Humulus Lager - The Bruery

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

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

Patrick

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

For some reason I thought this beer was going to be a straight up IPL, but when I smelled and tasted it there was a dry brett-like character that wasn't really all that enjoyable. The character was very similar to what I got from Humulus Gold. Besides that, the beer was pretty enjoyable. Lots of dry citrus flavor and that hay like flavor as well. The aroma was very similar except the hay like quality wasn't all that present. A refreshing, dry, and crisp beer that I'd have to be in the mood for to have again.

Serving type: on-tap

05-30-2010 18:01:54 | More by Patrick

Urbancaver

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the bruery
Was not impressed and my notes reflected that until I got back and read the description... I am reviewing this with the consideration that it is more an IPL than an imperial pilsner

Pours a pale hazy yellow golden colour. A nice foamy white head. Looks pretty solid.

Smells hoppy and earthy. Some nice light grassiness on the nose. There is a wheaty yeastiness on the nose that I am not a fan of.

Tastes light and hopy. The earthy, grassy undertones are nice but the hops don't meld well with the beer. There is an awkwardness to this beer that I'm not pleased with. Lagery yeast flavours. Orange, lemon, maybe some other citrus on the tongue. The flavour profile is interesting but unbalanced

Solid mouthfeel. Well carbonated.
Overall the beer has a lot of potential it just feels really rough around the edges to me

Serving type: on-tap

08-01-2011 13:12:25 | More by Urbancaver

bulletrain76

California

3.7/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Draught at the Bistro IPA fest. Hazy blond with a lasting head. Resinous grapefruit peel aroma with some sweetness and flowers. Clean and dry with a bitter finish and low fruitiness. Medium bodied and smooth. Good stuff, but not a standout. The lager yeast is nice because it lets the hops come through very cleanly, though I think they could have finessed the bitterness a little more and given the aroma a little push.

Serving type: on-tap

11-07-2009 10:06:27 | More by bulletrain76

olfolxholme

California

3.78/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

15

Enjoyed on tap at Mill Valley in a Unibroue hurricane glass

A - a nice deep golden color, pours with a few fingers of delicate white head. Lacing coats the glass and the head retention is ok. A nice beer to look at.

S - fantastic hop aroma. Smells like a great IPA. Does not smell like what you expect of a lager.

T - taste is good, but not quite as delectable as the aroma. Some sips seemed a little too bitter, others seemed perfectly balanced. Enjoyable, though.

M - nice smooth mouthfeel with just the right hint of astringency.

O - probably one of the best lagers I've ever had. Great aroma, good taste, and an interesting beer. Definitely recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2011 02:41:09 | More by olfolxholme

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

Krevee

California

3.85/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this on tap at the Bruery this afternoon

A- Pours a nice dark golden yellow, with a fair sized head on it as well as a decent amount of lacing as you drank it.

S - It smelled of citrus and hops and also had a mild malty smell to it. Overall good smell.

T - Taste was similar to the smell. You got lots of hops on the front end but didn't last as long on the back end. Had a great citrus profile to it. Had a nice amount of bitterness that didn't linger for a long time after you drank it.

M - Mouthfeel was nice, very light but left a decent hop/citrus reside in your mouth which was good. Higher amounts of carbonation but it was not overwhelming.

D - I enjoyed this beer very much and hoping they make more of it. Not a beer I would have too many glasses of in one sitting but I did enjoy it quite a bit.

Serving type: on-tap

04-12-2010 02:31:28 | More by Krevee

stoutfiend27

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

on tap at closed for business while in charleston...10oz pour

a-pale golden color...little head...no lacing....lots of bubbles...

s-bitter pine hops and grass...there really is no malt present to balance this out...but at the same time the hops remain tame enough to make this enjoyable and hard to think of as a lager....its dry and finishes bitter and piney

m-was a tad thin...the carbonation was acceptable..the resiny character was missing....and it seemed a bit thin to me for such a hoppy beer

d-could have a couple...but being this is a draft only..be in the right place at the right time on the east coast beer dont think ill revisit it...

overall one of the best lagers ive ever had as i generally try to avoid the style...this one was very lively and showed great potential but needs some cleaning up...

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2010 00:40:04 | More by stoutfiend27

Koufax21

New Mexico

3.95/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at the Bruery. Poured a pale light straw color with a 1" pillow of bright white head. Big nose of citrus like hops and a very light biscuit like aroma. The taste was great. Fruit like hop presence with some piney flavors as well. Light bodied and carbonated well. A little dry on the finish. This is a good beer. I'm not much in to lagers, but this is an exception. Tasty stuff here. Heard a lot about this stuff. It didn't disappoint.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2011 18:37:07 | More by Koufax21

paytoplay

California

3.98/5  rDev -10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

toro sd draft. smells like wet juicy sweet hops, but when you drink it you get a dry hop whit kind of flavor. maybe the ultimate extreme west coast hoppy beer that is super dry. very unique and easy to drink. just was super complex. i've been away from hoppy brews lately. would LOVE to try this with several other comparable brews. i think it would stand out but for me it was fun to try and not sure i'd rush out for more. then again this was just 1 tulip one 1 afternoon.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2009 00:02:43 | More by paytoplay

nickd717

California

3.98/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tap at the '09 Bistro IPA Festival in Hayward, CA. India Pale Lager, eh?

This beer is a hazy straw color (not pale lager like) with a lasting white head.

Aroma is malt/grain and some citrusy hops. Smells very nice.

Flavor is pale malt and grain with grapefruit and pineapple. Nice and pleasant for an imperial pilsner of sorts, or an IPL, but not overwhelmingly awesome.

Light-medium body. Drinkability is very high. Pretty good overall, as I've come to expect from The Bruery.

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2010 00:32:44 | More by nickd717

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

juhl31

California

4.03/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

-not quite a golden yellow with some cloudiness. really scattered lacing

-smell is nice. smells like a DIPA. solid hops, some foot. crazy for a pils though

-not as much hops in the mouth which is good based on the style. a little soapy to me. good taste though

-little oily

-solid. if i had to make a list of pilsners to keep around, this would be one

Serving type: growler

08-04-2009 03:24:44 | More by juhl31

DarthKostrizer

California

4.03/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at provisions

Look: Golden yellow with a 1/4 inch white head and good retention with lots of spotty lace

Smell: Soft piney hops with a touch of citrus

Taste: The flavors are similar to the nose but the beer finishes with just a bit of funk

Mouthfeel: Thin body and medium carbonation and a bit dry

Overall: This is a good beer but I wasn't blown away by it

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2012 01:13:56 | More by DarthKostrizer

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

MiScusi

California

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

Pours a clear vibrant orange with a fizzy white head. This beer I call Sculpin-light because of how similar it is in flavor to that. However it does have more of a lager "bite" to it, obviously, as it doesn't have that fruity backbone. Still lots of flavor from the hops though, very citrusy, orange is predominant. Mouthfeel is also on the fizzy side, being a lager. Just a weird overall tasting experience.... weird but good!

Serving type: on-tap

05-11-2011 02:46:32 | More by MiScusi

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

jrallen34

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -6.1%
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

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

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

jeffthecheff

Connecticut

4.22/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a pale gold color with a high level of haziness. The head is fantastic...it's white and fluffy with very thick lacing.

The aroma is like a highly hopped IPA. That's pretty much what it is, as I didn't find very much lager character in this beer. The grass and citrus notes are very nice and very strong.

The flavor has a standard malt character that allows the citrusy and grassy hops to dominate. The bitterness is high, but not very harsh. The mouthfeel is crisp with a good level of carbonation. If this were a little lower ABV it would be crisper and drier, but for what they were going for, it came out good.

This was a nice, big beer that didn't show it's strength. I was shocked when I looked up the ABV, but by then...it was too late. Like I mentioned, I didn't get as much lager characteristics as other reviewers, but that doesn't take anything away from how good this is.

Serving type: growler

08-29-2010 23:22:22 | More by jeffthecheff

illidurit

California

4.22/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at burger. in Santa Cruz. Pours a brassy orange with a thick white froth. Smells like lawn trimmings, but in a good way. Lots of grass, pine needles, and unripe grapefruit. Flavor is based on crackery malts with a big grassy hop explosion. Light bitter grapefruit in the finish. Dry and very herbal but avoids astringency. A tiny bit of malt sweetness comes through at the end. Palate is light, refreshing and dry. A great lager, very satisfying.

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2011 00:31:49 | More by illidurit

Beer_HOPper

4.23/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed on tap at 38 Degrees.

Appearance: Light golden brown with about an inch of fine white head which dissipated slowly. Carbonation slowly rising to top like a TV commercial.

Smell: strong sweet piney hops, smells sticky, wow.

Taste: like it smells, sticky, hoppy, piney, slightly citrus.

Feel: light, airy, dry, bitter finish.

Overall: very good, light, initial attack almost too hoppy. but, I wanted more.

Serving type: on-tap

09-09-2012 07:21:52 | More by Beer_HOPper

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