Hop Ottin' IPA - Anderson Valley Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Aggressive grapefruit aroma. Very dry bitter aftertaste, not solved by any food or drink. Rather grapefruity hoppy drink inbetween. Well carbonated, but rather one-dimensional and so-so IPA from what I have tried, American or British. Recommended for the hophead in your life.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2005 03:51:11 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.65/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

It took a little while to determine the color since the head was so gargantuan that the beer wasn't visible. Dusky, hazy orangish amber. The head is French vanilla in color, bordering on light tan, and is firm and extremely sticky. It looks like meringue and is leaving huge chunks of foam all over the glass.

The aroma doesn't leap out of the glass and assault me with hops (as was expected given the beer's reputation as a hophead's delight). The nose consists of somewhat citrusy, but primarily earthy hops. Upon tasting... this IPA is not a hop monster by any stretch of the imagination. The hoppiness is more herbal-earthy than it is citric fruity.

There's a solid malt backbone and not enough hoppiness. Butterscotch is also appreciated (which is definitely odd for the style), as is a flash of alcohol. The finish is medium in length and doesn't differ greatly from what preceded it. The mouthfeel is good, not great. It's firm without much creaminess.

After everything that I've heard about it, Anderson Valley's Hop Ottin' is a minor letdown. Another West Coast citric hop bomb was expected... and wasn't delivered. Maybe I just don't care for Columbus hops, which this beer uses exclusively. Sorry, but it doesn't deserve its reputation as far as I'm concerned.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2004 20:53:50 | More by BuckeyeNation

womencantsail

California

4.33/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Heroe's in Fullerton.

A: Hop Ottin' pours a light golden color with a small white foam which leaves excellent lacing on the pint glass.

S: The nose was what you generally look and hope for in an IPA. Lots of floral, pine, and grapefuit hop aromas with a mild malt scent to give some semblance of balance.

T: This is an incredibly bitter IPA. Absolutely tons of resinous pine flavor and very mild on the citrus front. The slight malt aroma does not translate to the palate.

M: Despite the lack of malt character, there is a stickiness about this beer. Moderate carbonation helps out with the incredible bitterness.

D: Being a hophead, this beer is absolutely delicious to me. However, this would be overwhelmingly bitter to many people. The alcohol is not very present, so if you enjoy that intense pine taste, this is a very drinkable IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

09-27-2009 19:49:02 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

G: Poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours an amber-ish color with plenty of head. Lots of lacing.

S: Piney hops with some citrus there as well. The hops are not completely overpowering, but definitely outdo the malts.

T: The malt comes out more in the taste with some caramel/toffee-type flavors, but this one is still dominated by the hops. A "balanced" West Coast IPA.

M: Pretty heavy for an IPA, although quite smooth.

D: Very drinkable. A little bit heavy, but oh-so-delicious.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2009 02:10:40 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce can - $1.79 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours out a clear, amber-hued body with a two finger-high head of near white foam.

Smell: Fresh citrus zest, notably strong resinous pine, with some lesser floral tones. Some pale, caramel malts showing beyond the hop aromas.

Taste: Bready pale malts sweetened up with a handful of crushed sugar cookies. Floral hops, but also fairly, firmly resinous, with some tangerine oil included. Medium bitterness throughout. Leisurely bitter, resinous finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Overall: A solid, basic American IPA.

Serving type: can

09-09-2012 22:40:53 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy honey colored body with a prodigious head that displays great retention and lacing

Smell: Mandarin orange citrus nose

Taste: A ton of hoppy bitter flavors without much of a malt backbone; extremely orange bitterness on the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with plenty of carbonation; the beer dries out the mouth and provides some warmth on the finish

Drinkability: A bit too one dimensional for my tastebuds; just too harsh for me

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2006 03:10:47 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

3.58/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy copper orange with a 1 inch foamy orange-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Thin foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt and herbal and citrus zest hops. Taste is of bready malt and hops that lean toward the herbal side of the spectrum. A slightly metallic flavor comes out as well. There is a pretty assertive bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but nothing too special.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 05:21:10 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle courtesy of SS: Poured a deep copper ale with a nice big foamy head with good retention. Aroma of bitter hops is well balance with some light caramel malt. Taste is a mix between caramel malt and some bitter hops. Body is above average with some good carbonation. I have to admit that this was a well made and very refreshing IPA but still taste quite similar to other staple of the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2007 16:53:15 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.85/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap, the beer has a better meldedness than from the bottle. The bittering is more pronounces and starts to venture from the citrus and fruity hops to extreme bittering. The malts are suppressed a bit in it's sweetness and body, though remaining firm. Hops cause the beer to dry considerably and leave a bitter 'bite' in the back of the throat. Though I like it best on tap, I'm liking this beer less and less, the more I drink.

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2006 14:13:02 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a amber color with a real nice creamy head that leaves some nice lacing,aroma zesty with some honey tones along with a light caramel note.Taste is packed with hops for sure citruisy and a little fruity with a light malt backbone.Iam not a hophead but I do fully appreciate the craftmanship in this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2003 04:09:39 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

There's something really arresting about the maltiness of the Anderson Valley beers, and this one's a great example. It's rich and sweetish, almost like a barleywine, but it's far from overdone, and certainly not as strong. It has a really unique caramelish side that's really quite remarkable. And in this case, it acts as a perfect, soft blanket for the hops to sink down into and lay upon.

It pours a hazy, deep-amber and orange body beneath a short head of creamy off-white foam. The head retention could be a bit better, as well as the lacing.

In the mouth it's richly malty and dextrinous with a medium-full body and creamy, gently effervescent carbonation.

The nose is decidedly malty and caramelish with gentle notes of piney and gently citrusy hops. It becomes even more fruity and hoppy as it warms with lots of floral notes.

The flavor offers the same rich, caramelish malt well-infused with piney, gently citrusy, and floral hops as well as a bold bitterness. As you progress through the glass the sweet maltiness that you get upfront erodes to leave much more hop flavor and bitterness in the mouth at the end. It's almost like having two beers in one, which greatly lends to it's drinkability. A touch of gentle spiciness is lent by the combination of hops and alcohol towards the end of the pint, but other than that it's remarkably well-cloaked.

It's a really nicely balanced, malty and hoppy IPA. I can't think of any IPA, brewed anywhere in the world, that has such a nice malt base to bounce it's hops off of! Except for the head retention, this is remarkably well-done!

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2006 14:37:33 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a Walter Payton shaker pint glass.

Lookin' for a new source o' hops recently, and my local TJ's provided me this li'l ditty. It pours a clear copper topped by nearly a finger of dusty cream foam. The nose comprises grapefruit, honeydew, cantaloupe, mild caramel, and a pinch of cinnamon. I'm not sure why, but I find this aroma to be extremely inviting. The taste holds notes of grapefruit, orange rind, lemon peel, light cantaloupe, light watermelon, light caramel, very light greens, and that same tiny shaving of cinnamon. The body is a rather light medium, with a light moderate carbonation, and a fairly dry finish. Overall, a very nice IPA, something I could easily see drinking pretty often.

Serving type: can

07-21-2011 02:31:20 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: clear, bright ruby red color, small white head.
Aroma: big, fruity nose (cherry,berry, grape, citrus, grapefruit, more) lively and inviting, a bit bitter but not too.
Mmmmmm! Thrilling blitz of fruity hops dazzle the tongue, rich, delicious taste, hops fade after a bit, malt makes it's mark but doesn't come to the fore.
Taste returns sip after sip, hop never quit either, yummy finish.
As an IPA lover, I count this among the best of them!
thanks to marc77 for sending it along .

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2003 20:29:10 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark golden/amber color with a thin white lace head. The aroma is good. It has a complex array of malt scents, but it mostly brags of pleasant floral hops. The taste is good. It has a very bitter flavor overlaying a malty core. It has a piney taste and a bitter aftertaste; very nice. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a fine IPA. It is a bit more bitter than some, but it has a nice malt character; a good drinker.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2004 02:06:37 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.35/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Unremarkable landmark review, 100th American IPA review. Beer is copper and clear with a thin white head and a lot of lacing. Head breaks, low carbonation.

Pine hops and lots of malt.

Beer is medium bodied and really malty at the start. Gives way to some mild hop character. This is on the best of IPA list and I can personally list about 70 IPAs I'd rather have than this one. What a mediocre crappy beer. 7%!?!?!?!? Serioiusly? Wow, pretty drinkable for that.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2010 03:26:20 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I have had this beer many times but just now got around to reviewing it.

The beer pours a reddish-amber color with a white head. The aroma is pretty fruity. I get some grapefruit, orange and papaya as well as some bready malt. The flavor is bitter oranges with some bread. I also get a little bit of caramel malt and some grassy hops. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2010 05:02:28 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Courtesy of dertbert.

A - Poured out a cloudy orange/amber color with a bubbly, white, one-finger head. It left nice rings of lace.

S - It smelled of hops!! Tons of hops! It had a citrusy smell and some malt aromas, too.

T - It tasted of bitter grassy hops. It had a burnt maltiness, too. A nice combo of bitter hops an toasty maltiness.

M - It was crisp and sharp. A little warmth from the alcohol. A medium-bodied beer.

D - Very good IPA. I've only had 2 ANderson Valley products and both have been excellent.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2007 01:11:04 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

4.05/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is slightly hazy copper in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high beige head that quickly died down but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are light to moderate amount of citrusy hops in the nose along with some hints of sweet malts. The smell becomes a little sweeter as the beer warms up.
T: The overall taste is very well balanced; the initial taste has some malty sweetness and notes of caramel while the finish has flavors of citrus from the hops along with a slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and smooth on the palate and has a light to moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer is very easy to drink because unlike other IPAs, the hops do not completely dominate the smell and taste.

Serving type: can

06-02-2011 02:24:10 | More by metter98

MasterSki

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to d0b for tossing me one of these. Served in a Red Hook pint glass.

A - Good looking IPA here - big three fingers of dirty light blond foam that has amazing retention and tons of lacing. Slightly hazed golden orange-red color with a few stray bubbles lazily rising to the top.

S - Good piney hop smell, with some orange zest and a touch of dankness. Doughy malt backbone that is present but subdued. Smells pretty fresh in any case.

T - Starts with some light citrus and caramel sweetness and then transforms into strong pine and earthiness. The taste has some strong bitterness to it that lingers well into the aftertaste.

M - Carbonation is a little higher than I like, but the finish is pleasantly dry and there are lots of residual hop resins. Thicker body than one would expect for a 7% IPA.

D - The bitterness gets a little intense, and the beer feels a touch heavy. I don't think I'd want more than a couple of these in a session.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2009 23:27:02 | More by MasterSki

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Has a wonderful hop aroma, a floral - grassy - resinous character to it. A nice amber color with a slight chill haze. Medium body with a hoppiness up front, followed by a malty sweetness. A resinous quality to the hop flavors as well as other notes of grapefruit peel. This beer finishes quite bitter. There is lots of flavor in this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2003 16:48:23 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.78/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Acquired via trade from Solomon420, so a big “Thank you” goes out to him. Poured from a 22oz. bottle into a mug glass.

A: The beer is a bright orange/brown color, with a thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of caramelized malt, citrus and a light amount of hops for the style.

T: The taste is on the malty side as opposed to the hoppy side for an IPA and starts with flavors of caramel tea and citrus. There’s a pale hops presence that comes in next, provides a good balance, causes the sweetness to fade and leaves a slightly bitter after-taste.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean and dry.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, good kick, good representation of style, this is one of those beers that gets better as it warms a bit, but since it doesn’t really have the high hops profile that endears me to the American IPA style, I consider it a decent beer, but not my first choice when I’m looking for an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2007 03:31:28 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours caramel with a crazy 3-fingers plus deep offwhite colored head> Great head retention and very good lacing

Smell: Piney hops not much else

Taste: Spicy/piney hops & fruittiness mix together, with a crisp/sweet/ hoppy dry finish. Hops impart an earthy tea/pine flavor

MF: Smooth & perfectly balanced, good carbonation levels and just feeling so rich on the tounge

Very drinkable, a little too hefty to drink all night, but a very good IPA would love to try at the source (tasters note: I know I was getting this in SC at liqour stores, despite their cap, circa 93-95)

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2006 04:04:26 | More by russpowell

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer poured out with a bright hazy yellow color. The head with thick and white. The smell of hops flooded my nose with ease. The other aromas are citrusy and perhaps a touch of pine. The taste of the beer is good, The tropical citrus aromas carry over to the flavor nicely leaving a nice sweet and bitter finish to the beer. The mouthfeel has just a little bit of a bite to it. Overall I think this beer is pretty good and worth trying. I would choose this over a lot of other normal IPA's out there.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2011 20:55:24 | More by Knapp85

Halcyondays

California

4.35/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 oz. bomber

A: Gold-amber, with off-white head, great lacing.

S: Floral American hops, with a good amount of malt considering the style.

T: Oustanding, citrus grapefruit jumps onto the palate, with delightful biscuit toasty malt coming up the rear. A hophead's delight.

M: Creamy, pretty good for a IPA, a tad thin, but I can deal with that. Carbonation is pretty low.

D: Oustanding, a dangerously drinkable IPA, an excellent choice from Anderson Valley, and not that expensive to boot.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2007 06:21:57 | More by Halcyondays

jwc215

New Jersey

4.45/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a beautiful, birght copper that seems to have slightly different hues from top to bottom. The one-finger head slowly descends to half the size and remains throughout. Trailing lace, with some broken rings, sticks to glass.

The smell is floral, with citrus and pine. Hints of toffee come through in the background.

The taste is a plethora of hops. Floral, citrusy, piney. Nutty and woody characteristics also emerge, especially in the finish along with a rounding honey sweetness. Hops control, but honey sweetness in the balance gives it more depth, complexity and some balance. It has a long, dry finish.

Chewy, thicker side of medium body. Smooth with a bite. Alcohol mixes with hops to give it a bit of a bite, though the alcohol is well-covered for the abv.

This is a hop-head's delight. Drinking this begs for more. A nice hop profile with a honey sweetness mixed in. It has depth and complexity. Delicious!

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2007 03:35:26 | More by jwc215