Hop Box - Joseph James Brewing Inc.

TheBeerCarl

Idaho

4.18/5  rDev +25.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hop Box

Appearance: The beer pours with a cream colored head with tiny bubbles and okay retention. The body of the beer itself is a nice golden yellow orange and slightly opaque. The reason it received a four and not higher is due to the fact that imperial IPAs should have more of a deeper amber coloring with a thick head and great retention.

Smell: the first note is a combo string piny hop and caramel character with a decent presence of heat right after and then some lingering floral notes.

Taste: an almost perfect balance of citrus hops, piny hops and caramel flavor. Not too sweet but It could use more bittering hops.

Mouthfeel: medium body beer with light, sharp carbonation. Could use a little more body in my opinion.

Overall I was very impressed with this beer. For the price, it was an extremely well done imperial IPA. I would definitely recommend this beer to any imperial IPA fans.

Serving type: can

10-25-2012 23:28:03 | More by TheBeerCarl

leeswagerty

Arkansas

4.08/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Typical IPA copper color, clear and bright with a decent head.

S: Clean smell. Slightly citrus with a hint of peaches or some kind of sweet fruit. Hard to put your finger on it...

T: Slightly citrus, refreshing. Like others said, it has the "tangy-ness" of a fruit juice.

M: Smooth, but I was really expecting more bitterness and hops. Especially because of its name; "Hop Box".

D: Very drinkable. Not overly bitter so this could be a perfect "hoppy" beer for the non-hopheads. Myself, as a hophead, could use more bitterness and hop aroma/mouthfeel but it is good nonetheless.

From such a small brewery in the Midwest i'm pretty impressed. Will get a 6 pack again. I wish my local store had more of their brews though, as i'd like to try them!

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2010 02:49:37 | More by leeswagerty

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Another of Pinocchio's latest CANtributions to the ongoing madness known far and wide as The CANQuest (TM). My hat's off to you guys!

I recently hopped in a fox's box and we not only enjoyed it immensely, but we had lox and cream cheese for breakfast before watching the Red Sox at the White Sox. We then headed down to the dox to watch a ship on the rox while resetting the clox. Neither of us had chicken pox but she showed real moxie. Nox it off, I am told. Dr. Seuss lives!

The Crack reveled yet another beer anxious to greet me like an excited puppy, bubbling out through the opening. It was another brimful CAN and then the Glug was underway! I prefer to employ the dreaded invert-a-flow pour in which the CAN is held upside-down above the serving vessel and gravity does the rest. I was getting a massive amount of head, initially, and backed off. Once everything settled out, I had a finger of dense, tawny head with good retention. Color was a slightly hazy orangish-amber. Nose had an evergreen hoppiness underlain by a pleasant maltiness and my mouth began to water. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full and the mintiness of the hops was immediately evident, followed by the the sweetness of the malt. Finish was literally breathtaking as the hops seemed to suck the air out of my mouth. Yeah, let me take some of this to the beach!

Serving type: can

07-05-2012 02:39:24 | More by woodychandler

Flounder57

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz can was poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: This beer poured a one finger head that reduced to a thin layer and left some nice lacing on the glass. It is a pale orange color with great clarity and slow moving bubbles coming up through the glass.

Smell: Piney, resiny, and citrus hops with some caramel and bready malts in there too.

Taste: Same as above with the hops a little faded than what I smelled. Nice mild hop bitterness that is balanced out by the caramel malts.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, a bit dry, medium bodied, tingly hop bitterness, and low to medium carbonation.

Overall: Pretty nice DIPA here folks. Weird to see anything from NV here in New England. Especially since I found it outside of Portland, ME. Might have to grab me more of this brew.

Serving type: can

04-28-2013 23:29:16 | More by Flounder57

jsh420

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

pours slightly hazy copper amber with a 1+ finger head that left some spotted lacing

smells of candy malt and candy fruit hops some pine

taste - this reminds me a lot of dbl crooked tree - bubble gum candy malt with pine and tropical hop flavors

mouthfeel is a medium body with low carbonation - very smooth

overall - with just a little more work this beer could be world class - it has convinced me to try more JJB offerings

Serving type: can

02-19-2012 05:32:59 | More by jsh420

mactrail

California

3.93/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Rich, murky, sweet hop bomb. Pours an medium amber in the Stella Artois tall glass. Bubbly and nicely foamed. Huge aroma of flowery hops.

For some reason, this is totally likeable to me, even though I don't seek the whip of the Hop Mistress. Rich and mellow along with the insane amount of hops flavors. It's powerful and boozy, it's rich and crazy, it tastes like something pulled from the garden, it's sweet and nasty, it's like a big wet dog jumping all over you. Hops! more hops!

From the 12 oz can bought as a random oddity at Total Wine. Nice thing about IPAs in cans-- you get that big poof of hops up your nose when you pop the top.

Serving type: can

08-31-2012 05:47:57 | More by mactrail

arizcards

Arizona

3.93/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Picked up a single at Total Wine back in late April for $1.99. Received at TW on 4-11-13...no canning date.

Beer poured golden orange with a solid white head that is leaving lacing behind.

Nose is nice, citrus hops are pretty good.

Taste is big on the grapefruit hops, some pine. The malt backing is there and is definitely not sweet like some DIPA's can be. This is definitely a hop forward beer.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, carbonation is pretty good.

Overall this is a pleasant find at a reasonable price. I am pretty much around average when rating a beer so i was surprised to find it rated so low. Definitely would recommend if you can get it fresh.

Serving type: can

06-06-2013 00:47:09 | More by arizcards

IKHOURY

Nevada

3.88/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Slighty hazy when poured into the glass, with a little sediment floating throughout. Very thin head at the beginning, but it quickly disappears. Aromas of bananas, citrus, and tea leaves. The sweet malty flavors balance out the citusy hops very well. This is a relatively new beer for this brewery, so it shows great potential

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2010 04:23:31 | More by IKHOURY

SerialHiker

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a bright deep orange…tons of bubbles making it look cloudy initially, but I expect that to calm down and make this beer much more transparent…tons of off white head formed upon pouring and is slowing receding…(4/5)

Smell: Tons of hop aroma during the pour, deep earthy, piney hops…after things settle a bit, there’s that initial deep earthiness still very much in the forefront…citrus hops and earthy/caramel malts follow...like a sweet damp forest…faint pineapple back there…way more malty than I would have expected, this thing is full of sweetness and caramel…there’s a light robustness about this…(3.85/5)

Taste: Lots going on here…sweet malt beginning, followed by caramel malts…very malty for a “hop box”…strong, robust earthy and piney hops highlighted by citrus hops come through in the middle phase, but the sweet caramel malt flavor never really leaves…hop bitterness shows late in middle phase and lasts through out after taste…it’s got a good, solid, robust flavor that attacks my tongue…(3.99/5)

Mouthfeel: Medium body, medium to lots of carbonation…fluffs up a ton bring out sweet caramel malt taste…earthy bitterness (not citrusy or flowery, very earthy) left way back on the tongue in the finish…chewy, wet, flavorful…(4/5)

Overall: A very good beer…I’m not sure how many of these I could drink in one session, the higher ABV would definitely knock me off my ass after about 2…a very drinkable beer though, solid hop flavor and definitely lives up to the “hop box” label…it’s surprisingly well balanced by strong sweet caramel malt flavor and actually hides it’s ABV pretty well…this would be a great beer paired with a board game where there’s some strategy but is ultimately more luck based, something like Settlers of Catan…I wouldn’t want to have to put a puzzle together right now, but I could figure out how to defeat you with all my rock and lumber…(3.75/5)

Serving type: can

01-03-2013 03:13:51 | More by SerialHiker

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Black Raven pint glass. Pours a slightly hazy orange amber with a massive off white head that dissipated quickly to a nice half finger layer, leaving very little lacing. Aroma is sweet malt and pineapple with slight citrus and faint hops. Very little hop aroma for an IIPA, but smells good anyway. Flavor is sweet malt with slightly piney hops that present themselves mostly in bittering rather than flavoring. An unusually flavored IPA, but surprisingly balanced. Unfortunately the flavor does not cover the high ABV and there is a bit of boozy punch to the otherwise pleasant citrus hop and malt finish. Medium bodied redeemed by pleasant active carbonation. I enjoyed this for its eccentricity, but it is not quite to style for an Imperial IPA.

Serving type: can

07-26-2012 03:24:55 | More by LiquidAmber

glid02

Georgia

3.7/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Shared by jyounger35 - thanks!

Pours a clear copper color with a one-finger white head. The head dissipates into a wispy layer on top leaving light lacing.

Smells of pale malts, mild citrus hops, and light amounts of indistinct fruit.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Pale malt flavors up front are joined quickly by a good amount of hop flavors however the off fruit flavors come into things midway through the sip and carry through to a mildly bitter ending, stronger than they were in the aroma. Someone said it best when comparing it to apple juice - kind of a tangy flavor.

Mouthfeel is alright. It's a bit on the thin side with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I didn't have a problem finishing my glass although it would have been easier if it were cleaner.

Overall I wasn't terribly impressed with this beer however I didn't hate it either. Worth a try if you see it around but not worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2010 15:27:00 | More by glid02

TheSarge

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured this one into a 10oz beer stein, and the brew makes a durable two finger thick off white cranium presentation, and the body is cleanly filtered with a dark copper color.

The aroma is arid and quite hoppy. There is more of an orange appeal here, more so than a grape fruit characteristic. Slightly perfumy too.

The taste is overwelmingly in the malt's favor. Very syrupy, figgy, the hops are detectable by a slight lemon drop finish. This tastes like lemon tea on steroids times two!

Feels very thick, syrupy, oily, mildly carbonated, with warming with a dry finish.

Serving type: can

03-22-2012 03:15:56 | More by TheSarge

Mora2000

Texas

3.68/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I was surprised to see this beer for sale in Texas.

The beer pours a orange-amber color with a white head. The aroma is a strong mix of orange and caramel malts. This smells a lot like a hoppy barleywine. The flavor is very similar with some spices in addition to the caramel oranges. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not sure when this beer was brewed but it appears to have faded into barleywine territory. Still, it was not a bad drink.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2010 05:59:18 | More by Mora2000

RJLarse

Washington

3.65/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I bought a bomber of Hop Box at a beer store in Las Vegas. Poured in to a pint glass.

Pours a bronze/gold color and hazy. Creamy off-white head.

Smell is a sweet scent, some caramel notes and a fruity pineapple aroma.

Taste is also sweet, some caramel malt flavors with a hint of sour citrus, and some alcohol heat at the end.

Mouthfeel is full bodied and cloying. There is a lingering bitter aftertaste.

Overall a decent DIPA. ABV too high to be sessionable, My bottel says 9.3%. Frankly I think I'd like this one better in the winter season, but not bad.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2011 23:28:21 | More by RJLarse

augustgarage

California

3.65/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz can into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

The liquid is a tangelo to tangerine gradient topped by a fist of dense creamy ivory. Immense tendrils of rocky lacing threaten to climb out of the glass. Superior retention.

Deep caramel notes are joined by a bracing herbaceous citrus-laden hop bomb in the nose. Faintly soapy, but inviting.

Bitter, pine-like palate entry is accompanied by grapefruit along with candied ginger and light caramel. The flavors are strong but could be better integrated. Malt seems a little excessive. Finishes medium-dry, earthy (pine-y), and bitter.

Rich, nearly syrupy mouth-feel, with a bit of heat from alcohol. Well carbonated.

A little rough perhaps, but a good beer none the less.

Serving type: can

07-01-2012 23:12:28 | More by augustgarage

klkatz

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

smells - fresh floral...

appearance... slightly hazy,

has a good bitterness for IPA lovers... mouthfeel is a bit light - but is assertive upfront... good initial taste, but quickly fades.

what it lacks in mouthfeel it makes up for in taste and smell... they need to find a better balance...

good beer... would have another,

Serving type: can

02-22-2013 04:25:38 | More by klkatz

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a tulip glass)

A- This beer pours a clear slightly dense aged copper body with a thick bubbly beige and slightly sticky head that has a swirl of microbubbles in slow motion supporting it. The last pour has a hazy dense body.

S- The caramel malt sweetness grows as the beer opens with a green pungent note that is softer in the finish. When the beer warms quite a bit there is an alcohol aroma in the finish.

T- The sweetness of malt is softer than in the aroma with a green herbal pungent finish that has a slight mint quality to it and a pungent bite that lingers after the finish.

M- This beer has a full mouthfeel with a soft alcohol heat as it warms and the sweetness coats the mouth after each sip.

O- The thick pungent hops don't have a lot of hop flavor or aroma and the nice sweetness of caramel malt reminds me of a barleywine. The bitterness in the aftertaste is just to strong compared to the rest of the flavors.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 21:15:30 | More by rhoadsrage

snaotheus

Washington

3.63/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz can poured into a large snifter

Pours with a giant white head, fades slowly, seems to leave thick lacing. Cloudy, orange in color. Smell is pine and orange.

Taste is creamy with a weird twist, lots of hops but a more than equally large quantity of malt sweetness. It narrowly avoids cloyingness.

Mouthfeel is creamy and full. Overall, it's pretty good, but not amazing.

Serving type: can

12-23-2012 03:50:57 | More by snaotheus

LXIXME

New Mexico

3.61/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Big soapy off white to light tan head just sort of sits there above a clear copper-golden colored beer.

Citrus to piney hops aroma pretty much drowns out a light caramel grain malt in the nose.

Light dryish citrus and pine taste with just a touch of caramel malts sneaking through.

A dryish aftertaste with a little bitterness sticking around on this medium bodied beer.

A decent enough hops taste, definitely worth a try.

Serving type: can

04-12-2013 21:05:33 | More by LXIXME

Halcyondays

California

3.6/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. can,

A: Pours a clear dark amber with a medium white head, leaves some sticky lace.

S: Some vegetal notes, lots of pine and citrus peel.

T: Has a solid malt flavour with a lot of pine and some ethanol. The heat is there, but is well contained and it works with the other flavours.

M: Medium-bodied, soft carbonation, certainly has some ethanol there, but never really gets in the way.

O: This is from a brewery that is 'just there.' The ethanol is prevalent, but never takes over the beer. Well made, these guys have just come into CA, so I'd like to see what they do next.

Serving type: can

03-12-2012 05:49:01 | More by Halcyondays

mdfb79

New York

3.58/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Received as an extra in a trade with snosage, thanks man! Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a snifter. From 4/14/10 notes.

a - Pours a dark amber/brownish color with one inch of white head. High carbonation evident and nice lacing.

s - Smells if pine and citrus hops. Also some bready malts and hints of soap.

t - Tastes mostly of citrus hops. Hints of bready malts and some bitterness to it.

m - Medium body and low carbonation. Pretty smooth.

d - Overall I thought this was ok, but a little bland. Some citrus hops and bitterness, but nothing special. Wouldn't actively seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2010 23:02:44 | More by mdfb79

ChrisCage

Alberta (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

FYI- My bottle states an alc/vol of 8.2%. Thanks again to my BA buddy alexgrahamlv for the trade!

A- Pours with a slight yeasty haze, but is mostly clear. The color is a rusty amber and provides me with a modest head, that settles rather quickly into a patchy film. Carbonation appears to be moderate as well, with lots of fine looking bubbles rising slowly to the top. The lacing is something that is lacking unfortunately, only leaving behind a somewhat oily film on my glass.

S- A good mix of hop bitterness, but not overwhelming for an Imperial IPA, along with some mild peppery spice, and sweet citrus and tropical fruits. There is more of a malt character to the finish than dry/bitter.

T- I don't think this resembles much of an IIPA flavor wise at all....the caramel/toffee sweetness of the malt is much more noticeable than than the hop profile, which is there, but is much more subdued than the stated 90 IBU rating. I find the finish to be more of a blend of the citrus fruit found in the aroma, plus a pine/juniper like flavor. The aftertaste does leave behind a more bittering character on the palate.

M- The carbonation is very mild, leaving this a smooth, creamy tasting brew with a medium body. The candy like malt, mixed in with the fruit is quite noticeable and really shine on the palate.

O- I actually quite like this, as I'm not a hophead! Hop Box reminds me a lot like my favorite style, English Pale Ale, with just a hint more hop profile. The alcohol is very well hidden IMO, and I'd have no problem drinking several of these on a warm evening on the patio, such as I did with this review. A decent beer, but I think the style that the brewery is going for needs to be tinkered with if this is what they want.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2011 02:05:50 | More by ChrisCage

Flightoficarus

Washington

3.58/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a brisk, carbonated amber hue, with a nice, two finger off-white head. Retention and lacing are a bit tamer than expected.

S - Smell is of ripe, candied orange and grapefruit peel, caramel malts, and hints of lemon.

T - Taste is of candied citrus fruits (the aforementioned grapefruit, orange, and lemon) with plenty rich, biscuity caramel malts, and a bit of pine and alcohol at the end. Hops are a bit tame for DIPA standards, but nonetheless, it's pretty tasty.

M - Medium-full body, with moderate carbonation. Not much "slick, hop oil" feel to speak of that's common in DIPA's, which makes this one too easy to quaff down for it's strength.

O - Overall, it's a decent contender in the competitive DIPA category, and it's cool to start seeing some craft beers out of NV. However, the hardcore hop disciples might find the hops too docile in this one. I enjoyed it though.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 06:34:31 | More by Flightoficarus

flagmantho

Washington

3.58/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz can into a pint glass.

Appearance: rich orange-amber hue with a good effervescence and the minutest touch of haze. Head is two fingers of frothy orange-tinged tan foam. Quite good.

Smell: rich malty aroma with some piney, vegetal hops present. There's also a mild soapiness which is a tiny bit off-putting, but is strangely not entirely unwelcome.

Taste: right off the bat starts off with a big, sweet malt flavor but this quickly grows into an all-pervading mustiness. Hops are citrusy and earthy in character, and pretty well-balanced, I'd say. The mustiness doesn't bother me too much, but some might really disagree with it.

Mouthfeel: big body with a good carbonation and a very nice creaminess. Good stuff.

Overall: an interesting and imperfect beer. I think they are on the right track with some of the flavors they've got going on here, but the soapiness and mustiness have got to go if they want an A-grade product.

Serving type: can

04-27-2012 19:09:45 | More by flagmantho

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The Hop Box is a big beer...no questioning that. The appearance is clear orange peel with creamy off white head that is lacing slightly. The smell is a fresh hop leaning towards pine and malt. The taste is a bitter to start then brief zip of alcohol followed by a sweet malt finish. The mouthfeel is full body with smooth carbonation. Overall its not too bad....certainly would not be sessioning this bad boy....glad I tried it.

Serving type: can

11-13-2012 01:03:41 | More by WoodBrew