Hop Whoopin - O'so Brewing Company

emerge077

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Three drafts at Bomb Shelter in Milwaukee... wow, this is great stuff. Now if only O'So would bottle it. Hop Whoopin' comes across like the IPA version of Lupulin Maximus DIPA, coming out next week for it's annual release.

Hazy saturated orange pour, very creamy texture to the foam. It fluffed up in a convex dome above the surface of the glass. As it was sipped, concentric rings of lace formed. The head never faded, very impressive.

Intense tropical and citrus aroma, mango, melon, orange, resiny and catty. Very dank and resinous, a true hop bomb. I found myself just sitting there inhaling it, even when not taking a sip.

A rush of bitter hop oil, raw orange peel, pure lupulin essence. Dry in the finish, but almost sweet in the middle from the concentrated citrus, and to a lesser extent the malt in the background. Light bodied, low to medium carbonation. Pure hop juice delivery vehicle. Amazing stuff that hopefully gets bottled one day.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2010 00:43:06 | More by emerge077

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hazey, brass and copper color mix. Ok head, and the foam recedes to a small island or two for the rest of the twelve ounces.There's a few small pockets of tiny bubbles.

Oily, toasted orange peels and pine needles. Can't smell much of the malts. Smells hop dominated for sure.

Strong hop flavor of pine, sticky orange and toasted grapefruit. Can make out some melba toast cracker flavors from the malt. This is a hop forward brew, no doubt. Plate is a little resiny, with a hoppy twang on the finish.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 14:06:24 | More by scruffwhor

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle.

Pour hazy copper with a half inch head of white. A partial skim coat and some elongated dots of lacing for the duration.

Aromatics lead off with citrus and pine resins. Grapefruit, tangerine, and tropical fruits aplenty.

Medium bodied with a crisp mouthfeel.

Pungent, resinous hops start the palate. Quite piney with apricots, mango, and tangerine zest. Light malt to balance on medium bitterness. Dry and tropical in nature.

Finishes with a drying bitterness under plenty of pine and tropical fruit.

Really nice beer, although the nose is a bit subdued. The hops on the palate though are right on and quite tasty.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 21:39:09 | More by brewandbbq

jera1350

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pale gold, creamy white head of suds. Some nice lacing.

Really has a fresh/wet hop scent to it. Grassy with some honey/biscuit malt.

Holy sour cream and chive! This is the first time that I have actually gotten the mythical onion flavor out of a beer. I've heard of it before, but now am actually tasting it. It's different, but not off-putting. Grassy at first, them transitioning to onion with some tropical notes and a moderate bitterness. Light malt backbone.

Has a crisp and clean feel. Light-medium body.

The onion really is different, but it really isn't too bad here. This overall beer is a nice crisp easy drinking IPA. Has some fresh/wet hop components to it. An enjoyable IPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 01:39:21 | More by jera1350

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours out a semi-hazy golden color with a two finger frothy whipped foam head that recedes to a half finger cap in about a minute, which does stick around for quite some time, as does the rings of curtain-y lacing. Smells and tastes of raw blasts of nigh-overwhelming hop power. We have onion, garlic, grapefruit peel and pith, pine tree sap with slivers of bark in it, orange and lemon peel, burnt honey, tropical fruit medley, and a caramel malt holding all of these things together structurally. Body and carbonation levels are both medium.

This hop bomb is a bit closer to the sweeter and balanced side of things than most other hop bombs I've tasted, for whatever that opinion may be worth.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 06:27:54 | More by WastingFreetime

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Half Acre tulip?

A- pours a light golden with a 2 finger white head. Some blotches and amoeba lacing remains.

S- light caramel, big bitter grapefruit and citrus and pine.

T- sweet pale malts, citrus, big bitter grapefruit and orange going on here with some pine bitterness at the finish.

M- medium body and carbonation. Light feel with slight slickness.

O- nice ipa. Definitely citrus and hop bitterness forward but has just enough malt balance.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 00:28:20 | More by kawilliams81

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a cloudy orange/amber pour with a finger of head and bits of sediment floating around. smells of pine, grapefruit, caramel. a sweet honet-like flavor up front with lots of sweet citrus hop flavor. some hints of grass and a very bitter grapefruit finish.

medium body with a good amount of carbonation, creamy on the lips. overall a solid ipa, but doesn't even compare to lupulin maximus!

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 20:44:57 | More by facundoCNB

cdkrenz

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I'm told the only spot you'll be able to enjoy this brew is at the brewery in their taproom. Hopefully that changes because this is a brew everyone should be able to sample... even if you can't make it to P-lover.

A - Red body with a thick, frothy off-white head. It leaves a very nice lacing as it recedes.

S - The aroma of hops are prevalent. They consist of citrusy grapefruit.

T - The flavors match the scent. Tons of citrusy grapefruit hops. This is a great tasting IPA. Loaded with hops but well balanced against the malt to create and allow the hops to shine rather than overwhelm.

M - It feels as a good India Pale Ale should... thick, sticky and even slightly chewy.

~ This is a very good beer and I hope the folks at O'so continue to brew it. If they don't, now is the time to head on over to get your Whoopin'!

Serving type: on-tap

09-26-2010 15:13:37 | More by cdkrenz

Scotchboy

Idaho

4.11/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pretty cool 12oz bottle sent from an awesome BA and poured into a Hill Farmstead tulip.

A: Hazy dark gold; medium lacing on the glass.

S: Pungent, dank orange and herbal hops (a lot of hoppy beers I've had lately seem to follow this profile - Simcoe and Citra seem to dominate). Similar to these other beers, there is a piney/tropical frutibowl thing going on with the hops here as well. Smells like its pretty fresh. No malt presence really.

T: Same flavor profile - pretty floral and juicy as well. Dank citrus, hints of pine...faint suggestion of toasted malt as well.

MF: Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Moderate dryness, and the bitterness isn't too high.

O: Solid drinker, feels more like its trying to be a DIPA so its even more impressively a single IPA, or a less alcoholic DIPA depending on which was you look at it. Tasty stuff.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 15:42:13 | More by Scotchboy

brew3crew

Ohio

4.4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at captain mikes on my first adventure to wisconsin

A-hazy yellow with a nice white frothy head that sticks around for awhile

S-great citrus smell. Leaves my mouth watering

T-follows the nose with the citrus. Very sticky as well.

m- medium body and smooth with a nice lingering hop bitterness

o-nice little find. Very solid ipa I would go back for seconds

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2011 00:12:40 | More by brew3crew

Strix

Wisconsin

3.4/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy golden.

Floral hops the main scent.

Caramel malt and muddled floral hops. I am not being whooped.

Mouthfeel a bit flat.

Maybe this bottle is a bit old, passable but not really feeling this one. Pretty one dimensional and lacking that extra bite.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 02:30:31 | More by Strix

zeledonia

Minnesota

4.28/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 19 March 2012. Not too bad, though I wish I'd gotten to it a bit sooner.

Pours a pale golden yellow, quite clear, with 1.5 fingers of dense, spongy, very white head. Excellent retention, and loads of lacing. Only the faintest hint of visible carbonation.

This smells freaking delicious. Hops galore, with loads of citrus (oranges, yum), tropical fruits, and a touch of pine. Smells like one of those crazy orange-pineapple-whatever juice mixes. Wow.

Taste comes through almost as well, though, as expected, the aromatic hops aren't quite as prominent. Malts are faint and only in the background. Bitterness is about where I'd like it, which is probably below where most people would like it, but there's enough that you won't forget you're drinking an IPA. The onion flavor definitely comes on in the latter part of that bitterness. Finish is sometimes lastingly bitter, sometimes quick and evaporative. Tasty stuff.

Mouthfeel is fine, a little light on the carbonation, but not bad. Body seems kinda light for an ale this strong.

As with many IPAs, the smell here is what does it for me. Such fantastic hop aromatics, with all kinds of fruits dancing their way up my nose. Taste isn't as impressive, but holds up just fine. One of my new favorite local IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 03:54:05 | More by zeledonia

jegross2

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Reviewing the Hop Whoopin from O'so Brewing Company.
Score: 75

Bottling code is "053121427." My gut says that means that this is from the end of February of this year. Served in a Stella Artois chalice and enjoyed on 03/26/12.

Appearance: Pours a murky, slightly cloudy orpiment color (that's ancient Egyptian for darker yellow). Not much head at pour -- a thin bubbly lacing at best with a foggy cap over the majority of the drink. Below average lacing, above average retention. 3.5/5

Smell: Resinous pine, honey, pineapple, light caramel, orange rind and tropic citrus. 4/5

Taste: Bitter, juicy orange, pineapple and earthy hops. There is a growing, heavy bitterness on the palate as the beer layers. Not much else. 3/5

Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied, moderate carbonation. Watery oily mouthfeel that washes away most of the flavor prematurely, save for the bitterness. Bitter finish. 3/5

Overall: Nothing special, but not undrinkable. Smells much better than it tastes. I would not buy this beer again.

Recommendation: Feel free to skip this one, especially if you hate bitterer beers.

Pairings: Swiss-and-almond cheese spread.

Cost: $3.49 for a 12 oz bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 02:49:50 | More by jegross2

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

DirectionalDowns weekend continues. The school year melts into summer and the knot in my back somehow loosens and transforms itself into a long well needed vacation.

Growler into a glass pours a soapy ladden medium clear orange. Pinpoint tiny bubbles march upward from the center. Clunky coverage seems to predicate a slightly dated tap.

Hops are up my alley. Fruit bowl white tangerine, peach, pineapple, and light bitters. From my understanding of when this growler may have originated, this still shows brightly, though I'm left to wonder what could have been.

Fleshy nectarine skins, pine, and dank woody greens. Faint bitters and tropical fruit ride throughout. Left wondering where this stood upon release, but still really liking what sits in front of me.

Mouthfeel is a lowly carbonated hop juice deliverer. Fresh, I can imagine this as being a real treat. As is, it's just really good.

Serving type: growler

06-12-2011 00:21:52 | More by BarrytheBear

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

3.7/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into CBS snifter. Served slightly chilled.

A) An excellent looking amber, with a very slight haze. There was a finger of head, which had good retention. Plenty of sticky lacing, could be seen clinging to the snifter.

S) Whoa... The aroma here put a hop whoopin on my nostrils. This was quite pungent. Heavy pine, citrus zest, bits of orange and lemon, mild sweetness. A little green onion.

T) Indeed, the hop whoopin continues. Any of the mild sweetness found on the nose is pretty much gone with the flavor. Quite bitter, like chewing up pine needles and hop cones. The green onion is more prominent in the flavor. My taste buds would have liked this beer to have a little bit of a malt whoopin too.

M) A nice medium body, moderately carbonated. This has a little zip. The finish and aftertaste are mostly grass and pine. The quality of the mouthfeel allows for a pleasurable drinking experience, despite the intensity of the hops.

O) I've been waiting to try this one out, and was plenty happy to find out it was being bottled. In the end, I would have preferred a little more malt sweetness to round this out. I'm guessing that was never the intention of this beer, and the plan was to whoop your ass with hops. Well, mission accomplished. If you love hops, I strongly recommend this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 03:20:04 | More by RoamingGnome

chanokokoro

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a cervoise glass

Pours a medium, fairly clear golden color capped with a two finger clean, white head. Average retention, with some light lacing. Piney hops upfront with some citrus accents. Pine and bitter citrus rind immediately, fairly dry through the midpalate. Finishes dry and fairly bitter. Slick and light bodied, crisp carbonation. A dry, piney IPA. Crisp and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 04:53:03 | More by chanokokoro

WankelEngine

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a wine glass

A: Pours a hazy copper-orange color. There is a bright white head of one finger which slowly bubbles away.

S: I would classify this as a West Coast style IPA. The aroma is very citrus forward, which is reinforced by a medley of tropical fruit scents. Some pine and an interesting herbal/grass follow. There is a certain malt sweetness as well, with light caramel rounding out the aroma.

T: The flavor is lacking compared to the aroma. The citrus and tropical fruits are nearly non-existent. The grass/pine/herb flavor persists and is moderately enjoyable in its own right. Based on the aroma I had expected a sweeter beer, but the malt is mild here and contributes little. Overall, the flavor is focus squarely on the moderately bitter hops. The finish is lingering and is a combination of these hops with a touch of alcohol.

M: Medium-light body. Carbonation is relatively low so it can come across as watery. A slight oiliness as well.

O: Mediocre. I had expected more from the aroma, but the flavor was a real let down.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 01:07:24 | More by WankelEngine

bound4er

Wisconsin

2.88/5  rDev -27.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A. Straw appearance with a white, light head of two fingers. Leaves a nice amount of lacing.

S. Pungent aroma of garlic and onion - a telltale sign of summit hops. Not off putting but not my cup of tea either.

T. The onion on the nose unfortunately carries over to the palate. There is also some pine. Finishes with a good amount of lingering bitterness.

M. Fairly light bodied, okay carbonation.

O. I had high hopes for this beer - I would love to find an O'so beer that I can buy on a regular basis. But I have been foiled once again. Too much onion for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 00:03:30 | More by bound4er

TheDudeRules

Minnesota

3.03/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a 7oz taster.

Hazy yellow pour. Several fingers of off white head. Nose is pine and citrus. This beer is incredibly dry on the tongue. Citrus really didn't port over from the smell to the taste. It was just bleh. I expected some form of sweetness but I was met with a hand to the face.

I've had other O'so stuff that I've really enjoyed. This, not so much. After my initial glass I came back to it later in the tasting to see if I was off. The results were the same. Ultimately I dumped it out. Not awful, but borderline.

Serving type: growler

08-20-2011 17:24:18 | More by TheDudeRules

Ek0nomik

Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured In: English pint glass
Had on tap at the Malt House

Appearance: The pour was an amber and bronze color with two fingers of creamy head. Splashes of lace cover the side of the glass above the bend of the pint glass. The beer is slightly hazy.

Smell: This is going to be a wonderful IPA. Dank, herbal hops including grass and pine playing alongside orange peel, grapefruit and mango. There's very little malt sitting in the nose, which I am quite okay with.

Taste: A bit of malt shows up on the palate, but it isn't loaded with sweet caramel malt like many of its sisters in the category. It has some slightly sweet pale malt resting in the background, but the hops push it out of the way every time. More earthy hops shine through along with more citrus hops including grapefruit and mango.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, and the carbonation was a bit too high in my opinion.

Drinkability: I had two pints, and my palate some destroyed afterward. Luckily, I didn't want anything else to drink, so I was quite fine with the results. I asked the bartender if this was coming in bottles, and from the sounds of it it's keg only. They really need to put this inside bottles.

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2010 01:29:05 | More by Ek0nomik

Jparker37

Wisconsin

4.28/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle poured softly into an Imperial pint glass.

A - Nice medium sized white head. The foam is comprised of mostly tight small bubbles. Good clarity on a golden brew. Plenty of lacing.

S - Fresh hop aroma. Grapefruit is there but also a lot of pine to it. Faint little bit of base malt.

T - This beer is jam packed full of hops beginning to end leading me to believe they used a lot of "hop bursting". Flavor is bright and citrusy. No real sign of malt anywhere. For 95 IBUs, this beer doesn't taste overly bitter. Hop finish is pleasant and moderately lasting.

M - Medium to medium-full bodied, medium carbonation, dry.

O - This beer was quite impressive. I really enjoyed how much flavor the hops produced not so much bitterness. Aroma was good and mouthfeel was right on par.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 01:10:50 | More by Jparker37

mjryan

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Oh my. Hop Whoopin indeed! Massive hop aroma. Tropical fruit salad; tangerines, pineapple, mango and green onion, yes green onion. Yikes! In terms of impressive hop aroma, this IPA stands with the best of them, the bouquet fills the room. Tastes like hops as well. Imagine that. Strange dank hop flavour. Not unpleasant. Pricks the tongue like pineapple juice, green onion there as well. Malt? Sure, I guess. Dry and bitter. Perfect mouth feel and appearance. Sure, this beer has that onion/garlic/chive thing going on. If I had to guess, I'd say Summit hops are used extensively. That being said, I've experienced similar flavours and aromas from Amarillo, Citra and Columbus hops as well. It seems to mellow as the glass drains. Really hoppy, world class in that regard. Strange, unique, not typical. Works for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 03:11:00 | More by mjryan

SerialHiker

Illinois

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a light caramel brown with orangish hues…sort of a hazy middle, it’s color is dense and mildly transparent…a pinky finger of off white head forms and remains…head does thin a bit, but livens up with a couple of swirls…this is a good lookin’ brew…(4/5)

Smell: Tons of fresh citrus hops aroma, with orange, mango and pineapple bursting right away…I could smell all that citrus as I was pouring it…sweetish caramel malts balance things out a bit, but this is an inviting citrus hop bomb…there is a touch of piney resin as well…very lively and fresh…(4/5)

Taste: Yum! Whole cone, citrus hops flavor up front…very fresh and flavorful…orange, tangerine, pineapple and mango all apparent…malts are sweet, caramel and lightly pale…flavor isn’t explosive, rather subtle and clean…there isn’t too much hops bite or bitterness, though both are present...it’s just a simple, easy drinking flavor that stands out without being overly complicated…much like the nose, there’s a touch of piney resin showing late and becomes more apparent the more I drink…very well balanced…(4/5)

Mouthfeel: Light body with medium carbonation…brew fluffs up bringing orange/tangerine bitterness to the palate…very fresh, light, crisp and clean…finishes with light citrus bitterness, but it’s very soft and has more flavor than bitterness bite…(4/5)

Overall: This is a solid brew, consider it a hopped up pale ale…the flavor is very fresh and well balanced…there is a noticeable lack of bitterness and bite for all the hops, which is nice and makes this a more sessioinable brew than a typical IPA is…it comes in 4-packs and carries a slightly heavy price tag, but it’s worth it for a true beer aficionado or hop head…I’ve only had two O’so Brewing Company’s brews, both hops heavy and both very tasty…if you see this come around or in a friend’s fridge, I recommend grabbing some for yourself…a very good brew, perfect for watching your Maize and Blue whoop up on Syracuse…(4/5)

Brewreport.blogspot.com

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 00:02:30 | More by SerialHiker

ncketchum

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Finally out in bottles!!

Served chilled in a Duvel tulip

A - pour is a hazy golden with 3 fingers of pure white head, dissipates slowly

S - lots of citrus, some bitterness and piny hops,

T - more hoppy and less citrus then the nose would suggest, but very nice with hops very big up front with a mild malt backbone

M - fairly thick, oily, and sticky. good amount of carbonation, not much alcohol burn

O - Excellent AIPA, super hoppy as the name would suggest. I am very happy that O'so decided to bottle this after having it a couple of times on tap.

Edit: I think I was a bit over excited to try this one on initial review. This reflects my more "down to earth" objective review.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 01:41:16 | More by ncketchum

TheSSG

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a HUGE, dense, resiny head that clings vigorously to life (and the side of my glass). Big notes of citrus and a little pine in the background. Slightly hazy, golden color. Starts extremely bitter with a punch of pine sap (and a touch of caramel in the background). Builds in bitterness...and then just VANISHES. Smooth, biscuity malt comes through, but then the hops come back in for the finish! The finish is wonderful. A nice, pleasant pine on top of smooth malt.

This one is interesting. It starts off INTENSE and almost unpleasant, but then just converts into a smooth, wonderful finish.
What a wild ride!

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 00:44:30 | More by TheSSG