Humulus Lager - The Bruery

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Enjoyed this at the dive. Poured into a tulip.

A - Poured a nice crystal clear honey hue with a one finger head that left sticky lacing ans a thin blanket.

S - Aromas of grapefruit peel and orange. Nice light malts, gentle lager notes.

T - Taste is nicely grapefruit with light malty sweetness. Nice citus with good flesh and rind. Super drinkable.

M - Mouthfeel is very drinkable with light carbonation.

O - Overall not a bad beer. A great west coast ipa lager nut truthfully I enjoy Jack's Abby lagers a bit more.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2013 22:59:02 | More by rudzud

ElSid

California

4.44/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The Beers of California

#86

On-tap at Father's Office in Culver City

A: Yellow golden with a moderate white head of foam

S: Floral, pine, big citrus zest, and tropical fruit. There is also some cracker maltiness and honey sweetness.

T: Nice hop complexity which follows the nose: spring flowers, pine needles, grapefruit peel, and tropical fruit. The malt is light, crackers, bread and honey which adds a layer of sweetness. Refreshing but flavorful with building bitterness and faint warming alcohol in the finish.

M: On the lighter side with strong oily linger and supporting carbonation. Some chewiness is also there

O: A wonderful lager with diverse hop notes which is both refreshing and flavorful making for an easy drinking and enjoyable brew.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2013 00:36:28 | More by ElSid

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pale orange color, light white had of a few fingers. Grapefruit and citrus aroma, slight sweet pale maltiness, orange and a touch of pine. Good bitterness. More of a tropical fruit taste with plenty citrus, bready malt backing. Light , crisp body, good mouthfeel. Held up great considering its journey.

Thanks Alex!

Serving type: growler

05-01-2013 20:46:02 | More by EgadBananas

bennetj17

Arizona

4.1/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bright gold color, thin white foam head. Floral, citrus bouquet with west coast flair. Clean without much coming from the malts. Just a very hop forward smell.

The taste has an intense citrus bite with a grapefruit twang and melon sweetness. Quite bitter in the finish as the citrus kind of hangs for awhile. A nice presentation of hops but something is very one dimensional here. Good carbonation, the mouthfeel has a slight syrupy feel but is otherwise lighter and smooth.

Not sure if its because its not an ale, but this beer lacks complexity and the flavor begins to weigh heavily after while. Still a hoppy monster though and was glad to try it, but its perhaps a bit overrated.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2013 03:32:22 | More by bennetj17

trxxpaxxs

New York

4.13/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Huge thanks to Leschkie for this one...

A: pours a perfect translucent yellow gold. There is about two full fingers of pure white head. The foam fades fairly quickly, leaving a rocky sheet along the top of the beer. There is a good amount of lacking as it drinks.

S: The nose is big grapefruit citrus, a good helping of floral notes, and a some astringent alcohol burn. The hops are crazy in this pilsner/lager/whatever.

T: It starts out light and mildly sweet with a huge helping of super bitter citrus hops. As it moves to the middle it's like licking a hop pellet. I get a good helping of boozy heat in the back, but it's not too overwhelming. Good balance of sweet, bitter, and booze as it leaves the palate.

M: Medium bodied beer. It's light to start, but has enough heft to coat the palate and linger for a bit. It's sticky as it drinks.

O: Really good beer. The hops dominate this beer, and it's really intense at times. Maybe a little too intense for my personal preference. However, if i were in the mood, I'd buy this beer fairly regularly if i could.

Serving type: growler

04-14-2013 00:51:27 | More by trxxpaxxs

SirBentham

California

4.68/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

A: Gold, slightly hazey with a thick head.

S: Citrus, hops and yeast.

T: Slightly bitter with a lot of citrus and pine jumping out. Long and smooth aftertaster

M: Moderately carbonated. You notice the lager here a bit more than your standard IPA.

O: I'm now obsessed with IPL's. This gets the slight edge over Ballast Point's Fathom.
Highly recommended.

Edit - it's so important to drink this fresh. I just had one from another restaurant 6 weeks later, from the same batch and the difference was huge.

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2013 08:35:40 | More by SirBentham

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

32oz growler. Pours a clear copper with 2 fingers of rich and frothy bright-white head. This soaps the sides of the glass with thick sticky lacing. The aroma smells fresh, floral piney and dank, with bright and zesty citrus flavors straight up the nose. Tropical character mixes with sweeter bready notes to give this a ripe flavorful twang in the nostrils. The taste matches the aroma, which a fresh, zesty and resinous bitterness that lights up the mouth with a bright feel. Herbal and tropical flavors spread out, mingling with the honeyed and bready sweetness from the malts. Man, this is just juicy feeling across the back before things finish dry and piney with a pithy bitterness that sticks. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a crisp and tight feel that is undercut by a creamy slickness that has this just moving effortlessly across the palate. Overall drinkability is impeccable for 7% ABV. With this tasting like a fantastic West Coast DIPA and drinking like a super smooth Pilsener, I can say with a certain degree of certainty that this might be one of the best beers I've ever had. It's that good. I have wanted to try this one for a while now and it more than delivered. This gets my highest recommendation.

Serving type: growler

04-10-2013 17:00:19 | More by Kegatron

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

on tap at hawthornes - served in Duvel tulip

Slightly hazed golden yellow color with a one-finger crop of foamy head resting on top. Solid retention and rings of patchy lacing all over the glass while drinking.

Pungent tropical hops in the nose with pineapple, apricot and citrus peel. Toasted grain, soft malty scents and a hint of warmth. Smells like a lager/DIPA hybrid - oh, wait.

Wonderfully expressive citrus and tropical hops right up front. Bitter and juicy at the same time, filled with pineapple, apricot, mango and citrus peel. Toasted grains and malt with that familiar lager yeast creeping through. Finishes fruity and bitter with a touch of alcohol warmth.

Medium body, decent carbonation, crisp and refreshing on the tongue. Despite the ABV, I could easily have 2-3 of these in a sitting. Refreshing, flavorful and probably the best Imperial Pilsner I've had the pleasure of quaffing.

Serving type: on-tap

04-09-2013 01:00:38 | More by xnicknj

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

4.34/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A-slightly hazy golden amber color with a nice white head and good lacing

S-citrus, pine, bready malt, slightly herbal notes

T-grapefruit, pine, cracker malt, hints of tropical fruit, nice bitter dry finish, alcohol not very noticeable

F-medium body with moderate carbonation, crisp

O-a delicious pilsener that has many IPA-like qualities, really enjoyed this beer

Serving type: on-tap

04-04-2013 01:49:42 | More by MDDMD

maximum12

Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks again to kyle2k10 for sending me a growler of this good-looking-lager off my wants list. 750ML of light goodness split with my wife.

Pops open with a satisfying sppoot & the pour has plenty of whitish head, always a good sign when a growler arrives. Clear, One Ring gold, real purty when held up to the light. Nose is full of straw, floral hops, touch of spice.

Humulus Lager is like having a half-orc in your party, odd & slightly uncomfortable. The light, clean lager yeast comes through like a soft pils kiss. But then there's the scratchy mustache of the herbal, floral hops &, well, this just feels weird. Citrus is strong. Minty, thatch roof, grains, with a finish of moderate bitterness. Light & spritzy, goes down nice & easy.

Lovely take on the quiet pils. A bit of a schizo of a beer, but very good nonetheless. Glad I got to try it.

Serving type: growler

04-03-2013 02:30:15 | More by maximum12

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.21/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

First had: on tap at Pinocchio's, Media, PA

Poured a clear golden-yellow color with a good-sized white head that retained well and laced the glass. For a lager, this had a very nice nose, crisp, resinous hops, balanced with biscuity pils malts. The taste fell quite short of the aroma, dry and bland, cork-like malts, grainy, and though some of that nice resinous/citrusy hop profile found its way through, it quickly faded to a stale, metallic bitterness. Light-bodied, moderately carbonated, and fairly decent overall, but not something I'd ever want to have again.

I admit I haven't had many "IPLs," but this was no champ among them.

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2013 20:35:00 | More by Rifugium

kawilliams81

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Map Room served in a tulip.

A- pours gold with a 2" thick white head. Huge rings of lacing that coat the glass.

S-bread, honey, lemon, citrus rind

T- pale malts, light honey, bitter citrus, some sourdough.

M- medium body and carbonation. Very creamy feel.

O- excellent pilsner and I am not a fan of pils but would drink this.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2013 17:55:21 | More by kawilliams81

emerge077

Illinois

4.41/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Draft serving in a tulip glass.

Bright saturated orange, bright clarity, lasting presence of creamy white foam on the surface. Fluffy couple fingers of foam that last for awhile. Lots of lace, looks more like an IPA.

Resiny pungent hop aroma, citrus sweetness, fresh and dank.

Very smooth and easy drinking, a fistful of citrus hits first, lots of grapefruit and resiny hop oils. Moderate bitterness that sticks in the teeth, lingering long into the aftertaste. Grapefruit flesh and pith dominate, this is a deceptive layer base, as it masquerades as a dank west coast IPA. Pretty nice stuff, hope we see more of it in Chicago.

"This lil motherfucker is tasty!" - Mr. Show

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2013 00:18:51 | More by emerge077

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.71/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

not only the best lager ive ever had (not even a close second), but possible the best beer ive ever put to my lips. this stuff is incredible. on tap at the monk on Colfax. the pour is glowing golden with an orange hue, mostly clear, and an inch of white thick whipped cream looking head that lasts, and is easily roused with a swirl of the globe. the nose is really hoppy, this was obviously dry hopped generously. the lager yeast gives it a crispness, and I smell some tropical fruit in there with all the bitterness. the flavor is just astounding, it has a very similar hop complexion to the pliny the younger, no kidding. its that decadent. the grains are light on the toast but give a lot of body, which I think works well with the lager yeast, a fuller bodied crisp clean beer with a ton of hops, its really a nice and new combo. so much fruit and hop oil here, ive really never had anything like it. the mouthfeel is also fantastic, lots of tiny bubbles and a full body make it feel like almost a nitro dispense, and the texture is so big and coats the whole mouth with this fresh hopped goodness. this is a beer that is worth every bit of its hype, it reopens the lager category as exciting for me, and it is another reason why the bruery is near the top of the brewing world right now. this is absolutely divine, and I cannot wait for my next one. A+

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2013 17:53:55 | More by StonedTrippin

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

4.41/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 64 oz. growler into a tulip.

Humulus Lager pours a hazy bronze color with lighter golden edges where light shines through. A full and creamy head fills up the top of my glass with a firm pour. Nice head retention, and there is a bit of lace sticking to the sides of my glass.

The aroma is of sweet grains, orange and grapefruit hops, and a bit of lager yeast in the back. It smells more like a traditional IPA than it tastes, for sure.

With my very first taste of this beer I can sense the difference between this and any ale IPA. The lager yeast adds another character to the flavor, accentuating the hops in such a unique way. There is a little bit of genius in doing it this way. There is a little bit of honey and straw sweetness up front, but the flavor resides in the blast of bitterness that comes next. The hops come through with grapefruit and orange citrus, including a fair amount of pith and zest, with a little bit of pine on the back end. The hop combination is not unusual, but the way it is presented is, which makes this beer that much more interesting.

The dryness of the lager yeast is apparent for sure. The carbonation is bubbly and creamy, just barely on the full side. The body is right about where I expect it to be at 7.2% alcohol.

Overall I was impressed with this beer. Usually I feel that Bruery beers are overhyped and underwhelming, but I enjoyed the thought that was put into this beer's design. This is the type of beer where the total is definitely greater than the sum of the parts; the interaction between the lager yeast and the hops alone makes this beer worth trying.

Serving type: growler

03-15-2013 06:02:01 | More by KickInTheChalice

oline73

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

I had this on-tap at Max's, served in a goblet.

Pours a clear amber with gold hue and a layer of off white head. Smells of fresh green hops, citrus peel, and some sweet bready malt undertones. The taste is made up of citrus peel bitterness, green hops, and a sweetmalt and bitter hop finish. The body is medium with tingly carbonation and a finish that is not very dry.

Serving type: on-tap

03-15-2013 05:13:47 | More by oline73

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.5/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Pony Bar UES. Served in a 8oz. pint glass. Reviewed from notes.

.5 finger foamy white head with moderate retention. Beer is a slightly cloudy goldenrod. Lacing is web-like with good stick. Real solid.

Nose is citrus, tree sap, grapefruit and other tropical fruit hop bitterness. Aromatic. Real appetizing.

Opens citrus, cane sugar, grapefruit, papaya, passion fruit. Very fruit forward with a big malt presence. More tree sap hop bitterness balanced with cane sugar in the middle. End is citrus with a sweet papaya and tropical fruit aftertaste. Probably the most complex and enjoyably hoppy pilsner I've ever come across.

Light bodied with moderate carbonation. Crisp and light in the mouth and goes down quenching. Real drinkable and the 7.2% is barely there. Finishes sticky with a dry aftertaste. Very nice.

Hands down the best pilsner I've ever had. The ABVs are hidden very well and the beer drinks like a balanced, tropical ipa. Definitely worth the praise.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2013 02:33:03 | More by SpeedwayJim

MeneerBeerSnob

District of Columbia

4.21/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Growler poured into a pint glass.

a-hazy deep golden color with slightly less than a finger of white head

s-sweet, malty and citrus with notes of pine

t-lots of hops with malt, pine and tropical fruits, distinct bitter grapefruit finish

m-refreshing lively light mouthfeel, not as crisp as regular pilsener reminds me of an IPA

o-really great beer, refreshing citrus hops, blends the line between pilsener and ale

Serving type: growler

03-02-2013 21:37:55 | More by MeneerBeerSnob

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.55/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

32 oz growler from Whole Foods, poured into a pint glass.

A- Pours a hazy golden color, topped with an inch of creamy white head, has decent retention and leaves tons of lacing.

S- Wow, lots of fresh tropical fruits, mango, peach, grapefruit, and a floral, grassy hop aroma. This is easily the hoppiest lager I've ever smelled.

T- Similar to the aroma, lots of vibrant tropical fruit, although in the flavor these take slightly more of a backseat to the floral, grassy and dry hop flavors, a bit of earthy hop flavors as well. There's some sweet, cracker-like malt. The finish is dry with just mild bitterness.

M- Medium-bodied, smooth, crisp and dry.

O- An excellent beer, has a really wonderful hop character and is highly-drinkable, one of the better hoppy beers, lager or otherwise, I've had in a while.

Serving type: growler

03-02-2013 04:10:32 | More by WillCarrera

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.53/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Growler from Chuck's 85th street market, Seattle.

Appearance. Pours a lightly hazy, rich yellow gold with almost a finger of bubbly white head leaving some great bands of lace.

Smell. Big sweet and juicy grapefruit and orange, toasty grainy malts, amnd some fresh cut pine wood.

Taste. Toasted light grains, pine sap and bitter yellow grapefruits. Just a little sweetnes, bitter finsih, very flavourful!

Mouthfeel. Medium+ body, medium carbonation.

Overall. This is one fantastic hoppy beer. Seems like a mix of noble and west coast style citrusy hops in a great combination.

Serving type: growler

02-25-2013 01:35:41 | More by Rutager

dirtylou

Washington

4.6/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

on-tap at Chucks

Served in a mason-pint, bright straw golden body, some nice white lace. Very hop forward - clean and bright citrus, fresh and green with limited bitterness. Definitely at the very far-end of the pilsner spectrum - very americanized. Great beer - tick, tick.

Serving type: on-tap

02-24-2013 22:26:39 | More by dirtylou

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

4.71/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Had on tap at the bruery, what a treat this beer is. It really drinks like a fresh hop IPA or pale ale but has a nice dry feel and clean finish that remind me of its fermentation.

Pours a nice gold hue with some orange highlights. Amazing ring of foamy head and lacing, nice look. The smell and taste have an amazing balance of resinous and piney hops along with a dryer fresh bread malt and a hint of subtle kitchen spice. It's well composed and very well balanced in its palate of flavors in both nose and taste. Definitely some citrus rind too.

The feel is dry at the end but very juicy up front. Altogether an extremely good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

02-24-2013 00:06:05 | More by Dreadnaught33

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

On-tap at Publick House. 16oz serving in a pint glass. This was a nice treat to see and something I've been wanting to try for awhile.

A- Golden orange, translucent with some haze, decent carbonation that is fairly consistent, about 2 fingers of pure white foamy head that has great retention but slowly recedes and leaves nice layered lacing.

S- Lots of tropical hops with pineapple, oranges, light greeny/slightly earthy hops, and a bit of pine coming out. Fairly aromatic and very pleasant smelling.

T- Again lots of tropical fruits with pineapple and oranges being the most dominant followed by a slight hint of sappy pine and a light malt presence hiding under the hops that adds a hint of sweetness. Finishes with a light bitterness that is by no means overpowering and a nice lingering fruity aftertaste. Overall has a nice flavorful fruity presence while still maintaining a decent balance.

M- Very easy drinking, refreshing although not quite as crisp as some lagers I've had, decent carbonation.

O- This was a great hoppy lager/pilsener with a very nice tropical fruit presence however I'm not sure if it's necessarily better then some of the other hoppy lagers I've had such as Kiwi Rising and HF's Mary. Overall though I thought this was great, I'm glad I had the chance to try it, and I hope The Bruery does more hoppy beers and sends this to Boston again in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2013 14:01:34 | More by jaasen64

Beerenauslese

California

4.93/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured in a Bruery tulip glass. An ample white head floats above a clear deep golden body. Moderate head retention with gobs of sticky lacing. Eventually recedes to a ring and some film.

Lovely, fresh aromas of straw-like lager malt, pine, herbal-weed, citrus, and a little spice.

This is a strongly hoppy beer that one might confuse for an IPA except for its unmistakable lager yeast signature. Tastes of grassy, herbal and citrus hops, supported by smooth bready malts. Grapefruit bitterness builds into a long finish. The lager malts and rice adjunct that is used provides a light body but with just enough structure for the hops to really shine in this beer. I have not had a cleaner tasting hoppy beer that showcases hops so well. Hops seem of the noble variety, but there is also a strong element of west coast hops. My Citra detector is blinking, but actually the hops used are Simcoe (piney), Summit (orange and grapefruit), and Centennial (noble bittering).

The body is light and carbonation fizzy, lending to a crisp and refreshing mouthfeel. There is, however, a little astringency on the tongue.

With this beer, The Bruery takes lager into a wonderfully hoppy dimension. It's really a terrific beer, especially consumed fresh. I hope The Bruery will start bottling it sooner than later.

Serving type: growler

12-02-2012 03:03:35 | More by Beerenauslese

tarheels86

California

3.15/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Tap at PP Old Town. Pours a chill haze light orange. Sheety white lacing. Nose is hoppy, citrusy, pithy melon, sweat. Taste is dry, very nutty, meaty, lots of paper on the finish. Moving to extremely soapy. Hard to finish. My rating: 3.2 Fiancé rating: 3.6

Serving type: on-tap

11-21-2012 03:35:22 | More by tarheels86