Hops Of Wrath - Dust Bowl Brewing Company

AleEvangelist

California

4.22/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Today, I had the privilege of tasting Dust Bowl Brewing Co.’s IPA, the Hops of Wrath. For starters, Don Oliver is by no means an inexperienced brewmaster. He’s been homebrewing for a couple decades now, I believe, and the beers of his I’ve been privileged to try have been STUNNING…..all of them. :) So when I saw the Hops of Wrath at my local Save Mart in Oakdale, I couldn’t help but grab a bottle. I had a feeling that this was Don’s beer, as his dad had told me that he was opening a brewery in Turlock. I was ecstatic! Now the beer:

Appearance: The beer pours like a pale with a nice head that had some staying power. Even now, after it’s been sitting for a bit, there’s a thin layer of foam, with nice lacing on the sides of my glass. The color was pale amber, which you’d expect for an IPA. In short, it’s pretty. :)

Smell: Served cooler than room temp, but not cold. This beer appears from the aroma to be extremely well-balanced. I can smell sweet malty notes mixed with some floral/citrus from the hops. In all, not overly-hoppy in the nose, which bodes well for for the flavor. This beer is not hops kicked up to 11, which makes for a more traditional IPA vs. a West Coast style. (Nose is slightly stuffy, sadly.)

Taste: A very balanced blend of hops and malt! American brewers have tended to the extreme ends of hoppiness and alcohol lately. Stone is a good example of this. Those are great beers, but this leans more toward the traditional IPA side of things with aromatic and flavorful hops. It’s really tasty, bursting with the resin-y hop flavor associated with excellent IPA’s. Plenty of malty sweetness to balance it. If you want to taste more hops in this beer, I think it could be served colder. I prefer balance, so I served it more cellar temp which let the hop notes play second fiddle to the excellent maltiness! Still, the finish is all hops. The hop flavor loves to linger on the back of the tongue to remind you that you are drinking the Hops of Wrath. If they don’t hit you in the front of the palate, just wait a minute!

Mouthfeel: Since the beer is not overly alcoholic, it’s not as chewy as more extreme IPA’s would be. Not watery, by any stretch of the imagination, but very drinkable. Also not syrupy, which definitely helps the flavor not be so darn sweet.

Overall: This beer is VERY drinkable. Served colder, the hop notes would be more prominent, but they’re not missing at all. I spent the evening drinking some Noble Pils from Sam Adams, so I’ve been enjoying hoppiness all evening. This beer was the perfect closer to a great day! Well-balanced is the key to this tasty beer, something that takes skill to hit. A lot of people make IPA’s, and they war with who can use the most hops, or the highest alpha-acid hops. Someone who balances perfectly with malt possesses skill, and I look forward to seeing what comes from Dust Bowl Brewing Company!

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 19:14:47 | More by AleEvangelist

KiMiRaiK

Washington

4/5  rDev +1.5%

05-24-2013 03:53:31 | More by KiMiRaiK

bruindre

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

05-04-2013 18:01:06 | More by bruindre

JacobGumina

California

4/5  rDev +1.5%

03-11-2013 23:57:11 | More by JacobGumina

vfgccp

New York

3.19/5  rDev -19%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

A - Bright, hazy apricot body. Thin, fine white head with nice retention and poor lace.

S - Grapefruit, green wood, peach preserves, lemon leaves.

T - Super earthy. Dusty peach, lemon, raw wood. Dry, slightly funky pot.

M - Medium body with a light, dry finish.

O - Great nose, but unfortunately the flavor profile falls short of expectations.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 02:38:41 | More by vfgccp

lordofstarside

Nevada

4.08/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12 oz to a snifter, no freshness date. Serving this one a bit warm

Pours an orangish gold with 3/4 finger of foam. Good transparency and very mild carbonation. Lacing isn't bad either, this beer meets most the checks of a good ipa

There's an aroma of up front hops with a sweet fruity malt. Hints of grapefruit, lemon, and some pine shine through with a splash of alcohol. Malty citrus is what distinguishes it from other ipas

The taste follows well, very hoppy with a strong fruity citrus. The malt is balanced well which the fruit comes across better with instead of the hops. The result is pretty interesting and well executed

Feel is also on par with the rest of the beer- nice bitter bite backed up with a sticky dry finish. Alcohol's well concealed and this stuff is pretty easy to drink

Overall this beer is probably one of my favorites I can't usually get from my excursion to California last month. Also stands out against many of the ipas I've had so far, something I'd get regularly given the chance

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 01:11:40 | More by lordofstarside

Beerswag

California

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

02-27-2013 21:53:49 | More by Beerswag

TheSixthRing

California

3.65/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

Appearance - Pours a crystal clear, bright golden orange with an off-white, frothy 2-finger head. Good retention. Lace clings to the side quite nicely.

Smell - Faint aroma. Pine sticks out. Mild citrus. Faint breadiness.

Taste - Malts come across light and bready, while the hops show moderate citrus character. Light pine. Faint orange pith bitterness on the finish.

Mouthfeel - Light in body, with moderate carbonation. Very smooth. Goes down clean and with relative ease.

Overall - Hops of... Wrath? Hops of Moderation might be a more apt name for the brew. Not to say it's a bad beer, just a poor choice of name for a beer that's shows more balance than the name might infer. This beer lacks strong flavor, but it does have a nice, drinkable and approachable quality. Even so, the name it's just.... it's a head scratcher.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 09:02:01 | More by TheSixthRing

huskermike12

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

02-18-2013 01:05:56 | More by huskermike12

moondog426

4/5  rDev +1.5%

02-10-2013 23:21:09 | More by moondog426

litheum94

California

4/5  rDev +1.5%

01-13-2013 06:59:53 | More by litheum94

WizzardOfHops

California

4.75/5  rDev +20.6%

12-27-2012 09:58:14 | More by WizzardOfHops

sloelco

California

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

12-26-2012 06:43:42 | More by sloelco

jmccraney

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

12-22-2012 04:52:46 | More by jmccraney

ucsbmullet

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

12-05-2012 01:11:58 | More by ucsbmullet

ThePaleRider

California

3.38/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Scored the 6 pack while on Thanksgiving vacation in Yosemite.

A - Very dark ambery/orange. Very nice off white, one finger head. Very nice retention and lacing on the glass. Crystal clear without any floaters.

S - Plenty of orange, lemon, and mango piled up on some bready malts that also seem to be giving off a hint of something spicy.

T - Starts off very dry and bitter. Not picking up a whole lot of the citrus. Seems to drink a pretty heavy on the malts with the hops just being there to add the bitterness. Not as hop forward in flavor as I like my IPA's.

M - A little watery without a lot of afterthought. Loads of carbonation!

O - Eh, not too impressed. Way too many other IPA's in the world to settle for an average one.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 22:45:04 | More by ThePaleRider

drewone

California

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

11-23-2012 06:32:47 | More by drewone

Chris_Cali_2o9

4/5  rDev +1.5%

11-20-2012 04:26:41 | More by Chris_Cali_2o9

PaulStoneAnchor

California

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

09-25-2012 04:28:34 | More by PaulStoneAnchor

t0rin0

California

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

09-23-2012 15:33:22 | More by t0rin0

2neardead

California

4/5  rDev +1.5%

09-10-2012 02:09:10 | More by 2neardead

JohnF51

California

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

09-06-2012 22:35:53 | More by JohnF51

Backlash209

California

5/5  rDev +26.9%

09-03-2012 21:34:44 | More by Backlash209

Glopez

California

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

09-01-2012 01:49:36 | More by Glopez

Burlyn

3.63/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A dark golden honey color with a medium lasting head.

Smells like citrus and earthy hops

Citrus all the way. A little floral and malty. Not nearly as hoppy a most beers of this style.

Medium bodied with a good level of carbonation

Overall I'm happy to see a central valley brewery producing quality beer such a this. Although its a lot less bitter and hoppy than the average American ipa. In a way this is appreciated since this makes it pleasant mild and easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2012 07:07:40 | More by Burlyn