Humulus Lager - The Bruery

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

mdfb79

New York

4.58/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big, big thanks to digitalHorizon for sending a growler of this out my way. Been wanting to try it for a while and my one or two attempts to get a growler previously had fallen on deaf ears. Poured from a Bruery growler into my Bruery tulip because I can.

a - Pours a hazy dark orange color with a tiny bit of brown to it, with two fingers of fluffy white head and moderate carbonation evident. Head lasts for three to four minutes and leaves a ton of spotting lacing on the glass.

s - Smells of citrus hops, tropical fruits, grapefruits, fruity malts, oranges, floral hops, and light bready malts. Super hoppy anf fruity, really amazing nose. Love it.

t - Tastes of fruity malts, tropical fruits, citrus hops, grapefruit, lemon, light pine hops, floral hops, grains. Not quite as hoppy as the nose, but still really nice. Some medium bitterness in the taste.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Smooth and very easy to drink, with some light to medium bitterness. Definitely does not feel like it is over 7% ABV.

o - Overall I thought this was a fantastic beer; I haven't had a ton of Imperial Pilsners but this is definitely the best I've had. The nose reminds me of a fresh IPA as it has a ton of citrus hops and tropical fruits; I loved it. The taste was great too, though it dropped a tiny bit. Very easy to drink; could definitely take down half a growler of this one. The firrst really hoppy beer I've had from the Bruery and I think it's awesome; they should make an IPA or bottle this or something.

Serving type: growler

05-06-2012 18:58:25 | More by mdfb79

AgentZero

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A huge thanks to Sean for supplying this quite unexpectedly.

A - Golden yellow beer with a couple of fingers of puffy head that had very nice retention and left some moderate stick on the sides.

S - Very well integrated hop bitterness breaking up some of the more traditional lager yeast and sweeter malts. Smells quite inviting.

T - Some good grain malts and lager yeast. The hops bring a good bit of bitterness with the lager flavors. It's pretty nice, and the hops break up some of the sweetness and boringness of a traditional lager. Great hop finish.

M - Light, crisp, good carbonation.

O - Not a traditional lager, but this is really what I'd be looking for in one. Great beer, refreshing, can drink this all day.

Serving type: growler

02-20-2012 03:59:23 | More by AgentZero

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.47/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Scored a growler a little early before heading over to Beachwood BBQ's sour fest, seriously, big thanks to the Bruery for hooking me up, they really cater to beer nerds like myself.

Anyways, yellow lager color, a little more dark gold than BMC stuff. Big hoppy aroma, just like you want it with something named humulus. Big dry hopping.

Taste, almost perfect, I think I like humulus session or xpa a little more, the yeast seems to just not be the same fit as an ale, but it could just be such a foreign concept to have a lager this well hopped. Have to have more to determine with greater certainty, either way, its still very good. Hides alcohol very well, a Bruery tradition. If you like the fruity yeast presence from lagers and are a hophead, this might be right up your alley.

Serving type: growler

09-20-2011 17:16:40 | More by Beerandraiderfan

Sean9689

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Finally get to tick this! Bruery growler poured into Bruery tulip.

A - Pours golden yellow, beautiful white frothy head, thin cap, nice lacing. Nice-looking beer, for sure.

S - Tropical fruit, herbal, floral, hops, nice bitterness. Jeez, lots going on here and the style lets a lot of different notes stick out. Love the tropical fruit and herbal/floral notes together.

T - Tropical fruit, nice hoppy bitterness, herbal Pils notes and some floral character to round things out. A hybrid IPA, IPL, Pils mix...really tasty and a nice idea.

M - Body is light, good carbonation, oily finish.

O - An excellent beer that exceeded my expectations! It's not an IPA, not a Pils, but something in between. Whatever they did, it's done right. Can't wait to try it fresh at the brewery in the near future.

Serving type: growler

08-01-2011 15:36:22 | More by Sean9689

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

snpub540

California

4.5/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up my growler from The Bruery tasting room on fathers day.

Poured a slightly hazy pale golden hue with a two finger high fluffy white head. The head had some nice hang time and turned out some nice lacing on the glass the entire time.

Smell rivals that of the best Double IPA's I've ever had. Grapefruit and mango stick out at the front with some piney grassy aromas and under all that some grain alcohol.

Taste is very bitter but it has a really nice crisp finish. Sweet malt upfront and a nice bitter finish. Hop flavors are pine and citrus and leave a very nice aftertaste.

A little thin in the body department but not watery. This is a great crisp full flavored lager. It combines the clean taste of a lager, with the bitter full flavor of an IPA. I can get used to drinking this.

Serving type: growler

06-20-2011 22:39:48 | More by snpub540

Rampage1

Arizona

4.68/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A-- The appearance is a beatiful gold yellow with a nice slight haze to it that appears to glow.

S-The smell is what at first made this beer so special-- lots of tropical fruits -- pineapple,orange mango are the one's i pick up. Some citrus smells come in on the back end as welll. Its so clean and fragrant in the smell of this awesome Lager.

T--The taste is what sets this apart from the other ipa's i've had. It has such a great balanced malt and hop character with a really clean crisp after taste that no ale can touch in this category.

M- A nice amount of carbonation that delivers the tropical flavors to the palate in a bright, smooth manner.

D- This is such a highly drinkable beer simply from the fact that it has such a dry, smooth after taste that is perfectly balanced and very easy to drink. I am drinking this from a growler and could take this growler down pretty quick if i didn't watch it.

Overall i simply cannot say enough about this beer and look forward to hopefully having it again sooner than later. Its such a smooth beer with one of the best fruity smells to come from a beer. I would actually put this up with hopslam as one of the best beers i have ever smelled. Nice job on the great beer Patrick!

Serving type: growler

05-17-2011 22:16:20 | More by Rampage1

drabmuh

Maryland

4.88/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Humulus is the hop genus, and humulone is a 21 carbon containing compound that is responsible for hop bitterness.

Can I get some lager love up here right about now? Not only is the BY FAR! the BEST Impy pilsner I've ever had, its probably a top 20 beer overall for me. It is seriously that good. Well done Bruery. All of you guys with Black Tuesday boners are missing out of a beautiful draft lager, thanks womencantsail for this brew.

Split with the other Matt last night, beer poured from a growler into a Corsendork tulip. Beer is yellow, a little dark yellow and pretty hazy, haze clears up slightly as the beer warms, we may have started out a little too cold. Forms a soft white head of small and medium bubbles, good moderate carbonation, steady, and lots of lacing on the glass. Looks good.

Now I know why its called Humulus, its very hoppy. It nearly smells like an IPA its so hoppy. Its strongly CTZ hoppy with a nice floral / fruity back and a mild sulfurness. I bet this is amazing out of the tap.

Beer is medium to light in body, even with this high level of hop aroma and flavor, its not harshly bitter and it finishes completely cleanly. This is seriously a beer that I would have to monitor myself drinking due to the level of alcohol and the complete ease of drinking this beer. There is nearly no room for improvement and this was a GROWLER. The perfect beer.

Serving type: growler

09-11-2010 21:11:30 | More by drabmuh

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.78/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Growler shared by drabmuh. Thanks Matt!

A: Slightly hazy yellow hue with a huge white head that leaves a ton of lacing.

S: Really hoppy. Wow. Smells like an IPA.

T: Insanely delicious. Fresh and tasty hops. This beer has greatly exceeded my expectations. This beer is nothing short of phenomenal. It's remarkably smooth and easy to drink. I could put away endless pints of this until I fell off the bar stool. Seriously, it's that good.

M: Wonderful aftertaste with long lasting hop flavors.

D: Without question the best imperial pilsner I have ever had. Wow - my highest recommendation.

Serving type: growler

09-11-2010 02:22:39 | More by Huhzubendah

Ineedabeerhere

Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Thanks for this growler Mike! Send me more!

Pours a slightly hazed pale golden color. Great white foam forming with incredible lacing for a nearly 2 week old growler. ANd to think I had been concerned about waiting this long to open it.

Tons of grassy, floral notes, just a great hoppy nose overall. Why is this listed as a double pilsner? There is really not much pils malt flavor here in the taste? I mean it's basically an IPA.... I couldn't have told you it was a lager if you asked me. The flavor is much of the same, crisp hoppiness, a little more citrus here complimenting the grassiness of the hops. I got some grapefruit throughout the finish. Firm bitterness throughout, but completely well executed without any astringency. I had no idea this was 7.2 while I was drinking it... an awesome beer. I hope the brewery continues to brew this I.P.L.

Serving type: growler

08-30-2010 02:42:54 | More by Ineedabeerhere

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

jpro

South Carolina

4.28/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked this one up in growler/bomber form via Charleston Beer Exhange's "Rare Bomber Thursday"... Pours a bright, hazy gold / orange with a white head that leaves sheets of lace on the glass. Smell is of tropical fruit hoppiness: pineapple, mango, peach - and some grassiness. Taste is more of the same - tropical / citrus hops with a touch of light grains - so delicious. Mouthfeel is light and crisp... cue the lager! Highly drinkable and awesome... wish I had more!

Serving type: growler

08-13-2010 23:57:53 | More by jpro

GbVDave

Illinois

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

Poured from a 64oz Bruery growler into a 20oz imperial pint. Extra special thanks to errantnight for the extremely generous hook-up!

A: Pours a rich, perfectly hazed, gold bar color with four fingers of the thickest and creamiest head I've ever seen on a lager. It seemed like it was planning on retaining forever, but it very suddenly receded down to a bubbly ring and thin skim. Sheets of puffy lace were left coating the glass. Carbonation was lazy.

S: I couldn't believe how fresh the hops smelled as soon as I cracked open the growler. Huge and resinous. Loads of pine and tropical fruit. Apricot, mango, pineapple, clementine, orange zest, with a dallop of pine tar. I couldn't keep my nose out of the glass!

T: Damn! My first few sips of this were so loaded with hops, it felt like my tongue blacked out for a second. When it "revived", I was met with a wall of hoppiness so perfect and well thought out, I could scarcely go more than 20 seconds between sips. All of the aforementioned tropical, citrus, and pine flavors, plus some peach, and the addition of a bit of crackery malt that does its' thing during the finish.

M: This beer is so packed full of resinous hop oils, the whole inside of my mouth seemed like it was buzzing. Astringent hoppiness actually made my teeth feel "squeaky", if you know what I mean. Wonderful.

D: Well, this beer humbled me. Seriously. So absolutely delicious. I got the email from the Bruery last week saying that they were growlering Humulus Lager and I thought to myself, "Oh well, another Bruery beer I won't get to try." The very next day I got a bm from Derek saying there's a package on its' way to me that's meant to be consumed "soon". Imagine my surprise when I opened the box and saw a Bruery growler inside with a sticker on the top that said "HL". Thank you very much for your generosity Derek!

Serving type: growler

04-18-2010 12:39:14 | More by GbVDave

rhinos00

Colorado

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

Very happy I got to try this one. Thanks again Mark for this opportunity. Going into this beer I have really high expectations. I have had a few of the distributed beers from the Bruery and have not really been impressed. That being said, I was told their on-tap brews are amazing...so here we go. Poured from a growler into a snifter.

A- Pours a dark golden, maize color. Produced two fingers width of white pillowy head. Some lacing left along the sides of the glass. Clarity was at 100%.

S- Absolutely ridiculous. The aroma just from pouring the beer out of the growler was so noticeable. I found the aroma in this beer to be quite interesting. On one hand there is a cornucopia of rich, citrus hops, revealing notes of oranges, lemons, and pineapples. On the other there is a clear, piney aroma with a bit of malt that attempts to balance it out. The result is an aroma of citrus candy with an after scent of pine and malt.

T- Much like the aroma...plenty of citrus hops countered by a piney attribute and slight bit of cracker/biscuit type malts. What I really liked about this beer was that the bitter piney hops, along with the malts, left a clean, crisp, bitter taste on the palate. Very refreshing and an interesting twist when you are expecting a straight forward citrus hop bomb.

M- Light bodied, with a decent amount of carbonation. Loved the slightly sticky residue this beer left on the palate.

D- Probably the most drinkable beer I have ever had, especially with a beer at this high of an abv. I can't believe how fast this one went down.

Overall, well...I stand corrected. The Bruery has produced something that has blown my mind. After this experience I will most definitely be seeking out some of their more limited offerings.

Serving type: growler

09-15-2009 01:12:31 | More by rhinos00

HopHead84

California

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

Growler consumed on 9/5/2009 and poured into a snifter. I've had this on tap a few times but I've never had the chance to take proper notes while I drink it. The beer is translucent and vibrant golden. It's crowned with a gigantic frothy white head, exhibiting excellent retention and leaving lots of lacing as it recedes.

The nose is remarkable out of the snifter and warmed to room temperature. Glass after glass, the aroma was the highlight of this beer. The nose is reminiscent of Sculpin, with notes of peach, orange, pineapple, grapefruit, and other tropical fruits. Resiny pine is present, and the malt is light and crackery, without a hint of sweetness.

There's a high level of clean bitterness in the taste. The succulent hops resound with pine resin and citrus. Pineapple, grapefruit, orange pith, lemon, and peach are all present. The cracker malt is faint and serves as a vehicle for the marvelous hops. The finish is dry, crisp, and bitter. The beer is light bodied with a nice upper medium level of carbonation and a crisp yet somewhat sticky mouthfeel. The hops are ripping the enamel off my tooth (I only have one).

Each time I try this beer (and this style, in general) I appreciate it more than the last. I really hope this is brewed again. Highly recommended.

Serving type: growler

09-09-2009 01:22:26 | More by HopHead84

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.85/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Holy hell I scored a growler of this! I am just tickled to be able to type this review. There are some beers out there that just seem to allude, big thanks to my man for not letting this one become part of that lot. Served gold and shared amongst friends and family on 09/04/2009.

The pour was nice, I was looking for a bit more, but that would come later. Bright golden amber in color with a good bit of haze and cloudiness to it. Small head of white on top that needed to hang out a bit longer but faded back with only a touch of side glass lacing.

Holy hops batman. I did not think it would be so strong. Rich pine hops cut with tons of citrus, Huge notes of medicinal malts cutting it as well. Really big aroma here. Then I took a sip and melted, literally melted. This was what I have always wanted in this style. I have had soo many bad imperial pilseners, this was the shit to be blunt. Crisp, clean, rich hoppy goodness cut with huge bready malts and a light touch of grain. Simply amazing. Each sip better then the one before it. I was just beside myself with joy. Medium and well carbonation body let the silky smooth taste just absorb all the moisture of my mouth and leave a long dry finish akin to apricots and grapefruit. Holy hell this is good. Abv is well placed, letting me get a taste without being overbearing.

Overall everything I thought it would be and a bag of chips. This was sublime. One of the best beers I have had in the last year hands down and worth every effort to try and obtain. Wow..

Serving type: growler

09-05-2009 20:14:45 | More by mikesgroove