Barking Squirrel Lager - Hop City Brewing Co.

DNew15

4.95/5  rDev +43.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

As a middle-atlantic resident, when I ask for a lager I get a Yuengling, but I wish I got a Hop City Barking Squirrel instead (this is close to a sin for a guy who lives close to PHL!). Love the dark brown color and pleasant hint of caramel oders of this beer. A definite must have for any fan of lager. My favorite part of the beer is the smooth robust finish. This is a must add to the list for any beer drinker. I've never heard of Hop City before and now I look forward to the next beer release from them (at least one that reaches Delaware!).

Serving type: can

10-13-2012 20:33:52 | More by DNew15

Tybo

4.88/5  rDev +41.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

When this beer is poured you notice the burnt amber color right away. The head on the beer has great retention that remains throughout the entire drinking time. The smell has a great smell of malt, hops and a hint of sweet. The taste is a little hoppy but nothing to overpowering. The malt flavor lets a fantastic smoothness to the beer with some chocolate hints that set this over the top. The beer finishes very clean and leaves you ready for another taste. I was very impressed with this lager. I had this beer on a trip to Toronto and am very excited to see it now available in US!

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 01:46:59 | More by Tybo

Ipetitt

4.75/5  rDev +38.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Barking Squirrel is a great amber lager from Ontario. It has an awesome rich burnt orange/ amber color with an incredible head. The two row malt they use allows the beer to keep its perfect head throughout the entire beer which I can very much appreciate. It uses three of the four noble hops so I can appreciate that as well since it really amps up the flavor of the amber lager. It sits at 24 BU's so it has a nice little kick but goes down so nicely. It has a full mouth and it has a nice roasted aroma. The mouth has a nice roasted caramel flavor with a medium body and a bit of tartness. I loved this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2012 13:07:52 | More by Ipetitt

robinson1056

4.68/5  rDev +36%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wow, this is a delicious pint. I love the caramel malts in this, and the European Hops give it a nice blend. The colour is rich and vibrant for an amber lager; it is very appealing to the eye. The taste gets better with each sip and the aftertase is quite nice.

Serving type: on-tap

09-26-2012 20:19:01 | More by robinson1056

Mholyome

4.53/5  rDev +31.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I really enjoyed the taste of this amber lager. It was full and robust, and had a slight hop after-taste but nothing too overwhelming. I really love the Squirrel character, and have seen him altered to meet the needs of several establishments. That's a really classy niche to be in. I just love the colour, the aroma, and the unique squirrel icon. The can is a great substitute for draught!

Serving type: on-tap

09-11-2012 17:13:13 | More by Mholyome

Top_Jimmy

Ontario (Canada)

4.46/5  rDev +29.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Appearance - This beer pours a dark honey colour with a nice creamy head. Beautiful lacing remains .

Smell - A nice mild scent of Hops and malt nothing to overpowering.

Taste - Crisp with a nice amount of bitter, Mild to Medium hops makes this very enjoyable and not over the top.

Mouthfeel - The beer has a nice full bodied creamy mouthfeel and great carbonation.

Overall - A great beer, just the right amount of bitter hops as not to be over the top.

Serving type: can

02-22-2013 02:38:21 | More by Top_Jimmy

TBone2

4.45/5  rDev +29.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this beer on tap at the Green Turtle in Aberdeen, MD.

A complex amber lager with a roasted, caramel flavor and medium bitterness. A slight Hop aftertaste and medium body. A roasted type aroma kind of earthy. The head was very white and the color was copper/orange.

Great with the amzing burgers that were served!A sessionable craft with the coolest tap marker; a Squirrel holding a Hop Cone!

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2012 19:12:14 | More by TBone2

DaveGold

4.43/5  rDev +28.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I found this beer to be a pleasant surprise...a larger with real legs.

I would typically recommend it to those seeking out a more flavorful beer that can stand on its own vs. accompanying food. Two cans in and I found I wasn't hungry!

Looking forward to seeing other brands from them.

Serving type: can

11-26-2012 20:12:23 | More by DaveGold

Scooby-Brew

4.4/5  rDev +27.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A nicely balanced brew! It served as a great companion with meals comoposed of comfort foods (e.g. roast beef, barbeque pork, etc.), while also being easy to quaff on its own. I'd be curious to know how it earned its name, since I've yet to try it with any squirrel meat ;)

Serving type: can

09-20-2012 13:36:12 | More by Scooby-Brew

phdoig

4.35/5  rDev +26.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Great Malty interpretation of a amber lager. Really great beer for fall; competes well with 'Oktoberfest' craft beers. Easy drinking lager, with a great amber hue. Sesionability is high, demands more than one beer! Pair with roasted chicken and spicy stir fry.

Serving type: can

09-20-2012 13:31:30 | More by phdoig

LDOBSON

4.35/5  rDev +26.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

At first I questioned the appearance of can but after trying Barking Squirrel I enjoyed it as it was a beer that went down smooth. I find that some beers drink heavy and leave you feeling bloated, with Barking Squiirel I did not experience that. I found it to be similar to Creemore, another beer that I enjoy.

Serving type: can

11-21-2012 17:08:50 | More by LDOBSON

SpeedwayGuy

Indiana

4.33/5  rDev +25.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I tried this beer while recently in Toronto. A good clear, burnt orange color with a creamy two-finger head and nice retention throughout. I sensed roasted malts, floral hops and a light citrus in the aroma. The taste was satisfying, a caramel sweetness in the malts and a nice hop finish with a medium to light bitterness. While I generally lean to beers with a stronger hop characteristic, they seemed to be in the right balance here.

Overall, a very good amber lager that I would buy again. Looking forward to its arrival in the US, anxious to try Barking squirrel with a big fat T-bone steak!

Serving type: can

09-21-2012 14:32:39 | More by SpeedwayGuy

NilocRellim

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a can, this beer is a very nice, rich, golden colour; slightly more amber/red in colour than a standard lager. Very light, refreshing, lager taste with a tad more hop taste (but not much) than most lagers. A little too carbonated than most beers, but a clean taste and a little bitter aftertaste.

Would I buy it again? Yes, and have numerous times.

Serving type: can

11-25-2012 05:48:29 | More by NilocRellim

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

473ml can, a new arrival in Alberta, and thanks to Sherbrooke (and the rep, mea culpa) for the sample. A suspicious-looking cartoon squirrel amusingly espies a rather large hop cone on the label, leading me to idly wonder at its fate is this particular offering.

This beer pours a clear, copper-amber colour, with three tumultuously foamy fingers of tight eggshell white head, which leaves a decent layered watermark of lace rings around the glass as it lazily recedes.

It smells of crisp biscuity, grainy malt, a tad toasted, with a bit of nutty caramel, and zesty lemony, leafy, grassy hops. The taste is lightly roasted caramel and sourdough malt, more semi-sweet lemon, some oily nuttiness, a slight mineral/metallic undertone, and a sturdy grassy, hay-like hop bitterness.

The bubbles are even, supportive, and just plain nice (sorry, I'm in an increasingly good mood now), the body a decent medium weight, and smooth in the same vein. It finishes off-dry, the biscuity malt and lingering hops holding up their respective ends of the bargain.

Wow - one endearingly tasty amber lager - big toasty malts, and well balanced sassy pilsener-esque hops. This was a universal hit with the Sherbrooke staff earlier today, and it's clear why - this is a heady competitor to Creemore in the 'good craft lager not from Alberta' customer sweepstakes. Really, a damned fine tipple, in a style so under serviced by Canadian brewers lo these many years.

Serving type: can

09-07-2012 02:51:03 | More by biboergosum

smakawhat

Maryland

4.08/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A real big fluffy white head with lots of staying power, big in size at about three fingers and not going anywhere. Collapses very slowly with pock marked peaks and valleys. Body is a very clear and bronze amber color, with little noticeable rising carbonation. What does show goes up really small and very slowly. Real nice looking.

Nose is clean, light malt caramel, a sense of slight sticky yeast. Quite nice and simple and pleasurable. Some light grass sharp hops just hide in the back.

Very light bodied caramel on the palate. Hits with a good malt backbone with a very light feel but not too wet. Hints of light brown sugar, and almost Marzen like appeal. A good brown bread toasty finish too, with just a little bit of mild hop bitterness that isn't very distinguishable.

It's not very complex, but it's stupid easy drinking, in fact VERY easy drinking. Quite enjoyable a good amber lager worth exploring again.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 19:46:09 | More by smakawhat

JackSkerry

New Brunswick (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Recent arrival at the local liquor store. Poured a bottle into a pint glass.

Sexy, dark colour. Neat, tight, frothy, foamy head. Nice, crisp malty lager with a nice subtle hoppy hint in the finish. Combination leads to a very drinkable lager. Would go excellent with a nice peppercorn-crusted steak.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 13:36:48 | More by JackSkerry

emerge077

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for this beer Jay!
Can is printed "F01212" whatever that means... hopefully not from January. Served in a large tapered mug.

Nicely bright amber color, huge head of foam that dwindles down to an ample skim, 5mm in width (metric, get it?). Lots of lacing all around the glass, great retention. For this style it looks great overall.

Earthy, nutty sweet malt character, touches of maple and ground nuts.

Clean taste, mild bittering hops and a distinctively nutty/bready specialty malt in there somewhere. Dry and crisp feel, nice light bitterness. Simple yet effective. Pretty much a flawless lager here, guess haters just gonna hate.

Serving type: can

07-26-2012 23:51:13 | More by emerge077

bryehn

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Now available in cans! Poured into a pilsener glass.

Pours an amber-copper colour with lots of visible carbonation and a medium-sized, foamy tan coloured head that leaves some spotty lacing and settles as a collared film.

Smells of toasted caramel malts with a floral hop quality. Fresh grains, alcohol, raisin and tree nuts also come through.

The taste is crisp and mostly dry with a subtle nutty quality, a bread-like tone and a hint of chocolate. The finish is solidly bitter with a slight woody note.

The mouthfeel is creamy with a yeat-like quality on the tongue. Has a nice pop of carbonation even at the bottom of the glass. Dry aftertaste with a raisin-like fruity tone to it.

Interesting take on the style that has the nutty and fruity elements of a brown ale and a nice bitterness. Both drinkable and very satisfying. Will certainly revisit and seek out other beers from this brewery.

Serving type: can

10-17-2011 17:15:37 | More by bryehn

Foam

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Grabbed a couple single bottles from a six pack shop.
An ambery/orange/burnt sienna color when looked at through a clear glass.
Has been judged "Best standard lager(Americas)" lager by the "World Beer Awards" .
I would have to agree.
Best basic-lager i've tasted in years .
In a world where breweries are passing off aggressively-hopped(for a proper lager) lagers, this is what a lager should taste like, imo . More sweet/malt than bitter/hop .
Refreshing in the extreme .
I am fortunate to have found a local distributor that sells both 24-bottle cases as well as 24 six-teen ounce can cases. I'm going to pick up a case, asap !
Highly recommended for lager-heads and people that do not care for bitterly-hopped beers.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 18:21:35 | More by Foam

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The squirrels are definitely barking at The CANQuest (TM) today. My neighbor had this as a single the other day and I am in a lager mood. CAN you dig it?

From the CAN: "Craft with attitude."; Welcome to HOP CITY, where we brew beer with equal parts flavor, complexity & sessionability. BARKING SQUIRREL LAGER is a 5% ABV, 24 IBU amber lager brewed with a blend of Hallertau Mittelfrueh & Saaz hops, perfectly balanced by [CAN]adian Pale 2 Row, Crystal & Munich malts. Mmmm.

The Crack & Glug was a pleasure, resulting in two-plus fingers of dense, foamy tawny head with excellent retention. Color was a deep coppery-amber with NE-plus quality clarity, enabling me to see through walls and into the neighbor's kitchen where the cat was asleep on the counter. Nose was heavy with a biscuit malt scent. Mouthfeel was full, especially for a lager and the biscuit taste continued on the tongue. Finish was semi-dry with a lingering taste of bread or biscuit well after the swallow. More lagers like this are needed!

Serving type: can

01-06-2013 22:52:51 | More by woodychandler

HATS4BATS

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pleasant and rich. Pours deep and amber with plenty of carbonation. Subtle, unexceptional lager nose. Balanced body defined by rich malt and hints of sugar, with traces of biting hops that combine to leave a pleasant aftertaste. Big challenging taste for that doesn't overpower. More IPA than lager.

Serving type: can

01-04-2013 16:45:42 | More by HATS4BATS

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.86/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

I bought this as part of a mix-a-six from Giant in Linglestown PA, enjoyed chilled in a mug.

The color is deep copper bordering on bronze with good clarity and two fingers of thick tan head with avg sized bead and decent lacing. The aroma is very malty with bready munich type malt aromas with slight yeast ester and mild nutty element in the nose with light hop scents. The feel is great with semi-full body with moderate bitterness and medium carbonation with a mild diacetyl presence with somewhat dry finish with low sweetness and mild grainy texture.

This is a lager with pleasant malt flavors right off and nice blend of nuttiness with a toasted grain taste from the munich malt as described on the label. The malt tastes fresh, yet not overly sweet which is a good foundation for the subtle hop flavor which add to the mild yeast taste. The maltiness goes well with the hops which have a hint of herbal profile as the lager finishes semi-dry. Overall I really enjoyed this a very good lager with a nice balance of flavor which makes it more drinkable thany many of this style. I would not hesitate to buy this again even though I was on the fence about the first purchase.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 13:50:07 | More by Slatetank

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Light amber colored lager body, clear and clean. Poured a nice head, sticky and tall.

S - A fresh and crisp lagered bouquet. Sweet aromas, subtle grains, honey. Wafts of fresh hops and sweet malty notes. Balanced and intriguing.

T - Definitely clean and crisp as I had hoped. Fresh, green, sweet hops. A bit of malt sweetness and dry bread hints. The hop profile is what shines through, with a good clean presentation. This is on the lighter side of flavor, but it is a drinking lager.

M - Light-medium bodied, properly carbonated, smooth. Definitely a session beer.

O - Really not bad at all, a drinkable lager. Pretty balanced, with the hops taking the stage. However, this is not a very hoppy beer, with 24 IBUs.

Serving type: can

03-24-2013 21:39:40 | More by BeerForMuscle

eddie_g

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My second review, and as with my first, bare with me. I don't reach for a lager when I want a good brew, but tonight when I asked the bartender for something different, he handed me this tall 16 ounce can. I poured the beer into my glass, and an average pour produced about two inches of thick white head. The color was a bit darker than an average lager and allowed less light through. The beer gives off a typical lager aroma - a metallic hoppy smell. The taste is what sets this drink apart. For a lager, I found the flavor sweet, starting with a toffee taste and migrating to a typical lager blend of malt and hops. That initial rush of sweet toffee really drew my attention, however. The body was also nice. I found the mouth feel to be a bit thicker than the average style - still light bit teetering on medium bodied. Overall, if I ever find myself with a hankering for a lager, this beer would absolutely do the trick. It doesn't rewrite the style. Rather, Barking Squirrel Lager serves as a nice edition in any lager lover's library.

Serving type: can

12-16-2012 04:05:24 | More by eddie_g

ghisty

New Brunswick (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

appearance:
pours a reddish amber, small head but it was a bit warm, low carb, but thats fine by me. laces just a touch. very red for an amber. almost mahogany.despite lack of ehad it retains its carb reasonably for the small amount there is to begin with.

smell:
very malted. but also heavy on hops. a bit smoky. a bit sharp on the nose, but pleasant and not at all offending, the grains involved become more present as the pint gets low.bitter smelling, and intruiging at the same time.

taste:
full bodied, has a very present malt as with the nose, and the hops really shine,
alot sharper than expected from the amount of carb, levels out to a medium malty
with some nice hints of roasted grain and maybe even a nutty flavour in there someplace .alot sharper and hoppy than most ambers ive had.
finish is malty as hell, maybe a bit dry, definatly session worthy.

mouthfeel:
sharp at first , levels out nicely, finish is somewhat dry, leaves a thin malty bit behind
mouthfeel is always hard to describe but even more so with this lager.

overall:
this lager has alot of the traits of an english ale, but with alot more hops, and a sharper malt, tried it on a risk, not dissapointed at all, as far a craft beers go this one isnt bad at all, if anything the only thing id say lacks is the amount of head.
taste is great, very hoppy. very bright. its different, if you want something not the norm esspecially where lager is concerned, give it a try. I will be buying it again. its not a game changer, but it has things about it I cant help but like.

**something odd.. i always pour out beer into a glass.. but i drank a few of these from the bottle out ice fishing..seems to taste better direct from bottle..maybe it was just the environment tho.**

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 20:22:01 | More by ghisty