Snake Hollow IPA - Potosi Brewing Company

Florida9

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a shaker pint with only a minimal white head. Slightly hazy amber in color. Light lacing. Aroma is a blend of toasty malts, pine, pine resin, and a mild skunkiness . Flavor is much better: a blend of clean, grainy malts, toast, and pine with some lighter citrus notes. Strong dry bitterness on the finish. Medium bodied, with good carbonation. Borderline astringency. This is an IPA that pushes the line with bitterness, but still seems able to deliver.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2011 03:17:12 | More by Florida9

Strix

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pale cloudy orange, good head.

Pine and citrus are the main smells.

Very big pine note, some citrus peel. Lots of power, not a lot of balance.

Mouthfeel full and quite resinous.

This was all right, but I didn't find the hop blast to be countered by anything else.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2011 23:40:41 | More by Strix

fear025

Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

On tap at the GLBF 2010.

Aroma:Subdued hoppy aroma.

Appearance:Cloudy and honey colored. Very nice head with good retention.

Taste:On first sip, I get tons of citrus. Grapefruit, orange, lemon all mixed together, very tasty. Sweet base. This tastes really fresh.

Mouthfeel:Light to medium body, a little hop astringency.

Drinkability:This is an amazing IPA, tons of complex flavors, very pleasant.

Serving type: on-tap

10-25-2010 15:34:25 | More by fear025

djhowell

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: On tap, poured into a pint glass. Opaque amber body with two fingers of fluffy white/tan head, leaves spotty lacing all the way down the glass.
S: Citrus and some pine hops, sweet and toasted malts.
T: Very similar to how it smells. Nice bitterness without in-your-face hoppiness.
M: Medium bodied, dry finish, good carbonation
D: Refreshing and very easy to drink, smooth. I would certainly have another if I see it on the tap list.

This is the best beer I've had from Potosi thus far. It wasn't available when I visited the brewery earlier this year unfortunately.

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2010 17:40:59 | More by djhowell

cokes

Wisconsin

3.68/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear golden copper with a moderate stack of stained ivory suds.
The nose is fairly closed, grapefruit and pine squeak through, as does some toasted breadiness. It smells decent, but requires strong inhales...though it does open a bit over time.
Through the mouth, it brings a sturdy breadiness, backed with hints of toast and nuts. It turns a tad sweeter as it goes, approaching fry bread. Hops are boisterous, but lack a certain amount of clarity. Grapefruit and pine are here, as well as pineapple, hay, and metal, and some gin-centric botanicals.
The body is fleece like, with a medium carbonation. It doesn't distinguish itself uniquely in the IPA realm, but it has some session capacity.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2010 06:38:23 | More by cokes

AmberMan22

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a crisply clear golden wheat color. Blanched head retains nicely, good deal of lacing left all over.

Smell is frankly unimpressive. Way too citrusy and pine-based. Overwhelming to the point where it almost smells like someone washed grash with an orange-scented cleansing agent.

Taste is equally forgettable. Probably honestly one of the worst IPA's I've had so far, though the one's I have had were quite good.
The hops are certainly present, but again lost behind the citrus/pine blast that is unwarranted and overdone. The maltiness behind this salvages this into a drinkable beer.

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2010 00:07:12 | More by AmberMan22

bashiba

Iowa

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a nice amber/orange with a touch of haze, a thick off white head with nice lacing.

The smell was dominated by juniper and grapefruit.

A decently balanced IPA, very green hops with a big bit of pine and a touch of grapefruity citrus with just a bit of bready malts making it through the hops.

The mouthfeel was a touch thick and oily with a bit of a dry finish.

Easy drinking and solid IPA, I liked this the best out of the 3 Potosi Beer's I had.

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2010 23:42:24 | More by bashiba

uwmgdman

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

The beer is slightly hazy, golden-orange color with a fluffy white head. The aroma is amazing, highly hoppy, very citrusy and piny, it smells just like a freshly opened package of hops, one of the most intense, fresh hop aromas I've experienced, no joke. The flavor is highly hoppy with high bitterness and just a hint of malt sweetness background. The carbonation and body are medium. Overall this a well made beer with an amazing nose and good flavor. My only knock is the hop flavor, bitterness and dry finish all combine to keep the drinkability down a bit on this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2009 02:53:57 | More by uwmgdman

karst

Missouri

4.33/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

An tap at Potosi Brewing Company/ National Beer Museum. Served as part of a 5 glass sampler/pint and in bottles and growlers. Amazingly we did all of the above, which I think speaks well for this IPA.

Although flavorful it borders on an APA in regards to its malt hop bitterness balance. Its hop flavor, body and carbonation are ideal for this style. An excellent brew overall pairing well with most food orders. Brewmaster is a former Bell's brewer and the brewing equipment is new and well maintained as evidenced by a brief tour and a pig-tail sample of the oatmeal stout that is about to go on tap in a few days.

Anyone turning out this quality of beer should be able to formulate and brew most of the styles they offer.

Saw several growler of this leave while we had their Sunday food bar. We had decided against traveling 700 miles with a growler but discovered a growler came free with the purchase of a shirt at the gift shop.

Serving type: on-tap

08-11-2009 19:44:33 | More by karst

mynie

Indiana

3.35/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours hazy red with a small white head. Very much your average AIPA.

Smells faint. Light hops, light malt. Balanced, but light.

Tastes much more assertive, but a little off balance. Big toffee malt moves into a syrupy, aggressively alcoholic malt middle, with the west coast pine hops rushing in at the end.

All of Potosi's old school beers were delicious and expertly brewed. This--this seems like a poor attempt to buck the trend, like if your grandpa started wearing one of those douchebag hoodies with fake graffiti printed all over it. The hoodie might fit well, and there isn't necessarily anything wrong with him wearing it, but it just doesn't seem right.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2009 16:18:18 | More by mynie

KeefD

Minnesota

4.8/5  rDev +27%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Had this on tap at the brewery. The brewmaster, Steve, told me he thought this beer weighed in at 6.2% ABV and that the tap lines came directly from the bright tank. Poured a hazy dark orange color with a small off-white head that left some nice rings of lacing at went down. Very nice hoppy aroma, plenty of citrus notes going on including orange and grapefruit, maybe hints of pineapple and a balanced malty sweetness. Flavor is excellent. This beer has all the great hop flavors you'd expect from a top notch IPA without any of the bitterness. Juicy hops, plenty of orange and grapefruit with a solid pale malt backbone. medium bodied, crisp, ultra refreshing. I was very impressed by this beer. So tasty, incredibly drinkable, bitterness is low while keeping lots of hop flavor. Excellent IPA. Well done, Potosi.

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2008 04:39:31 | More by KeefD

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.01/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Frankly, I'd rather have a hollow snake, 'cause at leas then I'd know what I'm dealing with... Anyway, this stuff pours a clear copper-brass topped by a finger of lightly off-white foam. The nose comprises candied orange peel, light grapefruit peel, pine resin, and sweet caramel. The taste holds notes of sharp grapefruit rind (and peel), sweet toffee, and sharp pine needle. Everything has an astringent quality to it, making for a not-so-enjoyable experience. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel. Overall, not the best IPA by any stretch of the imagination, but not horrid. Just kinda sub-average.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 17:23:23 | More by TMoney2591

WolfsbaneBloom

Illinois

4.04/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear golden orange with three fingers of creamy, bubbly white foam.

Smell: Sweet honey, light floral and citrus hops, and some biscuity malt. Pleasant but fairly muted.

Taste: Mild pine, honey, floral hops, and light orange peel with bready and caramel malts. Very sweet, almost like candy corn, with a nice hop bite in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, crisp, lively, refreshing, and smooth.

Overall, this is a solid little IPA from the good folks at Potosi Brewing. I found this a really simple but well-balanced IPA with a pleasant sweetness and amazing drinkability, especially considering it's 7% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 16:01:51 | More by WolfsbaneBloom

pweis909

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A. Well carbonated with a big white head that recedes quickly to a thin, persistent head. Golden-orange in colore, with a chill haze.

Smell. Citrusy aroma with some Fruity Pebbles tossed in there. The fruitiness gives way to citrus, which is more persistent.

Taste. Sweetish first impression gives way hop bitterness. Alcohol is noticeable in the dry finish.

Mouth feel is ever so slightly slick initialy, prickly in the middle, and slightly astringent in the finish.

I was really impressed with the initial smell and hop flavor I got from this beer, almost scored it a 5 on that count. The alcohol (both my ability to taste it and ABV) detracts a little from my enjoyment of this beer, as I prefer something more in the 5-6% range.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 22:00:31 | More by pweis909

Jparker37

Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into an Imperial pint.

A - Medium sized cap of off-white head holds a nice cap. Great clarity to a light copper beer. Left a couple little specs of lacing to the glass.

S - Real nice citrus (orange rind) hop profile, maybe some cascade or centennial. Even getting some lemon tones.

T - Malts try to sneak through early but are swallowed up by citrusy hops (orange peel like). The toasty malt backbone actually sits in the background nicely. Solid punch of bitterness with a strong hop flavor lasting beyond the finish.

M - Bone dry, medium body, medium carbonation.

O - Solid IPA. The more I drink the more its bitterness comes across as sharp. Citrus throughout but alright balance to it. Nice and dry finish, crisp and quenching.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 00:45:07 | More by Jparker37

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Never had anything from these guys so I grabbed some of this when I was in WI last week. No date on the bottle which always worries me with this style, but I went agianst better judgement and grabbed some. Poured into a pint glass.

This beer pours a dark orange with a thick white head. Nose is pungent with orange, pine, lemon. Good moderately full mouth. The alcohol is noticeable in this one as the 7% comes with a bang. I wouldn't want to down too many of these at once, and this is on a full stomach. Nice bitter character, wih a mild spicy profile. but there is a dry sweet biscuity character as well which makes this more English to me. I would think this is a nice hybrid between American and English IPA. Bitter and tasty, but plenty of sweetness and dry finish as well. A tasty beer that I am glad I picked up.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 18:30:15 | More by Onenote81

FreshHawk

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Light copper color with a medium sized, foamy, soapy, airy, bright white head. Average retention leaving a decent ring of lace.

S - Caramel malt is pretty strong. Pretty balanced IPA. Some citrus, some pine, and some earthy/herbal hops. A little disjoined hop aroma, but the fact that it's so balanced hides it well.

T - Very balanced caramel malt heavy IPA. Some toffee and bread flavors as well. For the hops there are orange and earthy hops with touches of herbal/pine hop flavors. Much earthier than sweet or fruity. Reflects the malt driven flavor with the hops not necessarily jumping out of the glass.

M - Medium body with average carbonation. Fairly slick and oily.

D - Easy to drink and not too bitter (a bit of a kick on the finish). But I can't see me wanting to grab another like some of the better IPAs I've had.

Notes: Very balanced and malt driven. Not a citrus or fruit bomb and more of an American/English hybrid (more American though). Ok but not anything noteworthy.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 02:28:28 | More by FreshHawk

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Dr. K for the bottle. I poured this into a New Belgium tulip.

A) Nice clean copper, with a half a finger of head. There was okay retention and a little lacing. Carbonation also noted.

S) Nice sweetness, which included pineapple and a fruit cocktail aroma. There was a nice floral presence as well.

T) Not as sweet a the aroma. There was light citrus, but more hop bitterness, pine, definitely a little alcohol. Finishes with some citrus rind. A nice balance.

M) Medium body with a good amount of carbonation. This was really pretty smooth. The bitterness and rind to this one really coat the mouth.

O) This was a pleasant surprise. It's not that my expectations were really low, but this beer definitely exceeded them. Worth a try....

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 01:47:23 | More by RoamingGnome

mobius387

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a tulip glass

Appearance: golden and clear

Aroma: this beer smells great. Strong grapefruit on the nose

Palate: medium body, little carbonation.

Taste: along with the pine and citrus this beer tastes very sweet. Honestly I think I taste some candy corn or some sort of candy

Overall: a very good brew and a nice ipa

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 00:31:47 | More by mobius387

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Transferred over from my tasting notebook.

Really amazing craggy four finger head that stayed up like a meringue on this one, very pretty lacing, clouded orange-amber in color, I couldn't say for certain what texture the brew itself was because the head kept getting mixed in with every sip and making it all creamy. Not like that's a bad problem to have, I suppose. :) Almost too carbonated, the foam just kept regenerating right up until I finished the pint off, although the rise of it did slow down some after five minutes. This foaming action kept throwing heavy doses of the nose into my face throughout the session. Produces a lovely aroma of pineapple, tangerine, pine needles, orange peel, lemon peel. Taste starts out sweet but quickly flashes from sweet caramel coated pineapple chunks to the bitterness of juicy grapefruit pith and changes back to pine resin for a the lingering finish.

A top 20% finisher American IPA by my standards.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2011 03:55:15 | More by WastingFreetime

schoolboy

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is one of my few beers I brought back with me from Wisconsin. I had one along the way and it went down nicely. I wasn't really in the mood for beer tonight but that seems like a good, objective time to do some tasting.

It doesn't taste as good as it did late Monday night in Chicago (when I was in the mood) but it's good. nice floral, hoppy taste without a great aroma. The aftertaste is first rate.

The label says all profits go to charity! Go figure.

This is a real IPA/AIPA. Before my trip into the Wisconsin countryside this past week, I thought that most of their micro-brews tasted too much like macros. That may still be a problem, but I found plenty of 100+ year old micro breweries like this that are making great stuff. THey just don't make it to Ohio. Cool.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 01:33:43 | More by schoolboy

AmericanGothic

Iowa

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Sam Adams pint.

A: Pours a clear, golden orange color with one finger of off white head. Good retention and lace.

S: Peaches and mangoes, a little understated but still inviting.

T: Leads with mellow, dry biscuit, followed slowly by a growing pine bitterness. Pine lingers on the long finish. Very mellow, and yet plenty tasty.

M: Light and refreshing, very soda-like and a bit astringent.

O: A calm and thoughtful IPA. Not my top pick for an IPA, but plenty good enough (and also individual enough) that I would surely buy it again. Well done, Potosi.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 23:52:16 | More by AmericanGothic

Mako82

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from bottle into snifter glass

A - Golden in color, slightly cloudy. Poured an off-white head that was foamy and lasted quite long.
S - First smell was of hops and citrus, with soft smell of malts.
T - Taste did not quite live up to the smell. I thought there would be a stronger hop and citrus taste. Picked up some piney flavor. Fairly bitter from start to finish
M - Little carbonation, fairy dry feel

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2011 16:42:00 | More by Mako82

HopHeadHurls

Wisconsin

3.1/5  rDev -18%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Pours a pretty amber/copper-ish color, more straw like and light than a lot of IPAs I have seen recently. About a 1.5-2 finger head on the top that recedes very quickly, leaving some semi-heavy lace around the glass.

S - Honestly, the first smell I got was metallic, which is NOT a good sign of things to come. However, this was fleeting and was quickly replaced by a surprising and pleasant smell. This definitely smelled fruitier than I thought it would and less piney (than I thought it'd be - pine is still the main smell other than citrus here). You can smell some lemon, orange, and maybe grapefruit in there I think, and it doesn't smell quite as hoppy as a lot of other IPAs or pale ales in general. Very pleasant smelling unless you get that metallic smell up front...very odd.

T - So this beer was quite odd...I thought the citrus smell came through more than the pine smell, which surprised me. Also, you get the hop feel without a lot of hop taste here...there is a big grassy hop taste that comes through briefly, but I feel like the citrus and malts overpower that. I actually find it interesting that it seems more grassy than piney. It does not hide the ABV very well and gives you a bit of a spicy taste to it with a very bitter finish. My biggest issue with this beer will now be stated: before you hit that hop bitterness I got a HUGE wave of a metallic taste (granted it was only slightly metallic, but it seemed to linger forever before the hop bitterness kicked in). I am not sure if this is an issue with just getting a bad bottle or if that's just how it tastes based on their brewing equipment, etc. Either way it was not pleasant. This beer just wasn't quite as balanced as I like...something (besides the metallic taste) seemed off.

M - The mouthfeel was also surprising, as it was quite a bit lighter than a lot of IPAs that I've had, but still had that resinous feel to it, that it coated your mouth and sort of stuck there. This beer definitely dries your mouth out as you're drinking it.

O - Don't get me wrong, aside from the metallic aspects this beer is not bad, it is quite decent. However, if I'm going to pay money for a craft beer, I expect something more. I'd try it again to see if the metallic deal was just a one time thing, but I don't see myself clamoring for this beer, especially with all of the good IPAs out there.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 16:16:43 | More by HopHeadHurls

CaptainIPA

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presented in a brown 12 oz. bottle and poured aggressively into a Delirium Tremens tulip.

Pours an orange amber with a one-finger, bone white head with decent retention and excellent lacing. Aromatics of fresh citrus hops and juicy pineapple.

Creamy mouthfeel with a sweet caramel malt opening and hint of rosewater. Bittering hops announce the middle with suggestions of pine, grapefruit and floral notes. Great balance between malt sweetness and bitter citrus hops. Mild carbonation continues throughout session. Finishes bitter.

Crisp, clean and refreshing. Nice interpretation of the style. All profits to charity? Give it a 5 for altruism.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2011 20:15:10 | More by CaptainIPA