Humulus XPA (2009) - The Bruery

bulletrain76

California

3.78/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy gold pour with a big white head. Great fresh hip aroma, with lots of pine and some citrus. Light spicy yeast touches. Very dry with a med- lower bitter finish and lots of piney and citrus hop flavor, though more pine. Light bodied and pretty smooth. A little phenolic and dry in the finish, but still quite nice. Nice and hoppy Belgian xpa.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2010 06:24:34 | More by bulletrain76

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev -2.2%

03-02-2013 02:44:13 | More by t0rin0

mhaugo

California

4/5  rDev -2.2%

08-06-2012 03:52:47 | More by mhaugo

John11486

California

4.5/5  rDev +10%

02-15-2012 19:30:01 | More by John11486

clarkenstein

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.2%

01-08-2012 20:41:34 | More by clarkenstein

pperez38

California

4/5  rDev -2.2%

11-29-2011 07:06:39 | More by pperez38

largadeer

California

4/5  rDev -2.2%

11-27-2011 02:06:36 | More by largadeer

Jstark5150

California

4.5/5  rDev +10%

11-19-2011 06:28:13 | More by Jstark5150

ineva

California

4/5  rDev -2.2%

11-18-2011 00:18:25 | More by ineva

vitese

California

5/5  rDev +22.2%

11-16-2011 23:38:01 | More by vitese

jerz

California

4/5  rDev -2.2%

11-16-2011 06:10:42 | More by jerz

Retsinis

California

4/5  rDev -2.2%

11-16-2011 01:05:58 | More by Retsinis

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.53/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to the Bruery for hooking this up, went over to the brewery at the direction of the Provisions shop on a day they were closed. 2 growlers hooked up nonetheless.

Yellow pour, thin head out of the growler. But then, smack, the most luscious hop aromas ever, complete with pine, light citrus and vegetative hops, this is the chronic and smells like it quite a bit too. Taste, so light, so hoppy, bitterness is in check here, no excruciating hop boil for hours, straight up massive dry hopping in this bad boy. Went great with a day of frisbee golf, got my game back on track.

This one ain't complex, its light bodied, highly hopped, relatively low bitterness. I wish I could get this all the time. Perfect for hopheads who like to get off the couch and do stuff.

Serving type: growler

04-19-2011 17:04:52 | More by Beerandraiderfan

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this at the Cigar City/ Bruery Takeover! at Redlight Redlight in Orlando.

A-golden with an orange tint. nice white head that stays with some lacing.

S-wow what a powerful punch of grapefruit! so fresh and citrusy! i love it!

T-wow its with such a fresh taste of hops and grapefruit. now i normally hate grapefruit but this taste is so good. its not acidic or bitter or anything. its very light tasting at the same time. it ends with a decent lasting matching after-taste. this is the best APA i've had yet.

M-medium and creamy carbonation with a crisp finish.

D-well this is such an interesting APA, it border lines the punch of an IPA. i could have quite a lot of them. In fact, i'm writing this review a day later from notes, and I've been craving for another one ever since. The Bruery NEEDS to bottle this!

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2011 20:45:02 | More by AdamBear

Gtreid

Florida

3.95/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Growler thanks to StarRaptor. Poured into my CCB tulip.

A: Dark, straw yellow color. The pour dropped a huge 4 finger head that left gigantic lace.

A: Pale malt, grapefruit, and grass. Notes of citrus fruit, and sweet malt. Pretty nice balance in the nose.

T: Much of the same balance one would expect from an APA. Maybe a touch light, but with only 4.3% ABV, I guess that to be expected. Same notes of citrus and grass from the hops, with a sweet malt backbone. Finishes dry and somewhat bitter.

M: Thin body. Very high carbonation makes this a little tingely on the palate.

O: Pretty solid. I just had HF Edward about a week ago, and compared to that, this really dosen't live up. Still very good, but the overcarbonation and the extremely light mouthfeel will bring this down some. However, at 4.3% this is a crushable brew, and I will have no problem finishing off the 64 oz. Skal.

Serving type: growler

04-09-2011 21:31:04 | More by Gtreid

GbVDave

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a Bruery growler into multiple pint glasses. Special thanks to errantnight for this from our latest trade! Thanks to Joe, Wil, and Matt for the assist!

A: This growler traveled very well. Probably a week old by the time we opened it and the stopper exploded off the top of the growler! Good thing those stoppers are held onto the growler otherwise someone could've lost an eye ;) Hazy straw-gold with a towering and airy bright white head on top. Foam is very sticky and leaves some messy lace in the glass.

S: Nice mix of mild citrus and grassy hops. Some freshly shaved grapefruit zest, as well.

T: A light and toasty malt backbone sets the stage for the aforementioned hoppiness.

M: Light on the tongue, but I didn't feel that it was thin or watery.

D: Pretty crushable. An all day sessionable APA!

Serving type: growler

03-16-2011 01:26:22 | More by GbVDave

emerge077

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks Dave for sharing this one!
Review from written notes.

Pours a pale light yellow gold. Soapy foam, an irregular head forms and rises above the rim of the pint glass. Arcs of lace form as the glass is sipped.

Fresh floral hop aroma, lightly sweet grapefruit and citrus zest. Green herbals, light grassiness.

Pale malt, medium bitterness and some lightly sweet citrus flavors. Absolutely no Brett at all (2011 batch). Very light bodied, light carbonation, delicate. Easily sessionable at around 4ish% abv.

Serving type: growler

03-13-2011 05:58:20 | More by emerge077

beagle75

Iowa

3.98/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the growler into a tulip pint glass.
According to the menu sign at the tasting room, no Brettanomyces was added this year. Advertised as 4.7% abv.

A: Slightly hazy, medium orangish-gold color with over one finger of lofty, cottony white foam that diminishes to a persistent iceberg covering over half of the surface. Heavy lacing, showing obvious relief in places, remains on the glass.
A few bubbles rise lazily in the column.

S: Pungent with tropical fruit (guava and passion fruit) and herbaceous qualities. Bright acidity accentuates the hop influences, while malt is barely present with just trace amounts of toastiness.

T: Begins dry, with bright acidity and hop aromatics that feature prominent grapefruit peel as well as some pine foliage. Pilsner and pale malt, yeasty but thin, are occasionally detected in the middle, which is characterized more by herbaceous green plant stems and some butter. Bitterness is present, but restrained, in the finish with a mineral edge that seems to become even more dry and clean.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, wet on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D: This beer is the fraternal twin of The Bruery's Humulus Session. Surprisingly, this is the less balanced of the two, seeming over-attenuated from start to finish. The previous version of this beer did feature Brettanomyces in the fermentation, but that has changed with the 2011 batch. A defiantly American pale ale seemed like an odd choice in which to introduce Brett, and this current incarnation reflects a less experimental recipe. This liquid product now serves only as a medium for hop aromatics, which it delivers ably.

Serving type: growler

02-21-2011 03:07:11 | More by beagle75

Gobzilla

California

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: poured a bright golden orange in color with yellow highlights and had a thin frothy head but left some good lacing sticking to the glass.

S: had a nice aroma of various hops alongside piney, grassy, citrusy notes but had plenty of sweetness I'm assuming are from the malts. Seemed like it had a tad of candi sugar as well.

T: the hop profile was actually quite nice with a good hoppy bite alongside citrusy, grassy, piney, earthy accents and some malty sweetness but doesn't really help on the balance.

M: the brew was light to medium in body with a fair amount of carbonation which had a really hoppy, grassy, piney, citrusy, sweet, and nice bitter finish that lingered on the palate.

D: really easy drinking tasty hoppy brew beer that was glad to take a stab at since it came out of retirement.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 05:54:23 | More by Gobzilla

FosterJM

California

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

251st review on BA
Tap to stock glass from Bruery

App- A nice golden butter colored, Super see through with a nice white one finger head off the tap.

Smell- A citrusy wheat smell. There wasn't a lot going on in the glass but it smell nice for being a basic pale ale.

Taste- It's a little bit bitter with that funky brettness to it. Its a pale ale just kicked up a notch with a grass earthyness. Has a couple of layers of flavors with some citrus and and the hops and malt to it.

Mouth- It was a crisp beer with a medium body and a medium carb level to it. Has a nice funky aftertaste to it.

Drink- It was pretty good but a bit funky for me. I probably wouldn't order this one again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-14-2011 04:25:24 | More by FosterJM

tpd975

Florida

3.58/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a nice golden hue with amber tones showing through. The head is nice and tall.... white in color with some lace.

S: Aromas of bready malt, light floral hops and an out of place mild tartness.

T: Bready malt with hints of caramel sweetness. Grapefruit and mild grass. The brett is there but not in a big way. You pick up mild tones of tartness that make is seem as though it is unintentional.

M: Medium in body, good carbonation.

D: Just okay. This one is just okay

Serving type: growler

05-27-2010 00:25:30 | More by tpd975

portia99

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Growler received in trade with Jodan. Thanks Jordan! Poured into a Bruery tulip.

A - Pours a perfectly clear orangey color with a thick 2 fingers of dense off-white head. Foam has very good staying power, lasting for a couple of minutes and slowly dying down, leaving lots of sticky lace on the sides of the glass.

S - Tons of fresh hoppy aromas, especially that of cut grass. This is followed up with some nice grapefruity smells, some orange, and a bit of pine. Malt presence is minimal, just barely perceptable, but taking form of fresh, bready aromas.

T - Hoppy up front with a good underpinning of malty flavors. Bready, toasted malt sits underneath and forms a nice backbone for this pale ale. Hop flavors sit on top and really dominate the flavors of this beer, but in a good way. Nice, citrusy grapefruit and orange flavors, grassiness too. Bitterness is very crisp and complements the variety of hop flavors found here. Nice pale ale.

M - On the light side. Carbonation is medium and provides plenty of tingle all around the mouth. Resiny hop bitterness coats the entire mouth and leaves a pleasant bitterness behind in the aftertasted.

D - Loaded with hop flavors and pretty light in body...combined with a low 4.3% alcohol level makes this quite a drinkable beer. This has session beer written all over it. This is a great one to camp out with for an evening - not too strong, but loaded with citrusy hops - a hop lovers dream. Would love to see this become a regular offering from the Bruery.

Serving type: growler

01-31-2010 21:53:40 | More by portia99

augustgarage

California

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

First sampled from a growler. Review based on a pint had on-tap at Blue Palms Brewhouse, served in a nonic.

Gorgeous glowing golden poppy body - very cloudy. Delicate ivory head quickly recedes to a light dusting of foam. Sandy lacing, some legs.

Inhaling deeply draws up clean mountain air, fresh pure river water, sweet wildflowers, and mild grassy hops with a hint of citrus and malt.

Green apple, pale malt, and confectioner's sugar on the palate. Lightly sweet. Hay, alfalfa, and citrus lead into a dry finish. Really lovely.

Light bodied with a bit of creaminess. Superbly balanced and immensely drinkable. One of the best APAs I've had.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2010 06:42:08 | More by augustgarage

Schmaltzy

California

3.45/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at The Bruery Reserve Society Initiation, poured into wine tasting glass.

A- Clear gold color with a nice 1-2 finger head that left slight lacing on my glass.

S- Smell is great nice citrus/grapefruit, floral hoppy notes, finished with a nice bready yeast smell, nice hoppy IPA smell.

T- Fresh hops galore, no sweetness except a slight bready yeast. Seems to be missing something in the mid/back palate, tastes light/watery.

M- Very light with good amounts of carbonation, almost watery finish.

D- I could see drinking loads of this but it just doesn't have the balance of a good XPA. The smell is amazing but the taste just comes up short for me.

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2010 18:14:58 | More by Schmaltzy

nickd717

California

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at The Bruery Reserve Society Initiation.

Clear golden in color with a little white foam on top.

Aroma is fresh hops - citrus and floral - with some earthy notes, grain, and bready malt.

Flavor is pale and caramel malt, maybe some Munich, not very sweet, with fresh citrusy and earthy hops and a little yeastiness, but not really much brett detectable.

Dry, crisp, and somewhat light on the palate.

Drinkability is high. This is a solid session beer overall.

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2010 00:34:31 | More by nickd717