Hop Bomber Pale Ale - Rivertown Brewing Co.

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.88/5  rDev -16%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clear deep amber with barely any head or lacing.

Sweet malts and just a hint of citrus/earthy hops.

A bit of a citrus hit at first, followed by sweet bready/caramel malt finishing with a buttered popcorn flavor and slightly bitter. Kind of odd.

Thin and watery. Not the highlight of the beer.

Not terribly great. Outside of the butter flavor it isn't too bad, but very mediocre aroma and mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 23:56:41 | More by jmarsh123

pwoods

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

6er purchased at Vonderhaar's in Reading. Poured into an imperial pint.

A: Pours a dark amber with pretty good clarity. Maybe a half inch of head on the pour with little retention and decent spotty lacing.

S: The description on their website says it's dry hopped but I'm not really getting much hop aroma. Some light malts. Hardly any aroma.

T/M: Decent bitterness level. Some light citrus, maybe some pine. Malts definitely balance and the light rye adds a nice complexity with the touch of spiciness. Body is about medium with a good carbonation level. Some dryness on the finish.

D: Drinks easily enough and the touch of rye keeps it interesting. Might be a bit overbalanced to the malt side but that's probably just me wanting a super hopped IPA whenever I drink an APA.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2010 04:29:58 | More by pwoods

PDXHops

South Carolina

3.4/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Ryan011235 for this 12 ounce bottle, poured into a Duvel tulip. See-thru singed amber with a promising off-white head that dies down to a skim in short order. Good retention from that, though, and scattered creamy patches of lacing are left.

Smells citrusy but not juicy. Almost a little spicy, like orange marmalade on rye bread. Sounds weird, but it works well enough.

Robustly malty without a lot of sweetness; more toasty than anything. The rye works quite well with the malt profile, expressive without being oppressive. Could perhaps use a touch more of the orange zest hops. Gets a little cedarish toward the finish.

Overall impression: A unique and enjoyable take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2011 00:59:53 | More by PDXHops

secondtooth

Indiana

3.98/5  rDev +16%
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

Beejay

Virginia

3.65/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Copper red, with a nice tan head.. a good bit of floaties in there as well. Little dark for the style..

S: Sweet carmel, and maple undertones. Slight hop scent from in the finish, but mostly a very sweet scent. The hops that are there are earthy.. Surprised there isn't more hop scent.

T: There are the hops.. Grapefruit, and citrus (tangerine) with a nice burnt carmel flavor in the finish. Fruity hops (tropical) with good balance of malt.

M: Medium body, with decent carbonation.

D: Good, well balanced, not amazing, but nice. A good balance of malt and hops, with a nice clean finish.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2010 04:46:54 | More by Beejay

RickS95

Indiana

3.53/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A bit dark for a pale ale, kind of a bronze color. The head is more cascading than forming; a soft pale yellow, it's got an IPA-like look in that it's thick and craterous, leaving a nice lace behind.

The smell is very yeasty and malty up front. Smells like some sort of fruity bread. On the back end, some floral hoppiness shines.

Very malty and earthy. Some flowery tastes, tree bark even. There's some sort of berry flavor, but I can't put my finger on it.

A bit thick and medium bodied. Has some IPA qualities, like a piney, hoppy resin, oil feel. Very bitter and slightly dry finish.

Overall, it's a pretty good beer. A bit more like an IPA than an APA, but shares characteristics of both.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 03:16:45 | More by RickS95

alpinebryant

Connecticut

3.1/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pour is almost a brown ale color. Dark copper with a large fluffy tan head.

Smell of caramel and malt. Taste of mainly roasted malts , Caramel and brown malt flavors. Pretty dry and malty, almost an English Pale in terms of hop flavor and aromas. A change of pace for a Pale Ale. Its not quite pale and its not quite as hoppy as I imagined with a name of Hop Bomber.

Medium carbonation and a relatively thick mouthfeel for a pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2010 00:06:45 | More by alpinebryant

schoolboy

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +20.4%
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

hooliganlife

Missouri

4.22/5  rDev +23%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

thanks to bamadog!

pours a rich bright copper with hints of ruby. light fizzy cream colored head, retains well.

sweet malts up front. light citrus with hints of tangerine.

lots of vibrant bitterness in many levels. the rye adds a nice crisp bitterness in the backbone. light pine with citrus hints complete the hop bitterness. a bit of an earthy hop flavor. well balanced all around as they both compliment each other. nothing was too overpowering and full of flavor.

moderate carbonation that stings the gums a bit. full bodied. very crisp.

this was one easy drinking APA. lots of fun flavor and never dull. i would happily drink this more often if i had the chance.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2010 01:55:52 | More by hooliganlife

rangerred

Tennessee

3.38/5  rDev -1.5%
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

projectflam86

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours an amber orange color with a thick white foam head that leaves some decent lacing.

S- I'm picking up alot of floral hops and caramel malt. Maybe a touch of spice? Hard to place the exact aroma...

T- Not overly hoppy but a decent bitterness upfront. A bit more sweetness than some of the more common APAs (SNPA) but a nice caramel finish. A touch of rye-like sourness is noticeable as well but it incorporates well into the flavor profile. I'd guess the ABV at around 5.3% or so.

M- Medium/light bodied with decent carbonation.

D- Overall I thought this beer was very solid. Easy to drink and flavorful. Nice to see some hometown boys making good beer! Cheers

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2011 22:24:46 | More by projectflam86

TheHoppiest

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev -0.9%
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

zeledonia

Minnesota

2.95/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Another BIF bottle, and another brewery that's totally new to me.

Pours a medium coppery amber, quite clear, and on the dark side for a "pale ale". One finger of light yellowish tan light, decent retention, and some nice gobs of lacing left on the glass.

Smells nice and balanced. Sweet malts come through most clearly, with some dark fruit and nut. The hops aren't super aromatic, adding mainly a crispness and light airy feel to the aroma. Interesting.

Taste is a little flat. Half-way through, when I want it to pick up and bring me something new, it just fades off. There isn't much to hang onto here - I find it bland, with a very light touch of hops in the back end. The bitterness actually builds after most of the other flavors are gone, but that doesn't salvage it for me. Just not very flavorful, in any way.

Mouthfeel is fine. Medium-bodied, enough carbonation. No complaints here.

I find this beer... uninteresting. There's just not much that I can point to that I like about it. Maybe I'm getting too accustomed to aggressively dry-hopped pale ales, but this beer, while fine and drinkable, doesn't present much.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 03:21:33 | More by zeledonia

beergoot

Colorado

3.66/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer poured a nice honey-amber colored body with a thin white head. Strong caramel malt aroma infused with a bit of fruity esters. Gentle caramel malt flavor with a very subtle apple-like fruitiness; a decent sharp bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium-light; smooth; crisp and semi-dry.

A good enough APA offering that doesn't break away with any distinctive qualities, but it's definitely drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 01:09:28 | More by beergoot

ColdPoncho

Ohio

2.85/5  rDev -16.9%
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

gmfessen

Michigan

4.35/5  rDev +26.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, Hop Bomber is a clear, copper-amber head with a thick, soapy hop head. The nose is what you might expect from a beer named hop bomber; a nice west-coast dose of citrus and resinous hops. The taste reflects the same hop flavor as the nose but there is a subtle toasty malt backbone that adds to the flavor nicely. The hop flavor is present and apparent but the bitterness level is relatively low which makes it better balanced and that much more drinkable. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a thin but bubbly head. Overall, a very drinkable beer and another well done example from Rivertown.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2010 02:48:38 | More by gmfessen

LXIXME

New Mexico

4.13/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a big light tan head above a clear copper colored pale ale.

A light caramel malt aroma balances well with a light citrus to slightly bitter hops and even lighter yeast notes.

Lightly roasted caramel malts blend very well with a variety of hops notes including light citrus and light bittering.

A dry aftertaste that harbors some of the caramel notes from the taste on this medium bodied beer.

A light tasting pale ale with some strong tastes, I was very pleased with this beer, very good without being overbearing.
Although I like overbearing hopsy beers I really see a need for beers that have a distinct hops taste but on the lighter side. This is a great beer to help bridge the gaps from one style to another without losing taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 23:42:35 | More by LXIXME

Natural510

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +23%
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

mwa423

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - Same clear ruby color as the nitro-tap, but the bottle has a much better white head that stuck to the glass and also had better retention.

S - Not a lot of aroma, but a well balanced malt and hop profile.

T - Spiced rye flavor forward with slight floral and plenty of steely bittering hops in the aftertaste.

M/D - Mouthfeel is nothing special, the steely hop bite takes a bit away. However this is a solid pale ale for a beer drinker who doesn't mind a very bitter beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2010 00:32:14 | More by mwa423

wingman14

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours copper orange with a frothy off white head. The smell is sweet and hoppy, not a huge smell here, but still nice. Taste starts with some hop and malt with the hop increasing through the sip with the sweetness finishing. A hint of hop bitterness hits in the aftertaste with a nice swell of hops. The taste is nice but not huge or in your face. Nice medium mouthfeel, a beer with good depth, heavier than expected, but still good. Overall a good beer, has nice flavor, nothing about it is extraordinary or different, but a satisfying pale ale nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 23:29:27 | More by wingman14

beerman207

Kentucky

3.13/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Clear reddish color that has a nice white head that sticks around a little while.

S - Definitely could be better here. Can't really pick much up other than malt and some faint hops.

T - Some rye and some bitterness that isn't strong enough in my opinion.

M: Decent but nothing special

D: Can't say I'd try this one again. However, being a Cincinnati brew, I had to try it.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2010 16:25:40 | More by beerman207

BeerAndBourbon

Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A. Pours a golden amber with a thick billowing tan head that makes it's way down the glass very slowly leaving some residual lacing.

S. Smells of caramel malt sweetness with a mild citrusly hop aroma.

T. Piney hops upfront and throughout. The sweet malt helps balance out the flavor at first, but then the hops come in and dominate especially in the swallow.

M. Thin to medium bodied with a fairly high level of smooth carbonation.

D. Although it's rather one dimensional (not unlike many pale ales), it's light and crisp and refreshing.

Definitely good enough to continue to support this small local brewer.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2010 01:46:42 | More by BeerAndBourbon

jkrich

Indiana

3.95/5  rDev +15.2%
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

zimm421

Ohio

3.33/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a standard pint glass at Bodega on 6/8/11. Appears copper with a thin white head and some slight lacing left after each sip.

The aroma is subdued, with a tiny amount of sweet malts and citrus notes. The taste is more powerful with earthy and floral notes as well as some nice spicy rye malts, but still nothing that flows really well or that makes you think about each sip.

Medium bodied and carbonation, something that goes down fairly easily even without it being great tasting. Overall, this is a decent APA, but not overly impressed. The aroma was so faint and the appearance was just a little off as well. The taste was definitely the best part, but overall there are much better options for local APA's.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2011 20:36:13 | More by zimm421

rinhaak

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

With a name like "Hop Bomber," I think expected something that was, well, a hop bomb.

Quite the contrary, Hop Bomber Pale Ale is a pretty mild and very malty English-Style Pale Ale (I don't care if the Beer Advocate style listing says otherwise). Despite being hopped and dry-hopped with American hops (though exactly what hops, I'm not terribly sure), they definitely take a back seat to the full maltiness that make up the centerpiece of this beer: caramel, toffee, and even a raspberry-fruitiness are the primary flavors.

Hop Bomber is very drinkable and pleasant though grossly misnamed. A worthy beverage for a session ale that isn't necessarily worth going out of the way to seek out.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 00:13:13 | More by rinhaak