Extremely drinkable.

O: A good, balanced, fairly hop-heavy IPA. Not too much complexity in the hops, but a nice punch of flavor nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 18:39:07 | More by sametimesometime

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.9/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into DFH Signature glass. No bottle date present.

A: Pours a clear light orange amber color. Good carbonation, bubbles are streaming off the bottom of the glass. A nice one finger off white head forms and stays around a while. Some lacing sheets with a swirl.

S: Smells of nice tropical fruits: mango, papaya, and some grapefruity notes too. I do get a little bit of bready malts there too.

T: Pretty nice little sip. Nice piney bitterness on the tip of the tongue. Then your mouth is assulted with bitterness and fruity hops. I get some of that grapefruit and more pine. Really resinous hops. The close is the crisp overly bitter one you expect.

M: Medium bodied.

Solid little IPA. I'd go B+ on this one. Maybe a little more malt balance could help it. Also, this bottle might not be totally fresh.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 22:39:52 | More by inlimbo77