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

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.61/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

a beautiful clean copper/amber in color with 2 fingers of frothy off-white head, lots of visible carbonation and excellent lacing. the smell is wonderful, tons of cascade/centennial west coast piney hops, a really nice caramel profile, grapefruit scent is very present. a wonderful sweet malty experience with blasts of grapefruit citrus and piney/floral hops.. this tastes sooo fresh it's ridiculous. medium body with moderate carbonation.. creamy on the lips, but goes down nice and easy making it an extremely refreshing ipa.

i love this beer. definitely worth the trade i did (1 2011 DFH WWS for 4pk of this and 2 white rajah). everything about this beer is excellent from its appearance down to the way it tingles your palate is damn close to perfection.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 20:27:23 | More by facundoCNB

UncleBart91

Indiana

4.79/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

On tap at Friday's in Terre Haute IN. Never had tried it, and took the recommendation of the bartender. Turn out to be, in my opinion, an ideal IPA

Appearance: Deep golden with a perfect foam

Smell: Slight citrus, almost piney earth smell

Taste: Great citrus taste with the perfect amount of bitterness, ideal for your typical hop head

Mouthfeel: Piney, crisp, and sharp

Overall: GREAT IPA, TRYING TO FIND IN 6 PACK!!!! Definitely recommend to my fellow IPA drinkers!

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2013 18:47:46 | More by UncleBart91

LtColFrankSlade

Texas

4.53/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A - Gold with large white head

S - Deeply complex floral/pine/grapefruit

T - Bitter with some well balanced maltiness. Amazingly awesome. Great aftertaste

M - Spot on perfect!

One of the absolute best IPAs I've ever had. More like Stone IPA, better than Sculpin.

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 03:54:10 | More by LtColFrankSlade

ThickNStout

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle from Delock's Discount Liquors (Munster, IN). 8.99/ 4 pack. No bottling date. Served in a Burnt Hickory snifter.

Pours hazy deep amber with notable turbidity and about one finger of pale thick head that leave lacing aplenty.

Smells of citrus and piney hops with an obvious sweet bready malt note behind them.

Tastes of bold bitter dank hops. Citrus rind, wet grass, dank garlic/onion, grapefruit and a little bready malt back there too. Really nice blend. Very bitter but plenty of flavor goin on.

Slick, medium body with moderate carbonation. Long bitter citrus peel finish.

Good stuff here. I would definately get this pretty regularly if I could buy it in Georgia. Worth a try for sure if you like dank bitter IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 18:45:42 | More by ThickNStout

LarryK

New York

3.76/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Gifted to me by a friend following a trip to Pittsburgh; excited to try given high ranking + non-availability in New York. Fat Head’s markets this as a west coast-style IPA, and while some of the hallmark WCIPA flavors are present, this strikes me as more of a Midwestern, Two-Hearted-style drinker.

Appearance: Light orange

Smell: Slight citrus, but not overwhelmingly so. Citrus is offset by more earthy tones.

Taste: Fat Head’s brews Head Hunter with Columbus, Simcoe and Centennial, and as mentioned, the Centennial really rises to the forefront for me, evoking Two-Hearted. The Simcoe provides a nice counter-balance to the Centennial, but in concert with Columbus gives off a considerably more piney/grassy/earthy taste than the citrusy west coast-style Fat Head’s claims to have been going for.

Mouthfeel: Sharp, piney, resinous

Overall: A very good Midwestern IPA. I’d love to try this on tap one day.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 15:09:36 | More by LarryK

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

4.2/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Received in trade from cpetrone84, thanks for the opportunity.
Pours a clear deep golden color with a decent white head that slowly dissipates to a ring on top. Smells of citrus, pine, resin, dankness, and a hint of green onion with a solid bread and light caramel to back it up. The flavor sweet enough to remind you that this is beer with hints of brown bread and light sugar and a boatload of dank hoppy goodness. Resinous pine with hints of garlic and green onion and a light bit of citrus with a moderate level of hop bitterness. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet resinous mouthfeel. This is a really nice IPA, I'm glad I got to try it.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 00:49:15 | More by johnnnniee

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.35/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle courtesy of mgbickel pours a hazed gold color with a large, sticky cap of off-white head. Awesome lacing.

You can smell this bitch just pouring it into the glass from a foot away! Citric hops galore with maybe a kiss or two of pine and tropical fruit. No malt is getting past this lupulin bomb.

Good balance of bittering and flavoring hops with a light, biscuity malt backdrop. Pretty west-coasty, and I could imagine it would be even better straight from the bright tank. It really does have a smoothness to it that is rare for a bitter IPA, it flows flawlessly from floral/citric hop flavor to a crackery malt then finishes nicely bitter. When the beer is gone before the review is finished...thats when you know it is good!

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 23:50:38 | More by twiggamortis420

stewart124

Ohio

4.39/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into my new DFH IPA glass.

Orangish yellow with a thin head. Nice lacing as this goes down. Piney nose.

Sharp bitterness but a very nice malt character throughout blends beautifully. Big carbonation really makes this shine. Great citrus notes, tropical fruit, and piney resin notes. Lingering background bitterness but nothing that makes this unpalatable. Drinkability is very high on this IPA.

Delicious but everyone knows this. Finishes very dry and it would be easy to put away a few of these.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 01:09:10 | More by stewart124

barczar

Kentucky

4.24/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Aggressive pour yields a chill hazed light copper body with a frothy 2 inch cream head that slowly dissipates, leaving spotty lacing.

Onion, pine, resin, and citrus dominate the initial aroma. There's a slightly bready malt backbone underlying notes of grapefruit, lime, and tangerine.

Flavor initially brings instant memories of sweettarts, becoming resiny and fairly bitter at the finish. Grapefruit, melon, papaya, pineapple, and mango are party of the fruit salad of hop flavoring. Slightly sweet initially, but bitterness dominates in the end. Grassy tones emerge in the aftertaste. Bready malt is an afterthought.

Body is moderate and slightly creamy, with moderate carbonation and slight alcohol warmth.

Yummy hop flavoring, and just enough bitterness to not totally overwhelm. Fairly complex.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 21:37:05 | More by barczar

basickness

Pennsylvania

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

best ipa ive ever had - better then the elder, zombiedust, etc... i love it. ive had it on tap and in bottle. i live in pittsburgh, where we have a fatheads, but i say definitely worth the pain to get it. it is 100% over the top and aggressive. not for fair weather ipa fans.

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2013 14:02:13 | More by basickness

emyers

Illinois

4.04/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a Dogfish Head IPA glass.

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear gold color with a two inch white head.

Smell: Bursting with citrus and grapefruit along with some floral hop notes and just a hint of mango. Excellent.

Taste: Keeps the same hop profile as the aroma with citrus and floral hops. A bit of grassiness as well. Bittering hops come through in a big way. Honestly, the bitterness overpowers the hop flavor a bit - The citrus seems muted compared to the aroma. I think a little more malt backbone would benefit this beer - there's really nothing to hold up to the bitterness. Still a very solid IPA.

Mouthfeel: Extremely dry, very crisp. Bitterness lingers on the palate big time.

Overall: A very good IPA that could be truly incredible with something to hold the bittering hops in check.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 01:15:20 | More by emyers

larryi86

Delaware

4.51/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to tommyguz for this one!
12 oz bottle poured into a DFH IPA Glass

A- A clear golden copper with a four finger white head.

S- Pine, resin, grapefruit, mango, some spices, very hoppy.

T- Piney, grapefruit, citrus, some pineapple, resin, very, very hoppy, light malt backbone.

M- Smooth, crisp, medium body.

O- A great IPA that I would love to have again, so hoppy that it tastes like a DIPA. Really hope this comes to MD or DE soon, really good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 01:34:13 | More by larryi86

MNishCT77

District of Columbia

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

On-tap at the Fat Head's Pittsburgh location, served in a typical British-style pint glass, drank 4/9/13 over one hour.

A: 4.5 - amber-brown coloration, good clarity for style (impressed that it's unfiltered!), white one finger head lingers for a while eventually dissipating into glass lacing, moderate alcohol legs

S: 4.5 - lives up to advertisement...lots of grapefruit, pineapple, pine cone, etc....really great smelling mix of West and East Coast qualities in the aroma

T: 4 - as excited I was after the fantastic smell, there is a huge slap of bitterness on the anterior tongue that I personally find unpleasant, especially because it lingers (this is also my major complaint with Bell's Hopslam); very dry with minor bready/biscuity malt flavors subtly admixed with alcohol notes

M: 4.5 - full-bodied, creamy, mild-to-moderate carbonation --> excellent for style

O: 4.5 - I was really looking forward to drinking this beer after hearing and reading all the hype surrounding it, and, albeit I enjoyed it, it didn't live up to expectations; however, I think that this is really personal taste more than anything; as I drink more IPAs and imperial IPAs, I realize that my favorite aspect is probably the big hop aroma and flavors with minimal bitterness; this is definitely a bitter IPA really tasting those 87 IBUs, and there was a more tropical DIPA on tap (IBUsive) that I preferred (see that review too if you'd like); suffice it to say, if you like Bell's Hopslam, you'll like this one too and don't let my bitterness hold you back

Serving type: on-tap

04-10-2013 02:59:32 | More by MNishCT77

Groomsy

Kentucky

4.35/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a tulip.

Beautiful dark gold color that is crystal clear and topped by a frothy, unrelenting 3-finger head of froth that leaves sticky walls of lacing all over the glass. Classic-looking IPA. Excellent stuff.

Tons of tropical fruit out front – pineapple, mango, orange zest and citrus peel, namely grapefruit. Also a big whiff of piney/resiny/floral bitterness. Hops are absolutely front and center in this brew. If you're not a hophead stay away. There is just enough caramel/bready malt to keep this from being a hoppy mess. No alcohol noticeable. Truly beautiful boquet, very bright and refreshing.

Big fruity hop flavor on the front of the tongue – think mixed fruit cups. The pineapple, mango, and grapefruit just explode on the front of the tongue. A slight malt sweetness balances on the middle of the tongue with bready and caramel flavors to prepare for the next hop onslaught. Some well-measured floral, dank/resinous and piney bitterness cuts in on the finish and finishes dry without a hint of alcohol. Definitely not a training wheels IPA, but this is very refreshing. A hophead's dream for a “normal” IPA.

Refreshing mouthfeel with soft carbonation and a medium body that just right for this beer. Dry, sticky finish from all of the hops.

Absolutely wonderful. World-class is a correct designation, though I may be biased since this is from my home state. But for the style of the American IPA, this is about as good as it gets before getting into DIPA territory. Totally worth seeking out. Excellent stuff, refreshing, and powerful all at the same time.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 01:17:36 | More by Groomsy

sleuthdog

Illinois

4.26/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured into Bruery tulip

Thanks out to rpbuckeye for this one

Pour: Hazy cloudy orange with a gigantic four finger puffy, fluffy off white head on an overly aggressive pour. Lacing all over the glass as the head recedes. Soft pillow remains in the center of the glass.

Smell: Grapefruit, mango, pineapple, orange peel, with a real nice sweet bready malt backbone.

Taste: Grapefruit, pineapple, orange zest up front. There is the bready malt sweetness mid palate and a bitter pine bite in the aftertaste. Not to simplify this at all but that sums it up.

Mouthfeel: Light in the feel with a fruity easy drinking taste. Carbonation seems at medium.

Overall: This would be one hell of a refreshing hot summer day treat. So refreshing and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 02:10:43 | More by sleuthdog

davey101

Connecticut

4.19/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12 oz. bottle into a tulip glass. No date present anywhere. Huge thanks to Atomicskis5 for the bottle!!

A - Pours a hazy amber body with some very small floating particles of what I can only presume is hoppy goodness. Two fingers of dense off white foam forms settling down to a patchy cap. Excellent lacing.

S - Very flowery and grassy with loads of resinous pine and just a dash of citrus. Bit of a caramel malt backbone to bring it all together. Rather sweet.

T - Tons of pine and flowery hops which get cut by a wave of bitterness. A bit of malts are present on the finish. Very little fruit or citrus present, maybe just a bit of grapefruit "pith". There it is...I finally used the word pith in a review...but otherwise a pine bomb.

M - Medium bodied and quite creamy. The level of bitterness is damn high on this beer.

O - A refreshing pace from the fruitier IPA's I tend to gravitate towards. Just a delicious pine forward beer with some light flowery notes and a HUGE bitterness Damn good stuff, OH is no chump in the hop department.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 22:33:46 | More by davey101

MatthewPlus

Florida

4.45/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to pschnei3 for this in a trade!

Poured a beautiful deep golden color with a foamy 1 finger off white head into a Cycle Brewing snifter.
Smells resinous and piney. Lots of hop with a hint of underlying sweetness.
Tastes freaking delicious. follows the nose pretty well, with sappy pine and grapefruit. i bit of maltiness, but i wouldnt go so far as to call this beer balanced. pretty much a hop bomb, which i dig.
Excellent mouthfeel, decent carbonation and weight on the palate. fantastic, lasting bitter finish.
Overall, an extremely enjoyable beer, i would recommend it, and wuld seek it out again.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 13:57:41 | More by MatthewPlus

boilermakerbrew

Indiana

4.33/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a brilliant, deep gold with a medium, 2 finger, frothy head. Retention and lacing are great. Very slight haze, but clarity is very high for the most part. Just a beautiful looking beer in the glass.

S- Huge hops upfront and throughout. Hops are almost entirely in the pine-scent flavors with small hints of citrusy notes. Just pure resin all the way through.

T- Just like the scent, with hops dominating your taste buds the entire drink. Starts very pine like, then smooths out a bit with a few hints of citrus flavors. Hop bitterness doesn't allow any recognition of malt and persists until the very end. The hops even continue in the aftertaste, with a huge bite on the end.

M- Highly carbonated, but smooth and slick across the tongue. More smooth and creamy than most IPA's. Very drinkable for the 7.5% alcohol, but the hops will destroy your palate.

Overall, if you love hop bombs, this is for you. Hops are unforgiving throughout, but very high in quality as far as flavor goes. I prefer a more balanced IPA, but still, you have to recognize a quality beer no matter your style preference.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 22:23:18 | More by boilermakerbrew

sommersb

Tennessee

4.38/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Tasted On: 03-24-2013
Freshness: Not indicated
Packaging: 12 oz. brown bottle, pry-cap
Glassware: Globe glass
Purchased: Received in a trade

I've been on an IPA kick of late; here's another gem from Ohio courtesy of trader Chad.

Appearance is very nice, starting with a sizable off-white head on a hazy orange/amber beer. Head retention is excellent, as is the lacing.

Smell is spicy and big on hops, of citrus/grapefruits plus pine and tropical fruit.

The taste is first of big hoppy bitterness with grapefruit and pine notes, but there's also some malt background with caramel flavors.

Prickly mouthfeel due to the high carbonation, with a medium body. The finish is dry and bitter, but has some balance from the malt bill.

Overall an excellent American-style IPA that I'd recommend!

Thanks to buschbeer for this!

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 23:47:49 | More by sommersb

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.64/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

12 ounce bottle poured into a Unibroue tulip. Off white head, low to moderate retention. Clear lacing on a clear, light copper body. Aroma is dominated by intense, resinous, piney, grassy, hoppy goodness. Taste is biting and bitter, intensely hopped, I'm sure the malt backbone is in there somewhere. Totally out of balance and totally delicious. Delivers on the promises made on the label. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 03:41:12 | More by KickbacksSteve

JG-90

New Jersey

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

Bottle into glass

A - Pours a clear straw color, with a moderate head that recedes to a ring around the edge. Really great lacing.

S - Pineapple, grapefruit, slightly stale white bread, and a little pine

T - Very citrus forward, great flavor that is balanced out with bread/malt and pine

M - Medium/heavy mouthfeel with low carbonation, a touch of creaminess in the finish

O - This is a great IPA, would drink it any day.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 23:14:49 | More by JG-90

RickS95

Indiana

4.4/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is good and bad. The bad is that while it's a light copper color, it's extremely clear and very translucent...only slightly darker than ginger ale, so points off for that. However, the head is gorgeous and fits the style to a T. Three fingers of bright white, foamy meringue sits up top this clearness in a glass. Great retention as there's still a finger of froth after several minutes and a thick, sticky lace left behind.

The smell is amazing as the pineapple is the key player, and how can you go wrong with that. It's a citrus bomb with faint notes of pine.

The pine and some malt characteristics show up in the taste as the hops start to assert themselves. Crackerlike up front with earthy flowers taking over soon after. Pine is prevalent and grapefruit makes an appearance late.

It's a bit tame for the first few drinks but then the bitter simply explodes on your palate. There's a slight burn about midsip and then the bitter just attacks the tongue, coating it so it's bitter well after the swallow. While it's an aggressive bitterness, it's good for the style and not just crappy beer, which is welcomed.

I'd heard rave reviews about this beer and it didn't disappoint. While potent, it's enjoyable for the style and dare I say, easy to drink. Sure, you won't feel your tongue after a while, but it's so worth it.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 03:18:23 | More by RickS95

secondtooth

Indiana

4.48/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Clean and beautiful amber in appearance, this West Coast-style IPA pours with a huge head of off-white foam and an exquisite amount of detailed lace.

Aroma is stunning and intoxicatingly hop-forward. All the floral, citrus, and pine loveliness you can imagine.

Taste is pure West Coast, as in big heavy hops resins with plenty of acidic bite and notes of sour grapefruit and pine.

Exquisite and a sure winner for serious hop-heads.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 21:08:15 | More by secondtooth

rlee1390

Indiana

4.31/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A-Clear orange, nicely carbonated, two finger head.

S-Hops, citrus, grass, grapefruit, slight malt as well. What you want out of an IPA.

T-Wonderful well balanced IPA. Has a strong malt presence but but earthy and citrus hops. Ends with a nice bitterness.

M-Medium bodied, nicely carbonated and hop resins.

O-A great IPA, one of the best out there. Balance and the range of hop flavors was great.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 20:43:49 | More by rlee1390

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.34/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle, generously shared by someone at Hunahpu Day 2013.

A- Pours a clear golden color, topped with a finger of white head, leaves spotty lacing.

S- Huge hop aroma with tons of fruit, grapefruit, orange, tropical fruit, as well as lots of pine resin, as well as a bit of caramel malt.

T- Very bitter, lots of pine resin and grapefruit peel, the citrus and tropical fruit are still present but are slightly toned down, malty sweetness is subtle.

M- Medium-bodied, smooth with a dry finish.

O- Despite its huge bitterness this is still a pretty drinkable beer, the hop profile is very nice and this is a very solid IPA overall.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 20:10:57 | More by WillCarrera