Fat Head's Head Hunter IPA - Fat Heads Brewery & Saloon

merc7186

New York

4.3/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this beer on tap as part of a flight at Fat Heads Cleveland.

The beer has a decent golden straw color to it, good head on the glass and great lacing. The smell comes off with a strong oily resin, piney, and a hint of grapefruit on the back end. The taste just blows you away with a hop punch to the mouth, it delivers a piney, grapefruit flavor that just delivers a great hop flavor but not over the top. The mouthfeel is great with a nice piney flavor that doesn't dry you out but leaves you wanting more. Overall, a MUST drink for hop heads.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2011 01:37:43 | More by merc7186

Dan3279

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I don't make it to the west side of Cleveland too often and I was finally in the neighborhood near Fat Head's and decided to run in and grab a growler of Head Hunter and see what the fuss is all about.

I poured part of the growler into my DFH snifter glass to find a nice golden amber body that I wouldn't call clear or hazy, more middle of the road. A vigorouss pour gave me a two inch head and I can notice a nice bit of carbonation. The aroma is dominated by the pine hops with hints of citrus and caramel.

I was actually disappointed with the first sip, nothing special, it was good, not mind blowing. My expectations were not super high and I expected more citrus than an earthy pine. After a few minutes I took another sip, and another, this beer was quickly growing on me. Its a VERY good American IPA, Personally I go for more of the citrus IPA's, but I really enjoyed this beer after I adjusted my perception of what I thought it was going to be.

This American IPA was medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation, I don't want to go as far as to call it crisp, but it was full of flavor, and easy to drink. If it wasn't for my brother in law stopping over and sitting on some for my wife I could have easily enjoyed the entire growler.

Overall a solid IPA and I will defiantly be stopping into Fat Head's more often when I am on the West side of Cleveland.

Serving type: growler

07-28-2011 02:51:50 | More by Dan3279

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap, Harrisburg Brewer's Fest. Feels like I didn't move from in front of Fat Head's.

A: The IPA is a lighter color. golden and translucent. A white head accompanies the ale where ever it goes.

S: The nose is resiny, oiled up with plenty of rich grapefruit and pine. Intense is probably the best word to use in this situation. Few IPAs muster up this type of powerful smell.

T: Hoppy and boozy, the ale provides on heck of a punch. Hops lead off (and never step aside), providing an oily citrus flavor. Pine follows, a thicker heaviness. Both types of hops can't hide the boozy strength of the IPA. Pale malts don't add much either. The resiny finish lingers long after each sip is gone. Wickedly good.

M: Possibly the highlight of the day for me. It's bite doesn't quit, leaving citrusy goodness in the back of my mouth.

O: Worth the long lines. After 4 glasses I went home a happy camper.

Serving type: on-tap

06-18-2011 19:06:21 | More by akorsak

OneDropSoup

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I have a hard time believing I just now tried this. On tap at the original Fathead's.

Poured into a nonick pint: Transparent, light gold with a finger of soft head. A few streams of fast nucleation. Tapestry lacing that doesn't last too long.

Smell: Wow! Bright grapefruit & a smell of pure freshness, like walking through the woods after a light rain. It's not the complexity of the notes in the aroma or whatever, but the overall vivacity & "nosefeel" that makes this so awesome.

Bitter & citric in the taste, piny, woody. It's like an "erect" taste sensation that's really stimulating. Again, this is hard to describe in terms of flavor components vs. an overall feeling or sensation - fresh, assertive, stiff, delicious. Bitter almost to the point of satiation, but inviting.

Mouthfeel grabs me with bitterness & won't let go, hits me & makes me come back for more. Doesn't destroy the palate, just rakes it over the coals a bit.

In summation: frickin' awesome. My new favorite IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2011 01:14:15 | More by OneDropSoup

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

ABV was listed as 7.2%

A - A nice clear copper color with a half of of head. Looks pleasant.

S - Wow what a hoppy bastard. Notes of pine and citrus hops with very little malt background. Hope it's good.

T - Taste is of bitter pine then citrus pine followed by very little hop balance. After a while I can detect a slight bit of malt but I swear this is Ruination.

M - Light to medium. drinks rather well.

Overall for the price ($5.50 a pint GTFO!) and the bitterness I will look elsewhere for a smooth IPA

And when the hell will Pittsburgh get the 4 bottles for 9.95? Man it's been like a 2 month wait!

Serving type: on-tap

05-29-2011 04:13:29 | More by DrDemento456

output01x

Ohio

3.3/5  rDev -25%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Enjoyed on tap in a pint glass at Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon.

There is absolutely no head to be found on this beer when I receive it. A thin foam ring barely exists at the edges of the glass. The body is a clear copper amber with no sign of carbonation bubbles. No lacing can be found throughout consumption.

Citrus and pine hops flow off the beer. Notes of grapefruit and caramel malt is also noticable. Not the strongest nose, but definitely pleasent.

Citrus and strikes at the beginning of the sip only to be quickly overtaken by a strong pine flavor. Notes of grapefruit and lemon add decent complexity to the beer. A dry, earthy pine aftertaste finishes each sip.

Medium bodied with little noticable carbonation, this beer is consumable but lacks drinkability. While not exactly flat, more carbonation would definitely have helped this beer out.

Honestly, I don't understand all the hype behind this beer. The flavor is great and the aroma is pleasing, but this beer fails pretty hard in all other categories.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2011 01:36:09 | More by output01x

Shmota

Indiana

4.43/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I wanted to try this beer for a long time and with in 4 weeks I was lucky enough to sample it at the brewery and then run into the assistant brewer at Dark Lord Day and received a bottle from him.

Nothing exceptional as far as the head is concerned. Nice Golden Orange color.

Fabulous smell. Lots of Citrus and Pine notes

Excellent IPA flavor that holds up the the expectation that the smell leaves. Loads of hop kick. an Excellent flavored APA. It has just enough malt flavor to keep the hops from being too bold.

Mouthfeel is good a little resinous

Overall I highly recommend this beer for any hop lover

Serving type: on-tap

05-05-2011 16:21:25 | More by Shmota

TheDudeRules

Minnesota

3.2/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Generously hooked up on a trade from Stigs. Poured into my Darkness snifter.

I am going to point out the obvious of this review. It's short, and you will read why.

Pours a nice burnt honey color with about a fingers width of off white head. Smell.... Without a doubt it smells like bunk weed. You can't get around it. Taste is you guessed it... bunk weed with a bit of hop bite. Hop oil slightly coats the tongue in the backend.

I can't rave about this, or in fact call it bad. Very average ipa but it's weed flavored. You take it from there.

Serving type: growler

05-03-2011 06:47:34 | More by TheDudeRules

jorg2619

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I am happy that I was able to grab a growler of headhunter on my way out of fat heads.

Headhunter pours a light light amber almost apple juice colored and has a standard good amount of head with a decent amount of lacing. It has a fresh clean look which is ok. The first whiffs from my Chimay bell are pine and subtle citrus. I found the smell complex and very appealing begging me to drink some. Hop bitter stings the end of my tongue delightfully. This beer is all hops. I taste pine, and grapefruit bitter citrus, intermingling with resin and earthy hop flavors. My god this is a great tasting straight up IPA!!! The mouthfeel is also awesome not to thick and very approachable. Overall I am happy with this beer and would advocate anybody living in Western Pa or Ohio if only to find Head Hunter.

Serving type: growler

04-02-2011 20:09:57 | More by jorg2619

Ryan011235

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into an E&J Cask & Cream glass and a snifter on 3/16/11

Brought back from the brewery by MbpBugeye; thanks Seth! Stoked to try this one...

Lighter amber color; golden and pineapple hues. Slight haziness but not cloudy. Just over one finger of puffy foam holds for a short while then drops to an island of film and collar retention. Not much lace at all, just a few drippy clumps. More lace with the snifter, actually.

Smells great; pretty much hops all the way. Lively citrus notes: grapefruit, tangerine, lemon zest and tropical undertones. Some pine, too. Seems to have an Amarillo kick, especially when colder. I wouldn't be surprised if this Cascade and Simcoe, too. Not too much malt peeking through.

The hop presence on the palate is comparable to its expression in the nose. Zesty citrus with no shortage of spicy kick. Lots of dry, bitter grapefruit; kind of pithy and peely in that respect. Orange peel, too with occasional lemon twinges. Not overly piney; more of an after thought. Toasty malt works into the back but it's appropriately dry and out of the way of the hops.

Medium body with a really slick feel. I've tried to shy away from Two Hearted comparisons but it has that same slick, yet resiny feel. The second pour is far more resinous; cool. Carbonation is spot-on for the feel; starts off with enough momentum and tapers off throughout the glass. Finishes dry and grapefruit-bitter.

Without a doubt this is an upper-tier American IPA from the Midwest; nay, an upper-tier American IPA, period. This is a really enjoyable beer and very well-done. I could drink this regularly and be perfectly ok with it.

Serving type: growler

03-27-2011 18:58:58 | More by Ryan011235

EricHeff

Ohio

4.72/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I have been introducing my wife to good beers for a while now, but she has been really reluctant to start trying a lot of IPAs.
I took her to Fatheads a few weeks ago and made her try my Head Hunter. Needless to say, she got her own glass and a 4 pack for the road just for herself. Since then she has been all over IPAs and our fridge has never looked yummier.
This beer pours an orange color with little head and has some amazing piny/citrus smells. It is super easy to drink, has a crisp feel, and some amazing citrus flavor.
This is by far my favorite IPA and if you get the chance I highly encourage you to try it. Im even prouder that its brewed right here in NE Ohio.

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2011 14:30:16 | More by EricHeff

drabmuh

Maryland

4.45/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to the Thorpes for picking this growler up, I really appreciate it.

Beer is orange and mostly clear with a nice white head, thick, contiguous, lacing is a plus and carbonation is moderate, looks awesome.

Hops that win out are citrus / fruit in variety, nice volume on the aroma, very inviting.

Wow, super drinkable, a very nice AIPA for sure, medium bodied, chewy hops, lots of esters in the midpalate, great hop flavor, great hop bitterness to finish, not too dry on the back palate, overall a wonderful beer.

Serving type: growler

03-21-2011 23:40:34 | More by drabmuh

MbpBugeye

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Growler split with Ryan011235. A long review using two different glasses, Ryan's famed "E&J Cask and Cream" antique shop find glass and an over-sized snifter, carefully chosen to not be "his" snifter.

Appearance
The beer is a very light, pale gold, I'll even go as far as calling it a rustic shade of yellow. Average sized head from a rough pour from a new growler. Not much lacing and retention is but a thin skim of white bubbles.

Smell
Yeah, this aroma is about perfect. Really making up for the looks here. Its very bright and citrusy. There's not much in the way of malts, at least until the glass becomes over-swirled and room-temperatured. What malts are there are lightly toasted and crackery. Nice floral smells of orange blossom, candied tangerine, mango, pineapple. Lots of really pithy, fleshy citrus. Pine is there, but serves as a second layer to this hop-bomb aroma.

Taste
Bitterness starts stronger then the beer becomes sweetened once you have a few more sips. Lots of that dense, pithy citrus flesh with fresh pine bough and a green sapling type of woodiness. Light crackery malts show up late to the party, and become stronger once the beer warms. I think this one is best served pretty chilled. Keep this at refrigerator temp. There is a strong lingering bitterness.

Mouthfeel
Reasonable carbonation that dies off with all the swirling and smelling I did. The aroma was the best part of this though! The body is dry, dry and keeps a long, bitter finish going. It really keeps the palate ready for another pour from the growler.

Overallability
This is a kick ass IPA for sure. The Pliny of Ohio? It certainly follows that style of IPA, more that Columbus IPA or Two Hearted. I think I do prefer this over Elder too. It's by leaps and bounds better than what Cleveland beer drinkers used to have as their standard, go to, local IPA.

Serving type: growler

03-17-2011 21:36:37 | More by MbpBugeye

fastsrt

New York

4.2/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

16 ounce draft

A: light gold, slightly hazy, stiff white head,

S: lots of hops, floral, citrus,

T: nice I like the way the hops work together, awsome ipa from a great small brewery,

M: lots of carbonation, dry.

D: I like this one its only a half hour from where I grew up so I like the fact that I feel as if it can stand up to some of the best Ipa's i have had

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2011 23:50:16 | More by fastsrt

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.38/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Growler shared by Thorpe429. Thanks Mike!

The beer appears transparent and orange in color with a finger of white head that leaves some decent lacing on the glass.

The aroma has a pleasant citrus scent, along with some floral and tropical fruit notes.

Very tasty stuff. Really easy to drink, Fresh hop presence throughout, with various flavors melding together nicely. The beer finishes with a tangy bitterness and lingers on the palate. Alcohol presence is muted, but this beer will sneak up on you if you're not careful. I would happily drink this again.

Serving type: growler

03-12-2011 18:37:36 | More by Huhzubendah

mdfb79

New York

4/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 03/05/11 notes. Growled shared by Thorpe429; thanks Mike.

a - Pours a murky orange color with one inch of fluffy white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of citrus hops, oranges, fruity malts, and some light pine hops. Oranges jump out the most and it's pretty nice.

t - Tastes of citrus hops, oranges, bitter pine hops, and fruity malts. Some slight bitterness up front.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

d - A pretty nice IPA. Lots of oranges in the smell and taste. Would have again.

Serving type: growler

03-08-2011 16:19:25 | More by mdfb79

CaptCleveland

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pint draft at North Olmsted brewery.

Thick white head atop yellow-orange elixir, belgian lace throughout.

Fruity, floral scent at first wiff, then over powered by dank, resinous, piney hops.

Smooth, buttery, bitter hops from front to back. Subtle malt backbone gives it up to a lingering bitter end. Overall nicely balanced.

Easy to down a few and an nice representation of the West Coast style IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2011 03:20:10 | More by CaptCleveland

kaseydad

California

3.15/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Yellow, golden pour with a bright white head that clings to the glass. Minor grapefruit smell with malt in the background. I'm also getting an old sock type smell. Hmmm. Unusual bitter taste which doesn't improve much at all. Metallic tasting. Not too pleasant. Very thin mouthfeel. This wasn't the greatest beer but it was unusual for an IPA. If you're looking for a different experience in an IPA...this is your huckleberry.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2011 21:26:25 | More by kaseydad

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Fat Heads in Cleveland.

Pours a nice gold to light copper color with a nice white head and a good amount of lacing. Nice retention as well. The nose brought forward a large amount of hops ranging from citrus to floral to tropical. Altogether a really nice package from a mixed back of hops. I can't recall them at the moment, but there was a sign on the wall that seemed to indicate the hops used in this one. The flavor hit the spot as well with a nice hop character coming through as the dominant character and a good, brisk finish. A bit of alcohol in the finish, though not too much. Terribly drinkable. I wish this were available locally and weren't quite as high in ABV.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2011 14:46:55 | More by Thorpe429

Morey

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured fresh from my newly acquired Fatheads growler, this beer pours a yellowish-oranged color with an ever so slight haze to it. One finger white head has settled to a thin lace after about 5 minutes or so. Moderate head retention.

The aroma is very citrus forward with orange zest and there's also a bit of grapefruit coming through.

Taste is more of the same. A very citrus forward Ipa. There's bit of a lingering hop bitterness, but nothing unpleasant.

Medium body with a good carbonation level.

I'm splitting a growler with my brother-in-law, but on a good day, I could put this down myself.

Morey's Bottom Line: A very good IPA for sure. Reminds me a bit of Two Hearted with the big citrus flavor and aroma. If Fathead's bottled this bad boy, I'd pick some up for sure.

Serving type: growler

02-20-2011 02:19:50 | More by Morey

NorCalYeti

California

3.23/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

interesting copper-pink color, sulfur smell in the nose, clear color, little to no lace, short finish, metallic taste, stinky, short medium-length finish, little less than average overall finish. wouldn't seek out this beer, there are much better examples to choose from.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2011 05:17:03 | More by NorCalYeti

btorsdog

Ohio

5/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Very Proud to have this as a "Homer"beer!Totally awesome brew from a totally awesome facility!
Golden/Orange clear and beautiful,with a smaller cottontop head and beautiful lacing
Smelled of excellence,nice citrusy,fruity,flowery goodness happening!
taste is as good as it can be for a single IPA, similar to the nose but abitter/smooth thing going on at the same time,a hop head's dream!
mouth is clean and crisp,with an o so pleasant lingering Hoppy aftertaste,very nice!
dinkability is out fuc%in standing, not real heavy and the aftertaste leaves you NEEDING another brew,Totally AWESOME!

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2011 22:25:23 | More by btorsdog

twelvsies

Maine

4.68/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Was in Pittsburgh visiting family for the holidays, and one of my first stops is always Fathead's on the South Side. I haven't been in several years, and was interested to see that they had opened their own brewery in Cleveland. Far out. I saw a banner hanging on their ceiling toting this beer as National IPA Champion (at what fest, I know not) so I figured it was worth a shot. Glad I tried it...

Pours on the lighter side of the spectrum for IPAs, bright and golden orange, healthy sticky head and lacing galore. Sharp piney aromas and loads of tropical fruit, citrus, uber fresh. I was expecting decent or even tasty at best, but I was really blown away by this beer. Super bitter, nearly astringent (in a good way), light malt profile allowing the citrus hops to shine. Really amazing pineapple-y minty sappy resinous danky hops. So bitter. My special lady friend was drinking other top tier IPAs such as Sculpin and Green Flash, and swapping sips I think this was a notch ahead, which is saying a lot. Nice smooth mouthfeel, not overly heavy, thick, syrupy, or sweet like some IPAs pushing the imperial tend to be. Crisp, fresh, quenching and highly quaffable. Definitely in the top tier of IPAs in my book. Wish it was more widely available but now I have another excuse to go visit the folks in Pittsburgh.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2011 17:52:16 | More by twelvsies

LordAdmNelson

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

At the Pittsburgh location (even though I live in Cleveland). This is a really great IPA, on par with Two Hearted and a few others in that class. Super fresh and refreshing. Really clean hoppy flavors with some nice underlying malt. The real all-stars in this beer are the citrus and piney hops. Great aroma, great flavor. Very easy-drinking, a bit lighter in body, but that ups the drinkability for sure. I wouldn't say a "must-have" in terms of "you must drive 500 miles to get this beer," but if you head to Fat Head's, you better order one.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2010 03:39:46 | More by LordAdmNelson

treyrab

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I've had this many times, starting back over a year ago when they first introduced it. I've had it all at the Pittsburgh Fat Head's restaurant (never at the pub in Ohio). Always fresh, as it gets kicked fast and the Ohio brewery rockets more kegs out to the Pittsburgh restaurant. Worthy of the accolades it receives.

A: Headhunter pours light for an IPA of this size. Pours a light gold (similiar in color to Hopslam). From this I can only assume that the base of this beer is very plain (2-row) with minimal crystal and munich malts. Thus, this is going to be a hop explosion (which I like) without much underlyding malt presense.

S: As expected, this is big and bold with a myriad of citrus characteristics. Orange, mango, pineapple, peach, grass. Like a fresh fruit basket (a la Scuplin), but I prefer this. It is just extremely fresh as if the fruits were juiced into this beer moments ago. Nice bitter smell though, and a little pine hops to balance.

T: Nice and bitter, uber fresh citrus with orange juice, orange zest, pineapple, and mango. All of the great flavors you expect in a west-coast sype IPA and Headhunter pushes it to the next level. Like Hopslam, this is hop dominant and there is not much malt presense. Just a fresh hop bomb.

M/D: Not much to be said here. Not much room for improvement. Very drinkable and great mouthfeel.

One of the best west-coast style IPAs brewed in the east. A necessity for any hophead to try.

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2010 22:58:42 | More by treyrab