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

falcon1

Ohio

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

Fat Head's Head Hunter IPA is a remarkable example of what an American IPA should taste like. The aroma is pleasnat and the taste is really oustanding! I am so glad that it is being bottled now. It would be great if Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon bottled more of their products in the future. Head Hunter IPA is certainly worth tracking down at your neighborhood bottle shop if possible.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 14:20:55 | More by falcon1

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

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

I have seen this beer proudly displayed on LNBA posts and when I saw it on the shelf at Jungle Jim's in Fairfield, OH, I just had to try it. Poured from a bottle (no freshness date) into a New Belgium snifter, it pours out a beautiful clear orange gold color with a nice tight head that, while thin, does show some good retention. I also see some nice effervescence. The nose is simply stunning. I get big notes of ripe tropical fruits like grapefruit, oranges, pineapples, and peaches. This is how I like my IPAs to smell! Resiny, flowery, pine-like noses are fine, but big tropical fruit notes like this get really high marks in my book. Think ``Zombie Dust'', only toned down just a little bit.

The beer has a nice medium body and a good, firm mouthfeel. The flavor follows the nose pretty well. There is plenty of malt there to provide a good body, but the hops just take over and rattle your palate. If there's one thing I don't like in an IPA, it is medicinal sweetness. With this beer, I get absolutely no sweetness beyond a tiny bit on the tip of my tongue. After that, it's all big, aggressive, pine and citrus bitterness. The finish is the best I've ever encountered in this style. It is really sticky and long-lasting. You can feel the hop oils coating your mouth long after you swallow. If I had to nitpick, I would say that a bit more malt body would make this beer even better. Since I don't have to nitpick, I'll simply say ``Why gamble when you're ahead? Don't change a darn thing!''

Folks have been raving about this beer on message boards and now I know why. Considering this beer is made just next door in Ohio, my experience with it came as a complete shock. It is absolutely world-class and might be the best American IPA I have had yet. I will be looking for this whenever I drive over the bridge from now on. Now if these guys would just start to distribute to Kentucky...

EDIT: I have now had this beer numerous times and had to upgrade the appearance rating after experiencing floaties on several occasions. As if this beer wasn't good enough already, now its appearance is starting to remind me of Heady Topper. Bravo!

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 22:38:09 | More by deadonhisfeet

kush6875

Pennsylvania

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

appearance- pale straw color white frothy head

smell - funky raw hops!

taste - pineapple, grapefruit, citrus pine hemp?

mouthfeel - sticky but smooth

overall - world class IPA... worthy of all the awards... seek this out... pliny and all the others be aware of this ale from the east coast!

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 04:57:42 | More by kush6875

cosmicevan

New York

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

pretty pumped to try this one. thanks a ton to Lat! enjoyed from my HF tulipy wine glass.

a - brew poured the classic transparent orange with a generous frothy foamy head. as the head dissipated it left massive chunky lacing in its wake. plenty of visible even carbonation could be seen.

s - YUM. dank sticky piny hops. just what the doctor ordered. smells UBER fresh. resiny. citric grapefruit blast. YUM.

t - the flavor is no let down, just what one would expect...slap you in the face dank and piny hops. the finish is rather bitter.

m - medium bodied with a bitter finish.

o - overall i understand all the accolades and medals boasted about on the label, this beer is a winner. if anything, i'd ask for a bit more sweetness to balance things out a bit more, but this one is unapologetic. deliciousness.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 00:13:54 | More by cosmicevan

beesy

Ohio

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

PouRed from a 12oz bottle into a standard pint glass.

A - pours a light tangerine that is very clear. A two finger off white head builds and develops frothy pockets from the carbonation. A fair amount of lacing resides.

S - very nice. Hoppy with notes of citrus, tangerine and mango.

T - hop forward as expected. Starts off with lots of pine, that moves to tangerine and tropical notes in the middle then fades back to piney on the back end. A somewhat earthy, almost stale, slightly sweet note is apparent about 3/4 way though - Ive noticed it on some homebrewed beers that were Columbus hop heavy, so maybe thats it. A firm, slightly abrasive bitterness lingers. Some tropical notes reside on the late palate, pairing well with the bitterness.

M - medium- full bodied. I think it's a little sweeter beer than I like but the atrong bitterness helps hide it a little.

D - fairly easy to drink. Not something you can drink down like CBC IPA, but moderately drinkable considering the high IBU and ABV.

Overall, an excellent IPa I will pick up and drink any day of the week.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 23:21:30 | More by beesy

FosterJM

California

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

1463rd Review on BA
Bottle to Tulip
12oz

2012 Bottling

CA Gang Bang BIF

App- This poured out with high hopes for me. I watched it settle to a golden orange with a good amount of clarity and filtration. A 1/2 finger pure white head formed and was gone. No lace stuck around. No cling either.

Smell- Its your typical hop/malt bomb. Its got the best of both worlds in the glass and needs a bit more to it. Opens with thick full hops and then a bombardment of pine on the 2nd pull. A bit of orange zest and grapefruit zest battle it out on this.

Taste- I will say this profile is not my favorite with the duality of the bitter and the piney. This was a good beer with nice citrus and hops and somewhat tepidly balanced out by a little piney note as it warmed. The 7% was very well hidden on this as well.

Mouth- A lighter medium body with a medium carbonation level. Wouldve liked to see this one more bubbly and light. A bit too much residual pine.

Drink- It was pretty good. I am not sure I would award a medal to it. But being from CA we are spoiled by IPA's.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 21:32:44 | More by FosterJM

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.23/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle opened on 8.17.12.

A - Pours a clear medium orange with a one inch off-white head that is foamy and with good retention.

S - Pine and orange peel.

T - Same as the nose. Bitter finish.

D - Solid carbonation with a nice medium body.

O - Pine dominated, some orange rind. Bitter finish.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 06:35:37 | More by HuskyinPDX

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.78/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

12 oz bottle poured into a Sierra Nevada imperial pint
7.5% ABV, 87 IBUs, no date

A - With a bottoms up of the bottle, small particles haze the dirty apricot orange-colored beer. A relentless, tall pile of foam coats the glass in dense lacing as it slowly crawls down the edges, plateauing to a pile.

S - Holy hop aroma! Head Hunter is bursting with tons of west-coast-style aromas of bold citrus including pineapple, mango, and grapefruit, but leans more towards an exotic, tropical twang. Plenty of woodsy pine offsets the citrus as well with gooey pine cone and sap oozing out. Toasted and caramel malt provide a sturdy base for this hop explosion so it doesn't get out of control, but balance isn't a word I'd use to describe this beer.

T - The bold citrus aromas back off, ever so slightly, allowing the pine to really burst through. The beer becomes much more earthy in nature, leaning towards balance in flavor. Sweet caramel malt and light toast qualities underline the bold pine flavors which are accented by the bright citrusy notes which mirror the aroma.

M - Sparkling carbonation dances on the tongue before this beer turns bitter. As. Hell; those 87 IBUs go a long way, virtually stripping the taste buds right from you're tongue. Medium-bodied, the feel of this beer has little balance, but that's ok. In fact, it's better than ok; it's amazing.

O - Fat Head's, a brewery completely new to me, has struck gold with their Head Hunter IPA. Nailing the west-coast style IPA with ease, this bold beer is aggressive and powerful; a real treat for any hop head.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 22:19:40 | More by BeerFMAndy

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.48/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle thanks to Veldrid. Poured into Founders snifter.

A- Pours a slightly hazy golden amber with about a finger's worth of head that recedes fairly quickly leaving nice layered lacing.

S- Hops, pine, grapefruit, pineapple, mango, spices. Definitely slightly above average aroma strength.

T- Sticky hops, pine, grapefruit, pineapple, mangoes, papaya, spices, slightly bitter on the finish, sweet citrusy aftertaste that lingers for awhile. Very well balanced.

M- Medium bodied, slightly sticky, average carbonation, very drinkable.

O- This was a very well done IPA. Right up there with all the top-notch IPAs I've had- Hill Farmstead, Heady Topper, Gandhi-Bot, etc.. Probably not my top favorite, but definitely in my favorites. I loved how the mouthfeel and the awesome lingering aftertaste. I highly recommend seeking this out. A+

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 01:06:34 | More by jaasen64

liftop

Ohio

4.98/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wow simply an amazing IPA. Had on draft at Melt in Independence. Strong smell of grapefruit, citrus, and pine. Taste is very strong citrus with some pine notes. If you like Heavy Seas Loose Cannon, you will love this beer. It's a much better version of this style of brew.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2012 01:19:34 | More by liftop

zac16125

South Carolina

4.13/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass
No born on date

A: An absolutely crystal clear golden amber.  A very aggressive pour yields just over 2 fingers of bright but slightly off white colored head, which takes a long time to dissipate down.  Leaves tons of thick, cobweb lacing.  

S: Lots of citrus hops with just tons of pineapple, along with some mango and tangerine.  A noticeable sweet malt backbone.  Subtle hints of juniper/pine.  Really quite wonderful.  

T: Lots of piney bitterness in the taste.  Pineapple and tangerine come out, but  bitterness by far is the dominating characteristic, mostly piney but also citrus zest bitterness.   Tasty, but very little going on apart from the bitter characters.

M/D: Heavily carbonated, too  much for my liking.  Medium bodied.  Drinkability is good.  

O: There are a lot of great IPAs out there, and although this one is very good, for me it falls short of the top tier.  The aroma is excellent, but the taste is rather run of the mill (in terms of good IPAs that is) with a rather simple, albeit strong, piney bitterness without a whole lot else going on.  Don't get me wrong, I would never turn down this beer if it were offered to me, however, I wouldn't seek it out as there are a number of IPAs distributed to the Southeast that I think are superior to this one.  

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 20:55:11 | More by zac16125

schoolboy

Ohio

4.4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I am pretty sure I had this at the restaurant in North Olmstead a year or two ago, but today I found it at Andrews Beverage so I picked up a four pack.

Everything about this brew is quintessential AIPA. It is clearer than many of the style, with a nice bit of lacing. The aroma is not overpowering (I could take more). The taste is a beautiful balance - hoppy (piney and fruity, yet bitter as can be), malty, and just a hint of yeasty.

There are so many great AIPAs, but this one is way up at the top. I must buy this again and again!

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 15:30:21 | More by schoolboy

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.15/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours a clear amber with a thin white head. The nose is pure citrus hops that evolves into a balanced sweet citrus. The taste is incredibly citrusy and bitter with a crisp hop cone finish. Although this beer is immensely hoppy it's very drinkable and tasty. I can't wait to see it on tap in buffalo.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 02:33:16 | More by ThePorterSorter

hosehead83

Ohio

4.93/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks to my beer store person for letting me get my hands on a 4pk. (First time in my area!)
Poured from a "stubby" 12.0z bottle into a standard pint glass.
Clear gold in color, with a huge billowy head of bone-white foam.
Aroma-Wow! An absolute boquet of pineapple, pine and tropical fruit.
Taste-Fantastic, full-on hop-slap to the tastebuds. Huge citrus flavor of pineapple,grapefruit, mango perfectly blanced with wave after wave of juicy, tangy hops. Exceptional flavor, hop nectar. One of the best American IPA's I have ever had. Awesome flavor will make you sit up and take notice. An absolute must for any hophead. I feel suddenly compelled to drive to Middleburg Ohio. Road trip!
Seek this beer out. A fresh bottle will bring a flavor-gasm to your tastebuds. Get Some!!

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 15:41:22 | More by hosehead83

madvermin

California

4.74/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottled version courtesy of AwYeh, thanks again.

Appears amber gold, with a foamy pure white head. Translucent and beautifully cloudy.

Smells clean, but kind of weak. Citrus hints are strong and a bit of sugar is evident, but it's less than expected. May have been due to drinking these outdoors on a mildly windy day.

Tastes of intense grapefruit juice and pulp - amazing. Only slightly bitter, the same way grapefruit is. Amazing balance with a bit of chalky rind at the end. Nice weedy hint as well.

Mouthfeel is clean as a whistle, and slightly carbonated without being harsh at all. 7.5% abv is accurately tasted and felt. Leaves mouth feeling fresh and only slightly sticky. Overall this is one of the easiest drinking IPAs I've had the pleasure of having. My favorite beers are arguably grapefruity IPAs, so this one will be remembered and sought after for a while.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 21:40:12 | More by madvermin

Scottyboy

Pennsylvania

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

(A) Pours a light orange/amber with about 1 1/2 inches foamy white head. Nice lacing down the tulip glass.

(S) Citrus hops and great pine aromas.

(T) Bitter & bold citrus and piney flavors as one might (should) expect in a dry hopped IPA.

(M) Tart but refreshing followed by a wonderful dry finish.

(O) I really am enjoying this offering and I consider it one of the better dry hopped IPA's that I have had the opportunity to enjoy. Highly Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 20:04:08 | More by Scottyboy

Gushue3

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A Pours a clear tangerine orange with a nice, large white head. Great lace is left when the head comes down and nice carbonation. looks great

S Citrusy hops dominate the nose with some grass and pine.

T Big bitterness and citrus from front to back. Bold biting citrusy bitterness comes out upfront followed by some citrus and more earthy bitterness. Excellent tasting IPA

M Very dry finish and a medium to lighter feel on the tongue. Carbonation feels about right where it should be with a medium to light feel of tiny bubbles.

O I was completely floored by this extra, everything was solid. Thanks Brian.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 16:46:26 | More by Gushue3

jlindros

Massachusetts

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

Thanks to Rudzud for sharing.

Slight hazy pale orange color, very little fizzy head.

Nose lots of typical fruit, grapefruit, musty resinous passion fruit, hint of booze and light sweetness malt. Citrus and tangerine.

Taste light musty resin and tropical fruit, passion fruit, grapefruit, bit of pineapple, light tangerine and citrus. Light malty sweetness and juicy flavor. Finish is fairly bitter with light tropical fruit and resinous tropical fruit.

Mouth is med bodied and decent carb.

Overall quite nice. Great hop additions with just enough malt balance and sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 12:43:18 | More by jlindros

Mounty4Life

Pennsylvania

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

Last two bottles from blue dust. Poured kinda flat little head with some lacing. Amberish copper color, pretty transparent.(3.5)Then came the first sniff. Amazing hops and fruit mixtures that great Ipas are made of. A hint of malt on light side but some kind dry hoppedness all over place, really good nose. Taste has me thrown back to when I thought df 60 min was best ipa . This is world class! Resonates great hop taste for some time after. Delicious hop and Med carbonation that will have you nursing it if its your last! My second was more heady and even better tasting so changing to my favorite ipa out!!

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 03:56:09 | More by Mounty4Life

durrrr

Massachusetts

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

Enjoyed in bottle. Thanks miz!

A - Golden almost amber color with some slight haziness. Nice 1 finger head that retains good lacing.

S - sweet aroma with grapefruit and pine standing out the most.

T - very robust for a single IPA -- a BIG aggressive IPA. It's a bright start of citrus/grapefruit notes with pine and a hint of sweet malt, leading to a considerable amount of bitterness that lingers into a dry, bitter citrus peel finish. fairly complex and full of flavor.

M - really nice carbonation here. I'd say medium/full body for an IPA.

O - An excellent American IPA. Very drinkable, refreshing, and full of robust hop flavors. Worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 22:17:54 | More by durrrr

ehammond1

California

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

Bottle (2012)

Thanks for opening this with me, MarkIntihar!

Gold and light amber in color with a moderately sized off-white head that leaves good amounts of lace behind.

The aroma is fantastic. There were tons of citrus, floral, earthy, and pine notes erupting from the glass. Very expressive and very bright aroma. Incredibly nice.

The flavor isn't quite as nice, with some of the bitterness getting in the way of the expressive citrus and passion fruit flavors, but all in all, this is still excellent.

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

Fantastic! ISO!

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 19:41:30 | More by ehammond1

nlmartin

Ohio

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

The beer was served in a snifter.

A- The body of the beer was a coppery orange coloration. The head was a thick biege coloration. The head simply could not stand up to the mustache test but few do.

S- The flavor is a hop heads delight. A great combination of grapefruit, citrus pith and zest, pineapple and mango, nice juicy sweetness that peaks into dankness. Very nicely executed!

T- A nearly perfect reproduction of the aroma. Bitter hops provide grapefruit and citrus notes, plenty of citrus zest, a very brief juicy pineapple sweetness that is swallowed into pine resinous bitterness.

M- The body of the beer is medium with moderate carbonation. The hops are very resinous and stick to my mouth.

O- This beer was a joy to drink from begining to end. At $10. a four pack this beer will be my go to hop fix for some time to go. Nicely done.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 08:32:17 | More by nlmartin

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.63/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Received as an extra from miketd. Poured into my Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a nice crystal clear amber with a solid one finger white head that fades to leave a thin blanket. Spotty side lacing.

S - So I was unfamiliar with this, and as such when I cracked it did a "woah". An explosion of hops, lots of tropical mango with this along with some light malt sweetness/backbone. Loving the mango, pineapple aroma going on.

T - Taste follows through with that great nose. There are some malty sweetness, but, its deliciously hoppy. Wonderful mango and pineapple tropical hops. Its got a good grapefruit rind bitterness on the finish. Delicious.

M - Mouthfeel is spot on too. Great carbonation, nice bitter finish. Not boozy, not overly aggressively bitter, but make no mistake this is hops.

O - Overall this was an exceptional IPA. Delicious, well done. So tropical, which i absolutely love in an IPA. Really taken aback by this. Love it.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 16:50:05 | More by rudzud

randylangford

Pennsylvania

4.93/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I've had is before but I feel like now is the time to review since I can now but it in a nice four pack or case at my local.

A: Nice fluffy head with a deep ambery golden nectar underneath.

S: I get some great fruit. Mango, grapefruit and pineapple

T: Unlike some other IPA's with a tropical fruit nose, I get a nice straight piney bitterness with hits of citrus ... exactly what I want.

M: It doesn't seem to have the malt backbone and full mouth feel to carry hop explosion, but amazingly it works ... it works great.

O: This is a must have, it's up there with Pliny the Elder and Heady topper. Easily the best IPA that I can get 4 for $10.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 02:40:56 | More by randylangford

JohnnyMc

Ohio

4.09/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My first beer from Fat Head's.

Pours out a nice orange with almost a slightly greenish tint and a decent amount of white head.

The aroma is full of citrus and fruity hops along with a dank hop aroma.

Taste is dominated by hops that taste almost fresh squeezed and it has a very in your face approach. The fruit is very juicy and there is a subtle malt background.

Very refreshing and easy to drink. A great summer IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

07-09-2012 02:05:47 | More by JohnnyMc