Hopworks IPA - Hopworks Urban Brewery

troutmask96

Washington

4.45/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

So yeah I frolicked through the fields and picked bushels and bushels of fresh hops and cross-pollinated the flock to create baby bushels and then I strained, minced, and dry-hopped every last morsel until the perfect hop nectar was created and this is what I got.

Sweet...

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 01:35:52 | More by troutmask96

pjbear05

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

My first beer in Oregon, at the Highland Still House in Portland. Served in pint mug.

Deep amber color with one finger head that left good lacing.

Inital aroma of hops not overwhelming as with most IPA's.

Light citrus noted in taste, followed by hop finish.

A different mouthfeel for me, as this was my first cask ale ever. Very nice to try a beer that was not ruined by serving too cold-a definite treat.

Would absolutley order again!

Serving type: cask

09-26-2008 20:40:03 | More by pjbear05

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On cask at the Horse Brass today. This is an excellent IPA, but on cask it's divine.

The beer pours a prototypical light orange peach color with an impressive, creamy head. There is very good head retention with lots of sticky lacing. The beer is very perfumy and floral on the nose, with plenty of orange citrus and a touch of sweet malt and pine. This IPA smells terrific. The flavors on the palate replicate the nose, except on cask this beer has a lovely creamy mouthfeel, with mouthpuckering bitterness. The beer has an excellent citrus flavor, and is so, so light on the palate. Drinkability is terrific as well.

HUB does a lot of stuff well, but they truly have a knack when it comes to IPA's. This is excellent stuff.

Serving type: cask

12-31-2008 00:17:55 | More by johnmichaelsen

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tropical sunset orange when backlit with a beautiful Midwestern sunrise. A large scoop of polished ivory colored cream is perched atop the beer, resulting in one of the best looking lids that I've seen in quite some time. All that, plus extensive lace that actually looks like lace... the score practically chooses itself.

IPA is an explosively hoppy IPA that smells fantastically fresh and vivid. The website claims Amarillo, Centennial and Ahtanum. The label says Cascade instead of Ahtanum. It doesn't make a bit of difference because sweet orange and pink grapefruit is busting out all over the damn place. If they didn't ruin it with the malt bill, this should be an outstanding ale.

Hopworks IPA is my kind of beer. Malt flavor stays out of the way (for the most part) and well-chosen American hops were clearly added with a heavy hand. I wish all brewers could find a way to unlock this much resinous hop flavor without combining it with crushed aspirin bitteress. Hopheads, pay attention... all 75 IBUs have been put to excellent use.

Canandian pilsner malt is definitely more prevalent than German Munich and CaraMunich. The hint of toasted whole grain bread and caramel provided by the mid-range malts adds flavor interest without making a nuisance of itself. That means that hops have the run of the place, which is just as it should be. Tangerine, white grapefruit, juicy pineapple and pine give the tongue a quasi-aggressive thrashing. Thank you sir, may I have another!

Even though mouthfeel (and ABV) favors the lighter end of the spectrum, it works out beautifully in terms of gulpability. Besides, with time and warming, the beer acquires a sneaky supple silkiness that is impressing more and more with each passing ounce. This elixir is air-tight all the way around.

Hopworks Urban Brewery has a pretty tough row to hoe if they want to get noticed in the jam-packed world of Pacific NW craft beer. From what I've tasted so far, though, this up and coming outfit is well on its way to becoming something special. IPA is a certified humdinger.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2009 14:45:10 | More by BuckeyeNation

Ranbot

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

22oz bottle from Docer in a trade. Thanks man!

Poured in a pint glass. Has a nice amber color and white head that settled out quickly, with minimal lacing. A couple streams of very small bubbles. It looks pretty good.

The smell is full of citrusy hops, with a touch of grain and pine.

The taste is an explosion of hops! At first the taste is mostly of citrusy pineapple, grapefruit and a bit of lemon, then pine rounds out the back end and lingers on the back of the tongue after swallowing. The grainy pale malts accompany the hops well without distracting from them at all. I can't taste any alcohol as my taste buds are way too preoccupied with the hops.

Mouthfeel is light and refreshing. Light to moderate carbonation tickles the mouth perfectly.

Drinkability is excellent. I could drink this all night.

The piney hops are perfect to round out the flavor, without washing out the palate, like some of the more piney IPAs do to me (like "the Gargoyle" does). If I had to compare this to something I'd say it's like Bell's Two Hearted with a touch of pine. This is an excellent west coast IPA and certainly the best organic IPA I've tasted. Organic brews have a bad rap for sub-par offerings [and rightfully so], but don't let this one pass you by.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2009 01:25:21 | More by Ranbot

HopHead84

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

1/28/2010

An extra courtesy of mykie73. Thanks! I tried this on tap at the brewpub half a year ago but my palate was destroyed from Fredfest 2009 so I don't remember much about it. Poured into a snifter. The beer is sun kissed dark orange with a voluminous beige head and excellent retention.

The aroma is of orange pith with grapefruit flesh and a pine resin presence that countervails the citrus. A touch of peach can be perceived as well. The pungency is transcendent. Malt is faint and crackery, allowing my attention to be completely focused on the hop effulgence.

The flavor does not disappoint. A plethora of hop flavor accompanies a high level of bitterness and a shadow of malt. I detect notes of orange pith, grapefruit, and peach, in descending order of strength. The pine is resiny and delicious, and only a whisper of sweetness is present midpalate, but that is quickly obliterated. The mouthfeel is dry and sticky, and carbonation is at a perfect upper medium level.

I'd prefer to see a date on the bottle in place of the word Organic. I couldn't give a damn if it's Organic if the hops have faded. Regardless, this one tastes fresh and it's awesome. Assuming batch consistency, this is one of the best Northwest IPAs I've had.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2010 06:49:04 | More by HopHead84

MADhombrewer

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance- very clear straw color with a nice pillowy white head. Good lacing through sips.

Smell- earthy and piney hops and a little bit of malt.

Taste- nice balance of hop and malt. Good bitterness at the end of the sip that is not overpowering.

Mouthfeel- good mouthfeel for an IPA. I don't really care for an IPA with a big mouthfeel.

Drinkability- very nice. I wish they made these in 6 packs. I could easily put down 3 a night and be fine.

Hopworks is one of my favorite breweries and this is one of my favorite beers they have. Highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 01:46:46 | More by MADhombrewer

Beerenauslese

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a pint glass to produce a half inch head. Body is clear gold, with an eggshell white head that dissipates fairly quickly to a ring and cap, leaving small amounts of lacing.

Smells of sweet malt, hay, fresh floral citrus hops, and salt. Very enticing aroma.

This tastes great and is exceptionally well-balanced between the sweet, biscuity malt and floral, citrus (orange and grapefruit) hops. There is a nice light citrus rind bitterness in the long finish.

Body is light and carbonation is medium with a little fizziness, providing a lightly creamy mouthfeel.

With plenty of malt and hop flavor, this is a light and refreshing beer. And at only 6.6% ABV, it is exceptionally drinkable. A superb entry in the crowded IPA field and a great choice when you want great, strong flavor without an alcohol wallop.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 00:06:31 | More by Beerenauslese

05Harley

New Hampshire

4.51/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled on date??
Estimated calories - 198/12oz

Purchased through LetsPour

Price - $9.00/bomber

Pours a deep golden color with just a slight hazey presence. If you like head (who doesn't) this one won't let you down. Big three finger soapy head from the start with polka dotted lacing all around the glass. Sediment free and mann, what a looker...

Aroma is not lacking in citrus fruit. Pineapple, grapefruit and orange followed by biscuit, pine resin and a hint of caramel malt. The combination of ingredients fits well here. A little on the light side but pleasing enough.

The flavor follows the nose with the Centennial and Cascade hops contributing to that juicy fruit flavor. The caramel malt adds a nice balance and puts the breaks on the hop bite keeping this on the sweeter side as far as IPA's go.

The mouthfeel is fresh and clean resulting in a highly drinkable, dare I say sessionable beer. The body has a medium feel with little to no carbonation. A noticeable hop bite is present along with some stickiness but in the end it finishes surprisingly smooth.

Overall this is a solid IPA and one I'll be enjoying regurarly, especially during the hot months. Well balanced, low abv and quite refreshing. Thumbs up.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 01:04:46 | More by 05Harley

DoktorZee

Alberta (Canada)

4.53/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bomber in a small pint tasting glass. No obvious best before date on the bottle, but lots of other interesting information! New arrival in the local speciality store so it should be fresh!

A - copper in color, clear with a very frothy white head that leaves caked lacing around the glass. Very fluffy head that never quite resolves and leaves lacing all over the glass.

S - one of the finest smelling IPAs I've ever had the enjoyment of sniffing; stunning citrus and floral notes with just a hint of rich maltiness behind it. Slight grassy undertones. INTENSE.

T - bitter, but not excessively so; quite balanced in its hop attack with equal parts lemon peel and grassy hops. Very solid malt underneath just barely gives a sweet toasty note before the enduring bitterness coats the mouth. Finish is a combination of pine resin and citrus.

M - medium bodied but with less carbonation than the fluffy, clinging head would suggest. I expecting serious effervescence but the light to medium carbonation leaves the finish creamy and a bit juicy.

Really tasty IPA; the star for me was absolutely the nose on this beer. If anything the taste didn't quite live up to its intensity (initially), but the clean and balanced bitterness provides a delightful enduring memory to this beer. This is a "must try" for IPA fans.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 00:43:16 | More by DoktorZee

Jason

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

22oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

Rimmed with a thick white lace, slightly hop hazed golden amber color. Massive citric hop nose, from pulp to rind with some other suggestions of evergreen ... exactly where it should be for the style. Bitterness is pretty hefty ... 75 IBUs is very believable and right at the edge but not going overboard. The flavor from the hops is amazing with orchard citric ranging from rind to juice to blossom. Maltiness spikes here and there but seems to want to break through the most in the finish with a slight toasted breadiness. Alcohol is modest but warming with a quick toss in of fruitiness. Hops never lose their grip on the palate, finishes bitter and semi-dry.

Wow, what a killer IPA this is ... as I said, the hops are right on the verge of being over the top though if they were a little bit I would not mind. Balanced? Sure, for the style while pushing the envelope a bit.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2010 00:41:53 | More by Jason

yllwsmly

Oregon

4.6/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I have had the pleasure of enjoying this beer for the past year or so, ever since it's debut at the North American Organic Brewers Festival. Now that the brewpub is open, I get to enjoy HUB IPA with fair regularity.

Hopworks IPA is one of my favorite Northwest-style IPAs. Its balance of citrus aroma to hop bitterness contrasts beautifully with the malty goodness of organic pilsner base malt. As they do with all of their beers, they are able to turn a organic pils malt with some other organic specialty malts into a surprisingly flavorful and complex beer.

This is definitely a go-to beer when you're in the Portland area. Also, congratulations to Hopworks Urban Brewing (HUB) for winning the 2008 Gold Medal at the World Beer Cup for American-Style Strong Pale Ale with this beer; bravo!

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2008 21:05:07 | More by yllwsmly

Beasticles

Texas

4.6/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From the mother's teat in Portland at the Hopworks Brewery.

Clean gold appearance without too much head. Slightly more CO2 than many IPA's, which gives it a clean mouthfeel to match the appearance. Hops with citrus fruits and forest pine. Tastes like the Great Northwest should. Crisp and refreshing, yet still captures the weightiness of an IPA exceptionally well.

The hops won't knock you over, but blend well with the fruits and woodiness. Super well balanced. Great brew.

Serving type: on-tap

07-30-2010 15:40:11 | More by Beasticles

Kaibosh

British Columbia (Canada)

4.6/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Cloudy (unfiltered), deep amber, dark golden

S - Grapefruit, citrus peel/zest, fresh

T - Grapefruit, bitter hops, slight white pepper overtones, spicy when it sits on your tongue

M - Mineral, sharp, moderate dry finish, heavier feel for an IPA

O - Classic IPA, only better! New favourite beer

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 04:46:29 | More by Kaibosh

Philabeerphia

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

An extra from a trade with pintplease. Awesome. One sip of this beer and my eyes pop open wide. After three sips I mentally have placed this in my top three IPA's of all time.
22oz bottle poured into a shaker pint. 3/29/10. No bottled on date discernible. Aggressive pour. "Ride your bike", "A Northwest classic", "generous additions of Amarillo, Centennial, and Cascasde hops find their way into the kettle, hop-back and dry-hop". Cold war propaganda style graphics and type font. Thank you Comrade Ettinger, for our wonderful livelihood!

fluffy bone colored head - a lively mix of centimeter wide, 1-2mm wide and micron bubbling are growing and receding, creating a sense of tension. Sticky webs of lacing lend to this, while beneath rests a peacefully clear beer, lightly honeyed in color. Approachable and sessionable are a few words entering into my brain.

This beer's nose is a well blended bag of maple, shortbread, grapefruit and wild grasses. Nothing seems to stand out more than the other, and that's a good thing. Balance in the nose adds some complexity, if not raw hop power. Later I go back for a sip and start to pick up some warming, deeply floral hop that spreads in my nose and makes me tingle. There it is.

This IPA moves lightly in the mouth. The carbonation keeps the liquid from coating, while a bit of raw hop oils and malt body provide an anchor for tastes to both seep and shine. Starts with a sweetly prickly tangerine hoppiness... just shining here. It spreads and deepens, exposing cannabis characteristics that get the tongue bracing. What a transition. Beyond that there's just enough round malt backing to provide a platform for hops to dance and jump, and even to make a quick caramel impact and the height of the tongue. Hops are tropical again in the finish, leaving a bright (mango), but ultimately bitter finish. This transition between bright tropical fruits and deeper, earthy bitterness is outstanding. The top of the mouth is temporarily numbed with hops, but recover quickly and are ready for more. Just dry enough (muted in some ways), to keep the anticipation high for the next sip.

If this beer was my local, I'd have a hard time restraining myself. Very drinkable for the 6.6% abv and the 75IBU. I don't know how Portlanders do it.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2010 01:12:03 | More by Philabeerphia

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.63/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: 1/8" soapy white head that left slight lacing over rich golden amber liquid with medium clarity.

S: Peppery hops, yeast, and a hint of citrus.

T: Peppery hops at the start, wheat and malt in the middle, with citrus and a slightly bitter floral hop finish. Exceptional taste profile that is crisp and clean.

M: Perfect level of medium viscosity and a medium to low level of carbonation.

O: One of the best, if not the best, American IPA I have ever had. The taste is what really stands out here.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 21:48:55 | More by DaftCaskBC

ckeegan04

Texas

4.65/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Light copper in color with a frothy off-white head. Very clear and clean. Head foams to about 2 fingers and slowly fades leaving behind some light lacing. Settles to a thin foam cap.

S - Big bold hop aroma right off. Lots of citrus aromas with grapefruit and tangerine coming to mind. Even a little pine mixed in. A little sweet bread aroma lingers underneath. Big hop punch to the nose though.

T - Wow, possibly the best tasting regular IPA I have had. Big citrusy hops with just the faintest bit of sweetness. Great hop taste without the astringent bitterness that keeps good IPA's from being great. Dont get me worng, there is plenty of bitterness in this beer, just not the rough un-good (yes, that is a word) kind.

M/D - Feel was a touch light but still closer to medium than light bodied. Excellent carbonation and very easy drinking.

This was my first beer on my weeklong Oregon beer adventure, and what a way to start things off. Great IPA here.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2009 03:28:32 | More by ckeegan04

prosper

Alberta (Canada)

4.65/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

very, very hazy. Thin tan head.

Smells hoppy. Bright orange-citrus.

Tastes like hop squeezings. Definitely a citrussy cultivar hop in here, tangerine and orange peel. No pineapple or passionfruit. Something sort of candy-like, bubblegummy. Maybe some yeast character combined with the hops?

Mouthfeel is good; carbonation is moderate, and a good compliment to the rest of the beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 22:48:30 | More by prosper

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

4.68/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - a murky orange hue, solid white head left consistent sticky lacing as it receded
S - strong floral and citrus notes, sharp grain, and some light pine
T - strong hop mix of florals, perfumes, and citrus & pineapple fruitiness, toasted grain malt backed it up, and piney hops come through on the finish, so good all around
M - medium carbonation, starts smooth and moves to a subdued bitter that stays wet throughout
O - a hop heads delight, so glad I picked this up at random just because I hadn't seen it before

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2011 05:45:25 | More by joemcgrath27

mudbug

Oregon

4.7/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From the 16 oz "pounder" into an English pint glass results in a hazy light orange body under a nice one inch fluffy head that recedes slowly, after that it's pretty still.
Aroma is outstanding with juicy tropical fruit and grapefruit rind riding on a slightly sweet smelling breakfast bread.
Taste is all about the balance here, bitter,sweet, fruity, fresh bread. It comes together like a nice scenic painting, pleasing in the overview more than it's particular parts.
Juicy on the aftertaste.
A super nice brew in a very nice format. Bravo

Serving type: can

10-07-2012 02:03:18 | More by mudbug

demuzik

Oregon

4.73/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Extremely solid IPA.

Loads of hop aroma, piney galore and fruit to boot; yet the malt backbone is where its at. Using 'Canadian Pils' as the base malt (a somewhat unusual choice for American IPA), this is surprisingly satisfying after the hops fade and the crackery/bready background holds everything together... the perfect marriage of malt and hop, right here, folks.

This is a very good 'session IPA' IMO, plenty of flavor and balance, but nothing overbearing; it certainly wouldn't be a chore to knock out a few of these in a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 00:46:19 | More by demuzik

Idris

4.74/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

An aggressive pour into my tasting tulip produced a slightly haze, amber gold beer with a voluminous white head that leaves delightful remnants throughout the glass. This beer has a magnificent aroma! Big bright citrus hop notes, with just a tiny perceivable malty note. The bitterness is present throughout, but never in an unpleasant manner. Malt toastiness does punctuate the hops. This is just a splendid IPA and one I can drink over and over again. This is going to be my go-to beer for sitting in a lawn chair and letting my mind go blank all summer.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 06:42:54 | More by Idris

PDXHops

South Carolina

4.75/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber, poured into a snifter.

Pours a see-thru golden orange with a fluffy 2-finger cap of off-white head. This dies down after a couple of minutes to a quarter-inch that sticks around for a long time and leaves some pretty good lacing.

Excellent nose, with a light maltiness, some pine, some grassiness and loads of citrus- grapefruit, orange, pineapple. The flavor profile pretty much follows along, except the hops are even more blistering. Just a lively and tasty-as-hell beer.

Mouthfeel's great. This brew is crisp and tingly, with lingering resiny hops trailing down the throat and drying the mouth out after the swallow.

Overall impression: Top-notch IPA, would definitely recommend picking up a bomber or 2 to those whose travels take them through Beervana.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2009 20:34:40 | More by PDXHops

Flightoficarus

Washington

4.75/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a slightly hazy golden hue, with a small off-white head, w/light retention and lacing.

S - Honestly, one of the finest IPA scents I've come across! Smell is of a perfect blend of lemon peel, grapefruit, pine, and caramel. The classic PNW IPA traits, executed flawlessly here.

T - Taste starts out with a blast of lemon and grapefruit citrus notes, kicks in with piney, moderately bitter (but not too aggressive) hops during mid-sip, and finishes w/just the right amount of bready caramel malt to keep things in check. Excellent!

M - Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with moderate carbonation, and finishes crisp and smooth. A great middle ground between body and drinkability here.

O - Overall, this is a top notch IPA, and quite possibly just made it's way into a 3-way tie w/the other two IPA's I judge others by (Green Flash and Pliny). Highly recommended for the hop fans! Now if only I could find it in six packs..

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 06:31:50 | More by Flightoficarus

Intrinsic

Quebec (Canada)

4.75/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer reminds me of Schneider Hopfenweiss. Its has the same orange-ish tinge and cloudyness, with a heavy dose of citrus/piney hops. It's uncanny. When I picked this one up off the shelf I wasn't expecting this at all. Great beer. I will DEFINITELY buy this one again. Incredibly bitter, with a fair amount of grapefruit flavour. The smell is a perfect example of how to dry-hop your beer. Almost no malt to speak of, but I find that makes this an even better example of the style.

Wow.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 22:53:27 | More by Intrinsic