Hopitoulas IPA - New Orleans Lager & Ale Brewing Company (NOLA)

megahurts4

Louisiana

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nola Hopitoulas IPA on cask

Appearance: honey colored, small head, and some good lacing.

Smell: flowery hops, grapefruit, and some malts.

Taste: strong hops, grapefruit, and some malts.

Mouthfeel: medium and no carbonation.

Overall:
This is very nice. It is interesting and flavorful. It is one to try on cask.

Serving type: cask

12-23-2010 20:49:43 | More by megahurts4

JMScowcroft

Vermont

4.24/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

NOLA - Hopitoulas IPA

Look - Poured into a Craftgeer snifter, this brew pours slightly hazy caramel amber almost slightly red with a full foamy head that dissipates quickly, retains some, and leaves lots of lacing.

Smell - Caramel bready malt and resin pine and citrus hops. The citrus is more tart than sour, but not necessarily straight lemon, can't put my finger on it.

Taste - Rich bready malt intro and a definite tart citrus hop comes in after, then fades into a piney bitter, again I cannot place the specific citrus flavor, almost zesty as one reviewer mentioned.

Mouthfeel - Rests slight bitter pine but mostly fades rather quickly. Medium-bodied, low booziness, good drinkability.

Overall - Solid brew, like their take on this style. Tart citrus and pine bitter with a rich bready malt backbone. Would recommend for those who want a punchier AIPA but maybe not a full-blown DIPA.

Serving type: can

06-18-2013 12:18:14 | More by JMScowcroft

mjryan

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Was in NO recently and had the chance to drink a few pints of this fine IPA. Brought a four pack home. Looks really nice, hazy amber with a firm head. Nose is a subtle blend of caramel, biscuit and floral hops. A bit mellow for an IPA but pleasant none the less. Tastes great. Fresh lightly toasted bread from the malt, a touch of caramel as well. Hops bring a touch of orange zest, some grapefruit, cut grass and hay. Long, drying pithy bitterness. Quite pronounced. I dig this beer, and I'm sad this is my last can.

Serving type: can

06-12-2013 22:02:22 | More by mjryan

One2Remeber

Florida

2.88/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

A: Brightly clear, vibrant light reddish orange body. Frothy, big bubbly, dirty white head.

S: Light caramel sweetness, orange/citrus hops are muted at best (no BoD). Distinct mineral/metal smell.

T: Rich caramel malt sweetness, hints of grainy bread, followed by a mineral, watery taste. Big metallic finish that lingers.

M: Medium-full body. Heavy bitterness, hops linger and CO2 bites.

O: Received from a friend that visited NO. Have to assume this can is old as hops are present but weak. Would try again but this attempt failed.

Serving type: can

05-10-2013 02:51:10 | More by One2Remeber

Immortale25

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Dogfish Spiegelau glass. No freshness date.

A- Pours a medium amber color with a 3/4 inch beige head that retains quite well before decaying to an 1/8 inch head. Sticky cobwebs of lacing adhere nicely to the glass.

S- Dank, musty hop aroma that's more piney and earthy than citrusy. Toasty malt in the back. Somewhat effervescent.

T- The toasted malt is surprisingly the first flavor to hit, then the hops come in with a solid bite. Well-balanced with the alcohol not being overly noticeable. There's a slight metallic taste I chalk up to the variety of hops used, apparently six different varietals. The bitterness doesn't linger long which is fine.

M- Tight but smooth and semi-dry. Medium carbonation and a body that leans toward the fuller side.

O- A very drinkable and flavorful IPA from this small regional brewery. Looking forward to trying more of their beers.

Serving type: can

05-02-2013 07:15:18 | More by Immortale25

mjc3151

Illinois

2.86/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Large amount of head. Very clear, you can see the bubble moving upward through the beer.

S - smells of hop bitterness

T - I mainly get lots of bitterness. A little bit of hop flavor, but mainly just hop bitterness. A little too bitter for me.

M - creamy mouthfeel partly due to the head, medium carbonation

O - too bitter, not enough of a balance of taste to warrant a repurchase.

Serving type: can

04-28-2013 19:22:32 | More by mjc3151

bmwats

Louisiana

3.81/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16 oz can into a standard pint.

A: Dark amber hue. Pours about a 2 finger, frothy, white head. Settles slowly and unevenly, leaving dry, sticky residue behind as it does. Fair spider web lacing. Head renews with each pour.

S: Sourdough bread, pine, freshly cut grass, and some Italian spice.

T: Really piney hop, accentuated with a woody tone, some clove, a little orange and lemon rind, and just a hint of indistinct sweetness to top it off.

M: Full body. Crisp character with a punchy hop. Bitter palette lingers throughout. Dry, bitter finish.

D: Sip and enjoy. The bitter palette will dictate it.

Atmosphere is really solid. Great, dark hue, giant frothy head, and some decent spider web lacing. Nose is sourdough, with clove and oregano, grass, all on a big piney plate. Flavor is woody and piney with some nice savory spice and a little sweet accent. Overall, this is a really good quaff.

Serving type: can

04-09-2013 03:39:13 | More by bmwats

brentk56

North Carolina

3.54/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Arrives at the bar with an amber color capped by an inch of foam that does a nice job lacing the pint glass

Smell: Reasonably hoppy, though the malts are not shy; a bit of caramel and some pine, though both aspects are understated

Taste: Biscuity and caramel malts, up front, with some piney hops arriving, in the middle; some mint and aspirin flavors, in the finish, though the overall effect is not overly bitter

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: A little too malt forward for the style though this is about as good as it gets for an IPA in this part of the country

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2013 01:15:00 | More by brentk56

davecavemaster

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

This beer is a New Orleans brewery called NOLA Brewing company. It is a 6.5% ABV "West Coast style India Pale Ale," made with six malts and six different hops.

The beer pours a slightly hazy copper color, with an off white foam head that is pillowy at first, and then breaks down. Good lacing on the glass that hangs around as you savor the brew.

I got a really nice nose of grapefruit and pine. Not as powerful as some IPAs, but very pleasant.

Really like the taste of this beer. You get a lot of the citrus and pine flavors, but there is a definite malty taste as well. More malty than most IPAs I have had, but it doesn't overpower the bitterness of the hops. You still get a nice lingering bitterness throughout the taste. Lots more hops in the taste than in the nose.

Good mouthfeel. The bitterness sticks to the sides of your mouth, and the beer has a moderate carbonation.

Serving type: can

03-05-2013 01:31:44 | More by davecavemaster

TrappistJohnMD

Mississippi

3.55/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served at Jacque Imo's in New Orleans.

Golden color with off-white head that lingers pretty well.

Smell is malty with citrus hop pungency. Musty smell.

Taste is caramel, malt, and mild hoppy citrus. Grapefruit and orange presence. Good.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with lots of carbonation.

Overall this is good and definitely worth a try.

Serving type: can

02-10-2013 22:20:47 | More by TrappistJohnMD

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Bulbman for sending this one up north to me. The beer poured out as a really nice copper color. The head comes and goes within a few minutes. There is a light amount of lacing. and not much retention. The smell of the beer has some subtle pine and citrus notes along with a malt sweetness. The taste of the beer has more pine and a dry malt finish to it. The mouthfeel of the beer is medium bodied with a decent carbonation. Overall it's a pretty good beer. Not the best IPA I've had but it was nice to try.

Serving type: can

01-19-2013 19:32:40 | More by Knapp85

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed this one while out sightseeing in New Orleans! Served from tap into a nonic. Poured golden yellow with a two finger off-white head that subsided to one finger slowly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, fruit, fruit hop, earth, earth hop, and subtle spice. The flavor was of sweet malt, earth, earth hop, spice, and spicy hop. It had a light feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. This beer really had a lot of potential to be great if the earthiness would have been toned back some. The fruit aspect going on here was quite enjoyable, but the earthiness just cut right into this and stopped it in its tracks. Really a shame if I am honest. Worth trying at least once to judge for yourself.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2013 16:28:03 | More by thagr81us

zbkai189

3.33/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Pours a soapy whitish head that recedes quickly. Brew is medium copper colored with moderate carbonation.

S - Strong grapefruit. Some pine. Some alcohol.

T - Grapefruit hits you first and stays awhile. Good bitterness.

M - Tingly and a little bubbly for my taste.

O - Decent. My first experience with NOLA Brewing Co. Will try a different brew next time, though.

Serving type: can

12-14-2012 23:49:44 | More by zbkai189

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best by 2/8/13. Poured from a can into a snifter. Off-white head. Moderate retention. Clear, sticky lacing. Aroma is very nice, hoppy pine and grassy goodness dominates. Taste is slightly sweet but very nicely bittered with grapefruity goodness. Packing a nice hop punch, this can delivers.

Serving type: can

12-06-2012 23:39:20 | More by KickbacksSteve

ZethOfTheNorth

Louisiana

3.48/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a wine glass from a 16 oz can. Tallboy 4-packs are $8.99 in New Orleans. NOLA began canning this about two months ago. Something incomprehensible printed on the bottom of the can; if it's a date, it's worthless.

A: Less copper depth that with the usual IPA. Thin head that fades fast. Very little lacing.

S: Slight bubblegum sweetness and a whiff of citrus. Not huge, but nice.

T: Uncomplex, easy-drinking IPA. It's strongly bitter, dominated by grapefruit pith. Kind of a palate wrecker.

M: Lighter than some. Nice carbonation.

O: This is the most variable beer I've experienced, both on draft and in cans. A can from about a month back was gorgeous, had me buzzing that Hopitoulas stood up with the big guys. But this 4-pack has been unspectacular, but solid.

Serving type: can

11-18-2012 22:19:12 | More by ZethOfTheNorth

deebo

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Again on tap at huck Finns. A pint for a buck-I'm in!

A-burnt orange in color and cloudy with a short but sturdy head-decent lacing

S-hops hit me first-grassy floral and slightly earthy carried with a nice whiff of caramel malt

T- very similar to the nose. You get whiffs of hops with plenty of toasty sweet malt that finishes distinctively grassy and slightly bitter

M-nice mouthfeel. Good malt backbone for a 6% beer. Moderate carbonation carries the hops in nicely

O-A solid ipa. I like the body. The hops are a bit on the grassy side but this a solid IPA

Serving type: on-tap

10-31-2012 00:03:28 | More by deebo

champ103

Texas

4.03/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This seems to be getting more popular all the time. Which is great. I first had it at dba, then again at Three Muses, and a bunch of different places in NO.

A: Pours a slightly hazy golden/orange color. A small white head forms and recedes to leave some lace.
S: Floral, grassy, citrus hops. Well balanced with caramel malt. Very simple, but enjoyable.
T: Follows the nose. Citrus and grassy hops. A bit more pine resiny hops than the nose. Again very well balanced with the caramel malt.
M/D: A medium body and carbonation. Just a bit thin IMO. So easy to drink. All day with this one.

Just simple, and I like it. Perfect while walking around Frenchman St or the Quarter.

Serving type: on-tap

10-07-2012 00:10:01 | More by champ103

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.58/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from tap at Lagers in Metarie, LA. Poured into pint glass. Pours a orange/copper straw color; some slight head and lacing. Smells of very mellow hops, some pine and sweet malt. Taste is very malty for an IPA, sweet malts, some bittering pine hop flavors as well. Its a very drinkable and tastey IPA, but not spectacular. Best IPA from Louisiana probably...

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2012 03:45:46 | More by DrinkSlurm

acevenom

Louisiana

4.28/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a nonic pint glass at The Chimes on Highland in Baton Rouge. The beer appeared copper with a thin white head. There were plentiful visible tiny bubbles in the beer. Plenty of lacing was left on the side of the glass during consumption. The aroma was malty with earthy hops. The taste followed the nose with those earthy hop flavors and bready and mildly sweet malts. There was some nice hop bitterness in the background that stuck around in the aftertaste. The body is medium with moderate carbonation. The finish clings tot he mouth. This is an excellent beer.

Serving type: on-tap

09-15-2012 18:36:34 | More by acevenom

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

served from the tap at the Avenue Pub, in a pint glass.

Appears clear amber color, with white head. smells of grassy hops, slightly floral. tastes of biscuity malt, earthy hop flavor. Medium body, fairly smooth carbonation.

Overall - balanced well, nice IPA

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2012 04:02:10 | More by jmdrpi

charlzm

California

2.28/5  rDev -40%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured at Jackson Brewery, New Orleans, LA into a red plastic Solo cup on May 11th, 2012. Consumed as I walked around the French Quarter.

Beer is a medium yellow with a fine, foamy, one finger, off white head.

Aroma is soapy, sort of like Samuel Adams Boston Lager sometimes smells. No hop aroma.

Flavor is strange; minty and soapy notes up front, some thin bitterness on the finish.

Overly astringent but well-carbonated, at least.

Yuck. Stay away from this one. I poured about half of it down a storm drain on Decatur Street.

Serving type: on-tap

06-21-2012 04:31:54 | More by charlzm

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a growler filled at the Avenue Pub. The beer pours an orange-amber color with a large white head. The aroma has a nice amount of bread and toffee, with some strong pine notes added in. The flavor is more hoppy than the aroma. I get quite a bit of pine and orange citrus, with some grass also thrown in. The bready malt keeps the bitterness fairly low and allows the hop flavor to shine. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: growler

04-10-2012 01:31:57 | More by Mora2000

Reaper16

Alabama

3/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

served on-tap @ Wilhagan's, Tuscaloosa, AL, into a pint glass

Pours a pretty typical orange-blonde color, with slightly less than one full finger of off-white head. In other words, this looks like your average IPA. No real haze to speak of, but the clarity of the body doesn't yield anything interesting. Lazy carbonation.

The aroma is also pretty average. Grass, pinecones, oranges, grapefruit. Hopitoulas doesn't achieve anything out of the ordinary, or especially well-executed. It delivers basic hop aromas in a basic way. There's some malt here too, but it's an afterthought.

The malt, as if it were mad at me for thinking it an afterthought as I smelled the beer, shows up more strongly on the palate. Caramel & biscuit malts make for a beer with an odd tang to it when tasted in combination with the [basic] hop profile. The one bit of excitement here is the flavor of cherry that shows up on the midpalate. It tastes out-of-place, but at least it breaks up the monotony a bit. There is nothing wrong with this IPA, but it doesn't excite me in any way. I've brewed better IPAs, which is not a great sign. I could justify scoring this a 2.5, but the level of hops is high enough that the beer can satisfy a hop craving in a pinch. It's just not going to be very flashy or substantial while doing so.

The mouthfeel is very much in the realm of medium-bodied. It's a bit sweet overall (with the hops masking that with bitterness, of course). Overall, this is an average IPA. I don't have a lot to say about it that's bad. It's competent, but not in any way remarkable.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2012 04:21:32 | More by Reaper16

rfgetz

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clean golden amber, moderate cap of head with some sticky rings. Taste leads with a blend of piney, grassy and citrus hops, malt backbone is minimal and lightly sweet. Taste follows scent, hop note of pine and citrus clouded by a touch of grassiness not preferred in the style, malt backbone is light but provides some faint sweetness. Medium bodied, lightly bubbly. A solid IPA but not quite West Coast as advertised.

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2012 17:25:03 | More by rfgetz

cvm4

Mississippi

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Served on tap at The Chimes

A - Cloudy gold in color. One finger head with a good amount of lacing.

S - On the nose I pick up citrus notes (lemon & grapefruit) with a hint of pine.

T - It hits you with the citrus at first and develops into a pine taste with a slightly hoppy/bitter finish.

M - medium body, somewhat higher carbonation. Easy drinker, not syrupy or overbearing.

O - A solid offering from NOLA brewing. A tasty IPA that doesn't overpower your senses or leave you underwhelmed.

Serving type: on-tap

11-28-2011 12:04:42 | More by cvm4