Hop Bomber Pale Ale - Rivertown Brewing Co.

WoodBrew

Illinois

2.93/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I was able to try RiverTown's Hop Bomber during a recent visit to Cleveland. The beer poured a clear, copper/gold in color, with a nice head of frothy, off-white foam which laced. The scent included grain, toasted malt. The taste was mostly toasted malt with earthy hop note and hop-leaf flavor add balance. The mouthfeel was light to medium body with decent carbonation. Overall it was ok but I was expecting more.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 16:22:27 | More by WoodBrew

jurban

Ohio

3/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Hops hit quickly but then there is a smooth and watery, but nice finish. Alcohol taste is minimal. Has a bit of an unpleasant after taste. Overall the taste is remenscent of a watered down ipa. Makes a good session beer due to its lower alchohol content and non-overwhelming flavor.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 02:27:29 | More by jurban

rangerred

Tennessee

3.38/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured out of a 12oz bottle.

Pours with a nice rocky 3 finger head. Excellent head retention and great lacing as well.

The smell is of caramel and toffee along with some earthy hops.

The taste is immediately dominated by an odd butterscotch flavor. Not sure if it is intentional or not but it gradually fades as the beer warms. The rye is detectable along with moderate hop bitterness and flavor.

The more I drank this beer the better it got. Still not sure if I would drink it regularly but it might be worth revisiting.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 17:31:41 | More by rangerred

mattboyer182

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - super dark almost brown little head that dissipates quickly.

S - subtle malts then a crazy sweetness that smells almost chocoltey to me.

T - I like this flavor. it's nice dark malt and a sugary sweetness.

M - medium bodied and light to medium carbonation.

O - decent brew. I think it's original and good too.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 03:29:44 | More by mattboyer182

schoolboy

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Wow. Here is an Ohio brewer previously not known to me that can do it right. This is a very good APA. I'm drinking it kinda warm, and that is recommended. Head out the wazoo. A nice aroma, but a little light. A taste that makes me want MORE.

The taste isn't especially strong or complex, but it is well balanced and pleasant. The label is certainly cool. What ale's you, it asks. It's nice to finally have a Cincinatti microbrew that I like. A lot.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 20:20:17 | More by schoolboy

TheHoppiest

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

SEE UPDATE BELOW.

Poured from a squat 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Pours with an enormous white head that takes forever to dissipate. The brew itself is a slight cloudy amber color.

The nose is almost nonexistent, with the slightest hint of a straw , and floral whispers flitting about the glass. Even pulling these in, however, is an effort.

Taste is jarring; slightly funky and sour, with a metlallic bitter that is completely out of place. No malt at all, this is nothing but a lemon-sour acidity that is not very pleasant.

Lighter bodied, with a metallic alkaline feel that leaves you wanting to pour this own the drain.

Wow. I'm struggliing to find something positive to say, but it was a poor pour, a non-existenet smell, and a sour taste; what kind of pale ale is this? I only bought this a month ago, so I know it is not old. Perhaps a bad batch? Whatever it is, I certainly can't recommend this to anyone.

UPDATE:

So I decided to give this beer another try, hoping that my earlier review was an aberration.

The pour into a mug revealed a copper color brew ith a 1" off-white head that reduces with a bit of pillowing.

Aroma is malty, with a bit of creaminess, grassiness and corn. Certainly better than I was the first tine I reviewed, but still not a typical pale ale smell.

Starts with a nice citrus bitter, with mild pepper, a bit of biscuit, grassiness and hops. Finishes clean and bitter.

Light to medium bodied, this has a dry clean finish that is rather refreshing.

Much, much better than the last time I had this beer. A serviceable pale ale with a session-like quality, I'd definitley try this again, and a glad I gave it a second chance.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 02:57:20 | More by TheHoppiest

Rhynes2

Ohio

3.23/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Picked this one up about an hour ago. First beer I have had from Rivertown Brewing. Poured a dark orange color with an over foamy head. Even with a careful pour it still almost overflowed. When it did back off after about 5 mins it left some great lacing down the sides. A notch at almost every sip. My problem with this beer is just that there is no outstanding characteristics. I prefer a beer that has something that jumps out and grabs me and this beer just doesn't have that. It you are looking for a mild pale ale with some decent malt character this might be up your alley but not something I would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 16:59:39 | More by Rhynes2

WVbeergeek

Ohio

2.7/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a bright pale copper hue with a light white head forming thick with fine bubbles speckled on the sides of my glass. Aroma has a nice cereal malted barley smell with some citrus and earthy hop notes coming through to complement the malts. The rye comes through with a bit of spiciness in the flavor and the English malts brings a twist on your standard APA I still wouldn't call this an English pale ale but as it warms a hint of diacetyl comes about. Not sure if it is intended or not but it has a weird wet cardboard butterscotch tone going on. Mouthfeel is medium to lighter bodied with moderate carbonation, the diacetyl sticks around with each sip really detracting from the overall enjoyment factor for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 15:10:50 | More by WVbeergeek

dmfrench

Indiana

4/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A unique, spicy, floral, slightly thin APA
___

A: Not your typical APA look... body is clear and deep reddish brown in color... a very Euro appearance. Head is one finger of yellowed white, sticks around a fair while, and regenerates a bit with each sip.

S: Not your typical APA nose either... more like a light barleywine. Sweet, lightly spiced, fruity (cherry), and somehow even a bit of alcohol. There are hops in the nose, of the floral variety, and more typical caramel malt aromas as well.

T: Ah, there it is! For all the uniqueness of the look and nose, There's plenty of resinous and floral hops to go round on the palate. Fruity notes are still there, rye spice makes itself known, and a decent backbone of caramel malt hold up the bottom end. Somewhat reminiscent of Founder's Red's Rye PA, but definitely smaller in every dimension.

M: Just a hair on the thin side, but substantial enough to be a pleasant experience.

O: A unique and fine effort if not a knockout.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 23:01:17 | More by dmfrench

raznug

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: It pours a deep golden with an inch of tight white head that tends to hang around for quite a while.
Smell: Hop Bomber smells of a nice blend of hops and malt smells tasty.
Taste: It tastes as it smells, a nice balance of malt followed by hops in the background
Mouthfeel: I think this beer tends to feel a bit thicker than expected but that isn’t a bad thing for the taste to hang around on a pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 10:43:51 | More by raznug

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy orange-ish to amber color with a light tan head. In the aroma, small citrus, but mainly pine like hops. In the taste, a mixture of orange and lemon citrus, hints of pine hops, with a mellow tea like maltiness. A nice hop bite and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a semi dry citrus hop in the aftertaste. Almost an IPA, big hops and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 12:37:48 | More by OWSLEY069

brucer1

Ohio

2.15/5  rDev -37.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

i wonder if this old? cant really tell if its skunky or not. very carbonated... pour carefully or you'll get nothing but head. smells and tastes more like a belgian, albeit a darker version. not so good...adequate though because it is beer. the computer says i need more characters this should do...don't get this the name and bottle appearence don't jive!!!

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 02:59:23 | More by brucer1

ColdPoncho

Ohio

2.85/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A - Amber body with a veritable metric shitton of floaties. Decent white head.

S - some sweet malts...anything else? No, not really.

T - Sweet and vegetal malts. Hint of roasted malt. Some hops, but I can't tell how. jeez.

M - Mediumish body, kinda dry.

O - man, this beer is disappointing. It doesn't live up to its name, and it has a bunch of stuff wrong with it. come on, Rivertown, you're making Cincinnati look bad.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 02:05:29 | More by ColdPoncho

AleWatcher

Illinois

2.48/5  rDev -28.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Hop bomber, eh? Sweet...
Hmmm... So where are the hops? I smell some hop activity... And there is a larger bitterness present... So they used the whole hop bill on bittering and aromatic, eh? Ok. That's gonna hurt the score a hair:

Looks ambery orange in color with an off-white head of 3 fingers. Decent retention, but no lace.
Smells of bitter hops, perhaps a citrus and floral profile.
Taste is pretty bland except for the bitterness, and that is no exaggeration. I wish I were able to pick up more here, but I get virtually no malts and only pungent and abrasive bitterness from the hops.
The body is very carbonated and that leads to it feeling thinner than it is (and should be).

Overall-- meh. This isn't bad, but I love too many other Pale Ales to ever drink this one again. It isn't terrible, by life's too short for mediocre.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 02:04:44 | More by AleWatcher

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

2.55/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Rivertown Hop Bomber

Pours a clear copper with a very nice foam cap and some lace. Aroma is faint, floral hops and a sugary sweet malt. In the flavor, green apple, caramel, near cloying sweetness and a flash of citrus hops in the background. Mouthfeel is decent, semi dry light to medium bodied feel and almost crisp. Overall, I hope my bottle was an older sample, because there was little to no hop presence for a beer touting the name "hop bomber".

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 03:52:09 | More by Stinkypuss

secondtooth

Indiana

3.98/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This attractive pale ale pours a clean amber in my glass, with a thick head of bone-white foam. Decent spoke-style lacing.

Olfactory-pleasing, with touches of pine and orange.

The taste is mild, but distinctive and full of character. I get some citrus hops notes up front, with mostly orange peel, followed up with a malty backbone that smoothes out the hops and suppresses the bitterness. This one's a sturdy, well-balanced, and very enjoyable ale.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 06:48:01 | More by secondtooth

aasher

Indiana

1.35/5  rDev -60.9%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

This beer pours a nice vibrant copper in color with a one finger cream colored head. It smells of rancid butter mixed with three day old sweaty gym socks. I haven't smelled something like this since the White Birch Wild. It smells like a drainpour. The flavor is bitter and again of rancid butter. It's pretty awful. A couple sips of this and I'm done. It drinks sticky and dry and leaves that godforsaken after taste behind. This one is pretty bad. I assume they didn't intend on it tasting like a combination of buttery syrup and BO.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2011 21:14:15 | More by aasher

Brent

Kentucky

3.68/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A moderately aggressive pour resulted in a disproportionate gigantic, merangue-like head that filled 3/4 of the glass to overflowing. By the time I got the beer to settle down enough to sample, it was running low on carbonation. Well hopped, but no hop bomb by any means. Hopping was a bit rough around the edges with some raw notes.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2011 18:26:06 | More by Brent

jkrich

Indiana

3.95/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. undated bottle with a fine picture of a World War II bomber on the label - hence the name hop bomber. The ale itself is no "hop-bomb". This was a visually pleasing pour: slightly deep golden to copper color with a foamy white-head that refuses to subside.

The aroma is clean and slightly resinous with a noticeable syrup aroma that dissipates after the pour.

The flavor has a nice complement of crisp, bitterness and rye. The label mentions rye, and it surely comes through. A faint sourness lingers and then disappears leaving some lingering malt on the tongue.

The carbonation level is too high and hinders the overall drinking experience. The body is about medium with a pleasing bittersweet mouthfeel.

Overall, this is quite enjoyable and refreshing; a different interpretation on the American pale ale style.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2011 22:56:31 | More by jkrich

phiberoptik

Ohio

3.15/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Local brewery time... I had to give it a review.

Poured 12oz bottle into a standard pint glass. This pours a very clear copper/amber color with a two finger white foamy head. The head seems to hang around a bit too but not much in the line of lacing.

This doesnt smell or taste like an ale. It actually reminds me of Sam Adams lager more than a hop front ale. It smells slightly musty and not any clear hop character, despite its name. Tastes of spice, malts, and some bitterness with very little hoppiness otherwise.

Feels pretty clean and nicely carbonated.

I want this to be good, being from Cincinnati but I am not a fan. Maybe I got a bad batch... something tastes off. I will update this review if I try it again and notice a difference.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 22:33:24 | More by phiberoptik

TurdFurgison

Ohio

2.6/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I purchased a single at a Kroger store in Dublin, $1.50. It pours a dark copper color, very clear, with about one finger of nearly white foam. It smells bitter, nothing flavorful in the aroma from the hops, just bitterness and toasted malts. And same in the taste, I'm sorta disappointed with the flavor as it's billed as "Hop Bomber". No hops flavors except a somewhat unpleasant bitterness.

Not recommended, too many good choices out there to ever drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2011 22:34:37 | More by TurdFurgison

Natural510

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, no dating. Sells at my local Kroger supermarket.

Pours a classic copper color with ample cloud of white foam which resembles melted ice cream.

Spicy, fruity scent of malt and hop mixture. A bit tea-like overall.

Flavor is well-balanced between a spicy, dry hop and fruity, understated malts. Notes of tea-leaf, cherry and forest-pine meld into a dry, bitter finish.

Well-rounded in body and mouthfeel, exactly what I expect in the style.

Excellent, easy-drinking beer. This could be the prototype of what an American Pale should be: balanced, dry, bitter, and well-rounded in flavor. Proof not every pale ale has to be an "India" to be exciting.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2011 15:54:25 | More by Natural510

hosehead83

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a "stubby" 12oz. bottle into a standard pint glass. Clear, copper/gold in color, with a nice head of frothy, off-white foam.
Aroma-Biscuit, toasted malt
Taste-Toasted malt, bread, earthy hop note and hop-leaf flavor add balance. Nice and quaffable. A nice match for burgers or dogs off the grill.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 16:43:23 | More by hosehead83

GoRedlegs

Kentucky

4.03/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle to a pub glass.

A: Dark honey color with an off white thin head. Mild lace.

S: Smooth malt overtones. Simple.

T: Creamy and straight forward ale with a quick finish. Warming aftertaste.

M: Slim and quick to wash away.

O: A nice example of an american ale made in my home town area of lovely Cincinnati. A pleasing offering with great drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 22:03:49 | More by GoRedlegs

brown2cu

Ohio

3.33/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a nice amber color, it was definitely one of the darkest pale ales I have had. The head was nonexistent after a minute of pouring and there was no lacing to speak of

S: Hops are relatively mute the rye stands out the most.

T: Not too bad. The hops are more affirmative in the taste but the rye makes a serious contribution. It doesn't taste similar to most pale ales infact in a blind taste test I would probably assert that it was a rye ale. It is definitely interesting though and worth a try.

M: softer carbonation than I was expecting. It was also dryer than I was expecting, it suited the beer nicely though.

O: Not bad definitely worth a try. A most non-traditional pale ale.

Edit: From my notes after finishing the 6 pack: taste needed reevaluated wasn't at the 4 level after some consideration.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2011 04:59:47 | More by brown2cu