Humulus Lager - The Bruery

jrallen34

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to Sean for this impossible to get DONG... bright murky gold, light tan head, looks good for a growler... smells great, tons of tropical fruits, grapefruit and pineapple, the finish is a touch of alcohol pines... the taste is mostly hops, loses most of the sweetness, more herbal than anything, with some lemon and pine, really easy to drink

Serving type: growler

07-30-2011 16:07:29 | More by jrallen34

bcheng

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +7.7%

06-17-2013 00:21:06 | More by bcheng

thewimperoo

Illinois

4/5  rDev -9.3%

06-16-2013 22:41:43 | More by thewimperoo

jbaker67

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +2%

06-15-2013 22:17:55 | More by jbaker67

Jslay013

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -3.6%

06-14-2013 17:34:46 | More by Jslay013

djre4orm

Virginia

4/5  rDev -9.3%

06-13-2013 19:24:24 | More by djre4orm

cgentzkow

California

4/5  rDev -9.3%

06-13-2013 04:30:10 | More by cgentzkow

TrojanWheels

California

4.5/5  rDev +2%

06-13-2013 04:29:07 | More by TrojanWheels

hnandez

California

4.5/5  rDev +2%

06-11-2013 14:27:22 | More by hnandez

Hopbully

Virginia

4/5  rDev -9.3%

06-11-2013 05:29:29 | More by Hopbully

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -3.6%

06-10-2013 11:49:16 | More by bigfnjoe

Texasfan549

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +7.7%

06-10-2013 00:21:59 | More by Texasfan549

bauermj

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +2%

06-09-2013 12:29:09 | More by bauermj

kdmcguire10

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +2%

06-09-2013 02:54:37 | More by kdmcguire10

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +2%

06-08-2013 13:00:06 | More by InspectorBob

ChugginOil

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +2%

06-08-2013 03:44:10 | More by ChugginOil

mynie

Indiana

4.79/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Three separate times, from three separate people, I’ve been told a sad story regarding Humulus: they ordered it (twice after being told that Younger was no longer on tap), and then some frat boy drunkards gave them shit. “Dude, why you drinking that? You some kind of gay or something, bro?” Because, you know, it’s a lager. And everybody who knows anything about beer knows that lagers are for sissies.

This seems a peculiarly Californian breed of beer idiocy. Which isn’t to say California is especially beer-stupid: in the Midwest, you’ll still get some people who use the word “hops” interchangeably with “flavor,” and who will complain that a hefe is infected if it taste too much like pepper. But it’s only on the west coast that I’ve seen people get really pissy and defensive about whether or not lagers are necessarily inferior to ales. And that’s just completely stupid, since if you’ve ever tried to brew you know that lagers tend to be a lot more difficult.

And oh, god, are these hard to brew. I had Destihl’s double pilsener last November, and it was so bad that I shit on the brewer for months afterward. Only recently have I found that they’re actually a very neat and competent brewery, that their double Pils was something of an anaomly because it’s just so damn hard to make a double pils not taste like you’re smoking grass clippings or gargling dishwater.

Anyhow, I think the combination of brewing difficulty and shit idiot prejudice has stunted the growth of double pilseners as a style. Not only are they harder to make than double IPAs, but the payoff is a lot smaller: the majority of beer people, like the majority of all people, are very nearly retarded, and so if they see “pils” listed as a beer’s description they assume it’s like Bud and therefore below their highly sophisticated pallet.

Leave to the Bruery to prove them wrong. These guys pointedly do not care—aside from Three Floyds, they’re the only brewer I know that openly disdains their fan base. This shit is Deon Sanders-level of not giving a fuck. Meaning it’s Prime motherfucking Time.

Giant hops dominate throughout, but fruit esters sneak their way in like it’s some kind of goddamn Magic Eye puzzle—the malts a wee bit medicinal (a death knell in lesser x2 Pilses), but they combine with the citrus nodes of the hops to make for little firework bursts of red and orange fruit, with notes of pear and apricot. It’s ultra high-alpha but also smooth and fruity, which is exactly what an ideal version of this style should be.

Full review, with pic: http://mynie.com/?p=610

Serving type: growler

06-08-2013 01:37:59 | More by mynie

smakawhat

Maryland

4.35/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured on tap into a shaker pint glass.

A real nice frosty looking appearance, golden amber to lemon hues on the bottom to a bronze rusty pale yellow at the top. Opaque. Very creamy white top presented with lots of lacing and a creamy puck to match.

Nose brings a dense malt and muted hop. Slight hint of wine like heat and fruit, quite interesting.

Palate is a nice controlled thick rush. Playfully carbonated and hoppy. Hints of soft pine and chewy almost wheat like feel with a good malt crispness. Fruit action follows a real nice lime citrus bitterness and popping finish. Chewy and crisp with a perfect balance between the two. Lingering dense bitter hop goes on forever. Vinous wine like warmth with good control. As it warms up the hops pull of a nice tropical action of pineapple and some peach it seems.

Overall a great impressive and controlled pilsner with a real pleasant and impressive hop profie.

Serving type: on-tap

06-07-2013 16:17:35 | More by smakawhat

rudylaw

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +2%

06-06-2013 16:44:30 | More by rudylaw

savagepm

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev -3.6%

06-06-2013 01:27:04 | More by savagepm

kojevergas

California

3.41/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Served on-draught into New Belgium stemware last week at The Daily Pint in Santa Monica. Reviewed from notes. Expectations were high given this beer's reputation.

A: Pours a two finger white colour head. Decent cream. Decent thickness. Pretty good (~4-5 minute) retention. Body colour is a cloudy nontransparent translucent orange-copper. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. No lacing. Pretty nice vibrance.

Sm: Surprisingly hoppy for a lager. Floral hops, nectary hops. Lovely oily hop character. Pale malts. Vague orange fruit. Some restrained grapefruit. No yeast character or alcohol comes through. Very fresh and evocative. Quite inviting.

T: Very full bodied. Heavy hop character throughout, with floral and oily hops dominating. Some nectary character. Soapy - it spent a bit too long in primary methinks. A bit overwhelming hop-wise, eclipsing the otherwise refreshing pale malt foundation. No yeast character comes through. Some noticeable alcohol. Most of the flavour is up front, leaving little for later. Grapefruit here is unwelcome and heavy-handed .

I like the malty side of it. Balance is troublesome, but it's interesting for the style. Good complexity. Lacks any subtlety whatsoever. Lacks a clear direction or focus. Scattershot. Tangerine. Somewhat fruity. Luckily, in spite of its blatant overhopping, no hop bitterness comes through.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Far too thick. Too full-bodied. Overbearing. Lightly oily. A biteen buttery. Overcarbonated. Unrefreshing. Suits the flavour profile decently, overall, but it needs work.

Dr: Hoppy for hop's sake. This approach doesn't serve the style or the beer as a whole. I like the experimentation, but to an extent it misses the mark. I'd like to revisit it with a full growler to really go more in-depth (not reviewing standing up at a crowded bar), but I'm not impressed. How did this make the top 250? Another overrated, overpriced beer from The Bruery. Doesn't hide its ABV well. Unrefreshing.

B-

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2013 20:44:12 | More by kojevergas

ReddMoneyBrown

California

4.5/5  rDev +2%

06-04-2013 03:34:11 | More by ReddMoneyBrown

beardown2489

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +2%

06-03-2013 22:10:07 | More by beardown2489

itsiilegal

California

3.5/5  rDev -20.6%

06-03-2013 03:01:55 | More by itsiilegal

Chugs13

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev -3.6%

06-02-2013 22:16:09 | More by Chugs13