Happy Hour / Big Mouth Pale Ale - Hop City Brewing Co.

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.25

Can: Poured a deep clear golden color ale with a large off-white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of fresh citrus Cascade hops with light floral Fuggles hops notes is quite enticing. Taste is dominated by a lightly sweet malt backbone with limited hops presence which doesn’t seems to have translated from the aroma to the taste. Body is about average with good carbonation. The aroma was promising but it actually didn’t translate in the taste profile with weird greasy hops notes coming through.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 21:01:38 | More by Phyl21ca

IdeaSpeeder

Ontario (Canada)

3.39/5  rDev -5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Serving Type - 473ml can poured into a nonic pint glass.

Appearance - Pours a crystal clear golden colour. A finger of white head sits on top but fades very quickly, leaving behind smal traces of lacing.

Smell - Predominantly caramel mats give the beer a very sweet smell. There is also some very light floral notes. A little underwhelming for an APA.

Taste - Caramel mats here as well. Some grainy notes. A noticeable lack of bitterness for the style. There is also a very light metallic taste which unfortunately lingers. Thankfully it doesn't detract from the overall taste too much.

Mouthfeel - Medium body, medium carbonation.

Overall - 3.25/5 A decent offering. Certainly not the most intense APA out there, but its good nonetheless. Basically, If you're looking for tasty a drinkable APA, look no further. If you're looking to scratch a bitterness itch, there's better choices.

Serving type: can

05-27-2013 01:05:27 | More by IdeaSpeeder

ssmack

Ontario (Canada)

2.7/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

473 ml can from LCBO

A hazy butter/honey colour. Half an inch of yellowish white head but almost no lacing at all.

Very little aroma which seems strange. A bit of syrupy sweetness with a hint of hops.

A watery bland taste. There is some herby hops taste. The weakness of the taste makes me wonder if the hops were stale.

A light, watery feel with slight carbonation.

Nothing special. Very weak hops for an American Pale Ale. I will not buy this again but it might appeal to someone who enjoys a mild pale ale.

Serving type: can

03-16-2013 02:39:32 | More by ssmack

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

473 mL can from the LCBO. I haven't had a lot of time for beer reviews over the last month or so, but when I saw this stuff on the shelves last week I grabbed a few cans on a whim, figuring I'd find the time to write a review eventually. This isn't my first sampling of Big Mouth, so while I already basically know how I feel about it, we'll see if I notice anything else this time around.

Pours a clear, attractive light golden-orange colour, topped with two fingers of foamy, puffy white head that gradually recedes over a period of minutes, leaving behind a bumpy, frothy cap and some decent smears of lacing along the sides. A good-looking pale ale, in my opinion - and it doesn't smell half bad either. The aroma is relatively hoppy, with hints of tangerine and lemon citrus, as well as leafy, English-style hops and an underlying caramel malt backbone.

Balanced, approachable flavour, with enough bitterness to allow this to drink like a genuine APA, but never approaching levels that are likely to turn off the hop-uninitiated. Their bitterness is a constant presence throughout the sip, ranging from light citrusy, lemon zest (surely caused by the Cascade hops) through to leafy, tea-like dryness (no doubt from the Kent Golding). A little metallic at times, but not in an entirely off-putting way. Beneath these more prominent hop flavours lies the subtle, constant caramel malt backing, its sweetness providing a nice contrast to the bitter flavours. Light-bodied, with moderate carbonation levels that give it a pleasantly prickly feel on the palate. Extremely drinkable - the last can of this I had was down my gullet in 10 minutes, and if I didn't need to stop to write this review, this serving would probably be gone already.

Final Grade: 3.8, a respectable B+. When I tried this last week, I spent a long time trying to pinpoint exactly which beer it reminded me of. The only thing I managed to come up with was 'Wells IPA', and while there are definitely some similarities, the hop profile of this one is more varied (due to the use of both English and American-style hop strains) and more enjoyable in general. I doubt this would make a great gateway beer, as I presume the 40+ IBUs will be enough to turn off most macro fanatics. That being said, Big Mouth Pale Ale is still an extraordinarily quaffable little brew that makes for a great session option. Not a world-beater by any means, but still well worth a try.

Serving type: can

02-17-2013 15:54:03 | More by thehyperduck

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

3.44/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

(3.75) A: Faintly hazy with a light straw colour and a sizeable puffy foam head. Good retention and equal lacing down the glass.

(3.25) S: Grains, faint musky wood element, some floral notes, and a little honey. Overall it takes quite a bit of probing to detect anything outside of the grain aroma but some decent aromas are there.

(3.5) T: Lightly toasted grains, floral element, faint citrus tanginess, and a bit of honey. This is quite smooth and well balanced with a slight crispness. Definitely some pleasing bitterness and a subtle dryness. Easy drinking.

(3.25) M: Lighter bodied with a moderate and tingly carbonation. Slightly oily with a generally dry and crisp feel.

(3.5) D: An easy drinking pale ale that doesn’t disappoint but isn’t the boldest or dynamic flavour-wise.

Serving type: can

02-16-2013 03:09:54 | More by Digimaika2

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.56/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A decent gateway beer that may well appeal to a wide variety of palates, and certainly the most flavourful I've had from this Moosehead-related brewer, but a disappointment for any "hop head" and not a beer I'll buy at the LCBO again.

Can pours a golden amber with an initial haziness that clarifies over time. Minimal white, large-bubbled head that dissipates quickly, leaving no lacing. Very little aroma of biscuity breadiness and some caramelized malts. The flavour is more pleasing, with a lemony citrus element prior to a short-lived bitter finish. Both malts and hops are definitely present and there is more complexity than any corn-based macro.

A genuinely inoffensive beer that's probably very sessionable and may help transition some folks into the world of craft brewing and flavours.

Serving type: can

02-10-2013 21:39:01 | More by hopsolutely

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.49/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

500ml Can from the Ottawa LCBO for 2.75$

Appearance - Clear light gold colour with an average size fizzy off-white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some decent lacing. The head lasted for around 4-5 minutes.

Smell - Hops, malts, caramel, grassy notes, lemons

Taste & Mouth - There is an above average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel and hops. There is also some light lemon/ginger flavour mixed with a grassiness and some metallic notes. It ends with a malty lightly hopped lemony aftertaste.

Overall – Not a bad beer.. probably a good gateway beer to get macro drinkers into craft/hops. It's the best beer I've had from this brewer but not something exciting enough to warrant buying again.

Serving type: can

02-09-2013 00:48:47 | More by spinrsx

bryehn

Ontario (Canada)

3.36/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Slightly hazy golden-amber colour with a soapy white head that settles as a thin collar and film without leaving much lacing.

Floral, soapy aroma. Lemon zest, grains, malts, light chocolate and caramel..

Caramel malts, floral & citrus hops. Mild taste overall, well balanced with a subtle bitter bite. Really tastes like an English pale ale. Red berries and a hint of alcohol in the finish

Very easy-going. Fairly thin body, mild carbonation. Aftertaste has a bitterness and soft oiliness to it.

The aroma is the highlight for me. Very inoffensive ale that goes down easy. Though it’s listed as an APA, it really leans towards the English style; the Golding hops are unmistakable. Great for times when you want a beer with flavour, but don’t want to be punched in the face by it. Pair with wings, fries, burgers and sports.

Serving type: can

02-07-2013 18:12:55 | More by bryehn

Mholyome

4.28/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Way back when, I tried the original brew of this brand, and I felt it wasn't too far off of the Barking Squirrel Lager that I enjoy so much. After some recipe changes, the Happy Hour brand has really come into its own. The dark rich colour, and heavy bitterness (48 IBU's) makes this a real mouth full. Like the brand says "it's happy hour somewhere".

Serving type: on-tap

09-11-2012 17:20:19 | More by Mholyome

NV9

Ontario (Canada)

3.64/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Jack Astor's Dundas Square.

Very nice looking beer, good head that stays with it for some time, light orange in colour, I'm impressed.

Definite orange/citrus smell over the top of fairly evident hops.

Tastes a lot like it smells, the citrus is evident, as are the hops, it's a bit bitter but overall balanced flavour.

Not an overly heavy beer with moderate carbonation, pretty drinkable, in my opinion.

Would definitely go for this again but haven't seen it in this neck of the woods so far.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2012 22:10:13 | More by NV9

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Tried on tap at Hardrock 42 in Sudbury.

Appearance: It has a nice golden/orange colour to it. It has a nice white head that dies down moderatly and has some lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitly give out hints of orange and citrusy hops with some bready and grainy malts.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a nice clean citrusy hop taste with a bit of pine and a nice grainy/bready maltiness.

Mouthfeel: It has a medium carbonation with a nice balance of flavours.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth and clean drinkable beer accompanied with good flavours and aromas. Simple but tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2011 23:24:09 | More by SebD

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Amber orange colour, decent white head with some lace. Smell is of citrus and hops, grapefruit, good malting, some tangerine and orange. Taste is bitter and malty, good balance, citrus, tangerine, lots of pine and some grapefruit in the finish. Medium carbonation, medium body, good feel, light hop oils come through. This was actually really nice, highly drinkable APA, on par with some of the better APA's available in Ontario.

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2011 15:27:38 | More by peensteen

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at 99 Sudbury, in Toronto.

Happy Hour looks aptly named: not only does a bright, sunny disposition tempt thoughts of skipping over to the patio for a quick after-work tipple, but its bubbles hurry out the gate faster than rush-hour subway commuters, and its head sits idly, budging little and seemingly forever immobile just like those stuck bumper-to-bumper in rush-hour traffic.

Although its tempered, easy-going nature suggests this recipe was conceived of the English tradition of mild, sessionable pale ales, the blatant use of Cascade hops (used for dry-hopping as well, so I was told) gives it the distinguished citrusy and overtly floral bouquet of most American ales. Of course, there's a lot of grainy maltiness detected too.

The first sip is no epiphany. Then again, pale ales rarely are. It reveals an average, but perfectly acceptable, maltiness that is simultaneously bready and grainy, with a spattering of imposingly floral hops. There's not a trace of adjunct; the flavour is wholesome and the hoppiness firm. It'd be next to impossible to really say anything disagreeable about it.

The idea of the pale ale, at least one interpretation of it, is to offer the same kind of mindless, easy-going quaffability as a lager but with a bit more body and slightly more robust flavours. That sums up Happy Hour: it's a clean, widely agreeable, medium-bodied ale with a slightly stronger taste and double the standard bitterness (a reported 40 IBU).

Like all Hop City offerings, Happy Hour has enough character to please more discerning palates, but not too much so as to intimidate the average one. This mild but flavourful ale is indeed perfectly suited to taking a load off with friends after work, or watching the game, or relaxing at the cottage, or pretty much any other occasion you care to name.

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2011 17:22:28 | More by biegaman