Hop Head India Pale Ale - Tree Brewing

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance- Pours a pale copper with a finger width of bubbly and fluffy head.

Smell- Piney hops, citrus, tropical fruits, caramel.

Taste- Piney hops upfront. The citrus, tropical fruits and caramel shine through afterwards. Leaves a slight to moderate bitterness lingering.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Pleasant creaminess.

Overall- A good representation of an American IPA by Tree. This definitely hits on the hop level for the style. One of Tree's better offerings. This is a good intro into the style of American IPA's.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 03:52:10 | More by leaddog

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 mL undated bottle purchased at the MLCC, fairly fresh to them. Chilled to 4C and poured alongside 2 other Canadian IPAs (Smashbomb & Mad Tom). Served in sampling glass.

Pours a light amber with a light white head that drops much too quickly, yet leaves nice dabs of lacing. The aroma is quite enjoyable, with fruity notes alongside honey & floral notes. The body itself is less flavourful going down without major hop flavours bursting forth. Some dankness, with strong earthy notes. The beer has a strong bitterness(though not as strong as Smashbomb), especially when paired with a seemingly dry body (why they call it full-bodied on their bottle I know not). Finishes cleanly.

A nice IPA worth drinking fresh. It just needs a little more hop presence in the body.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 00:24:02 | More by kjyost

digdug1810

New Jersey

3.05/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Got a mix six from my g/f's uncle after sharing with him some beers from the states.

Not bad, not great.. easy drinking... flavor on the backend, not much from the Start... good brew, just not one that stands out or screams... take me home and drink me

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 21:46:36 | More by digdug1810

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hop Head pours a golden color, with a very small lacing head. There are surprising sea water aromas, with bits of hops. The taste is nice and has a full hoppy taste. Rather dry, but not as dry as others. Rather easy to drink. Overall a very good IPA, a bit different form others, so worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 20:55:07 | More by vette2006c5r

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to Chad for this one.

Poured from a 330ml. bottle, best before 17/09/12.

Appearance: A light honey colored body with at least 4 fingers of foam and latches onto the glass. Very nice.

Smell: Sticky hops, some caramel and some sweetness.

Taste: A bit of sugar cane but not much fruit. Flavors are more in the back end and not very prominent as upfront it's kind of neutral.

Mouthfeel: Clean, a bit bitter in aftertaste and slightly better than taste.

Overall: A timid IPA and ordinary. Doesn't distinguish itself.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 15:25:03 | More by papat444

maclean25

British Columbia (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Got a six-pack of bottles. I have really liked what I've had from Tree Brewing so, even though IPAs are not my favourite style, I am hoping for a high quality beer.

It pours with a finger of white-caramel-coloured creamy head. The body is slightly hazy, bronze or caramel coloured. The aroma has fresh hops, earthy-grass, burnt sugar, and some light citrus. The taste has clean clear hops of course with floral and grapefruit notes, but also creme brule and little pepper. I find it feels full bodied with a buttery quality. Perfect carbonation. Overall, good. I'm not the best person to judge an IPA but I liked it better than the standard Alexander Keith's IPA but Tree Brewing has better beers available than this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 01:06:52 | More by maclean25

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: It has a nice semi cloudy golden/orange color to it. It has a nice off-white head that dies down moderately and leaves some lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitly give out hints of piney, earthy and citrusy hops with some bready malts.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has the piney, earthy and citrusy character but also has a decent malt presence with some caramelly notes.

Mouthfeel: It has a medium carbonation with a nice overall balance and feel but it doesn't leave a lingering bitterness, something I look for in IPA's.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavors and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 19:38:59 | More by SebD

Caudalie

Quebec (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured in a bormioli beer tasting glass

A: pours a clear golden color, with good head

S: really reminding me of pot, resin, leafs, nice smell

T: pretty light, refreshing and hoppy. I like this style of beers

O: well done, cheap, refreshing. A nice go to thirst quenching beer

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 20:05:24 | More by Caudalie

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: 1/2" cream coloured head that left a nice lacing over amber liquid with excellent clarity.

S: Nutty malt and floral hops dominate the smell profile.

T: Citrus, pine and mostly floral hops dominate the taste profile.

M: Medium viscosity and a medium level of carbonation.

O: An approachable IPA for those who cannot handle the more bitter varieties.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 02:12:48 | More by DaftCaskBC

mintjellie

Ontario (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Amber orange colour, slight haze. Foamy off-white head retains well and leaves a patchy lace. Light citrus, tropical fruit, and pine on the nose. Mildly sweet and fruity up front with notes of toast, mango, and red grapefruit. Finish is leafy, bitter, and long lingering. Medium-bodied with low carbonation. Feels smooth and slick, with lingering oiliness between mouthfuls. A solidly built but unremarkable American IPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 02:59:36 | More by mintjellie

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

330ml bottle poured into a 16oz pint glass.

A - Big foamy white head. Three fingers off a hard pour. Rusty copper hue. Good head retention, nice and foamy. Solid lacing clings to the glass thoroughly.

S - Lots of piney, citrusy hops. A little bit of tropical fruit going on; grapefruit and orange. Not a lot of malt though, and I'm not really picking up any caramel malt. Nice floral character to it as well.

T - Solid floral hop presence, not quite as citrusy as anticipated. Bigger caramel malt presence in the finish than the aroma had me thinking. Overall, really clean ale with a nice hop kick to it. Fresh mango, unripe orange, and a touch of grapefruit. Much more balance between the malt and hop character than I had expected too. More pine than fruit in the hops, but it's really good.

M - Subtle, but prickly carbonation, with a medium-bodied feel. Well done, but nothing spectacular; very easy to drink though.

D - A domestic IPA that I'm sure will be a mainstay in my fridge for years to come. Well hopped, tasty, and easy to drink. Definitely beats out a lot of other Western Canadian IPAs too. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 23:12:04 | More by Converge

NightINgale

Quebec (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle. I reckon it's the new design.

A - Looks beautiful! Pours a slightly hazy copper-coloured body, with a nice white foamy head. Suberb lacing and good head retention. Almost looks like a perfect IPA!

S - Grapefruit-like citrus hopness. Hints of tropical fruits (passion fruit, mango). A bit of caramel. Smells pretty promising.

T - Starts out with a very pithy, grapefruit hop kick. Then you get some pine and caramel. Not very sweet. The after-taste is dry and bitter. I was a little upset that I didn't taste any tropical fruits, though.

M - This definitely is a full-bodied IPA (as claimed on the label). However, it is way too dry for my taste; and that does not necessarily have to do with the level of bitterness (which is okay). Slightly astringent. No trace of alcohol.

O - Overall, this is a solid and HOPPY Canadian IPA. Nothing less, nothing more.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 23:43:15 | More by NightINgale

GodOfBeer

Ontario (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours an orangey-amber with a thin white head, barely any lacing.

The aroma is somewhat subdued, some spicey, floral hops and light citrusy notes.

Tastes sharp and hoppy upfront, not much of a malt backbone here. Lots of citrusy, floral hops and lots of different spice notes. Seems a bit harsh, nice and bitter, but almost too much, not balanced well enough.

Overall a good beer, but I enjoyed their double IPA more.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 23:48:58 | More by GodOfBeer

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Heavily malted ale is a pleasure to drink.

Beautiful amber colour with decent head. Mouthfeel and carbonation level is also pleasant, although oilier than 6% typically warrants. Aroma of roasted and caramelized malts, which transcends directly into the taste. Flavours also yield a pleasantly hoppy & dry finish, although without the citrus highlights often associated with an APA.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 03:54:42 | More by hopsolutely

timtwoface

British Columbia (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I picked up a 12-pack of BC Craft Brews and this was thankfully one of the beers included. I've had it before and enjoyed it and looked forward to having it again.

Brought to you by your friends at Tree Brewing, I found this IPA - rather weak by IPA standards at only 5.6& ABV - to be rather delicious, if you're a fan of hops. It's easy to drink, and easy to have a handful of these - if you're a fan of hops. I would definitely recommend this beer, and I'm happy it's slowly becoming more easily available in the Vancouver area.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 06:29:59 | More by timtwoface

allergictomacros

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Clear gold. Solid foam.

S - A light citrus/pine with hints of grass and honey. Lightly earthy.

T/M - Good hoppiness - leaning towards the bitter side over flavour. A bit of acid up front and fairy bitter with a long finish. A little bit of apple, herbal notes. Moderate body and good carbonation level.

D - A bit coarse. I would prefer a bit more citrus from the hops but still, fairly drinkable, solid choice.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 23:28:06 | More by allergictomacros

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.63/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to TheSevenDuffs for this!

Pours a nice clear, light amber color. Head was rather white, fluffy, leaving waves of lace. Aroma was lightly floral, with a big caramel malt backbone. Taste was much more bitter than the nose let on, with a subtle floral, but more grassy hop bite. Nutty, caramel malts make for a nice balance. Very creamy mouthfeel, with a definite full body.

Nothing "wow-worthy", but there's no arguing that this is a nice, tasty, drinkable daily ipa.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2011 00:16:43 | More by EgadBananas

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured in to Duvel tulip.

A - Medium orange. Cloudy with one finger of bubbly off-white head that quickly receded leaving some good lacing behind.

S - A seemingly balanced IPA nose. Some bitter citrus and piney hops with a sweet caramel backbone.

T - Follows the nose. Balanced flavour profile with a good hop bitterness and a sweet caramel malt backbone. Some citrus and floral notes come through from the hops as well.

M - Light to medium body. Moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 04:03:00 | More by TheSevenDuffs

paxkey

Ontario (Canada)

2.83/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

bottle different than one pictured.

pours marmelade orange, honey brown. two finger offwhite head. beer is cloudy. head is sticking around.

pulling tropical fruit on the nose. a little candylike though. might be a sweet syrupy malt bill. smells nice overall

an almost cloying bitterness attacks the palate and leaves a sharp spiked edge on the finish. some of that sweetness comes through in the middle and stays around on the finish.
bitterness is slighlty metallic. not terrible but..
beer has some chewiness to it but leaves some alchohol burn and almost medicinal bitterness on the way down.
love ipa's but a failure is a failure.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 21:13:56 | More by paxkey

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Six pack from the Uptown Waterloo LCBO. Been eager to try this for quite some time, but distribution was...well...typical.

Poured into a nonic. Amber golden, good frothy head, nice lacing patches.

Nose is a mix of earth, citrus and malty sweetness, with a bit of pine and other damp BC smells. Lovely.

Nice IPA, with the earthy-pine grabbing more attention than the citrus, which is something I haven't seen in quite some time. Like any true "Hop Head", I just can't get enough hops, and yes, even this brew could still use a little more umph. But it's damned tasty and the maple sweetness is quite enjoyable. British Pale Ale-style mild carbonation, slightly creamy.

Solid brew, nice IPA with a distinctly BC flavor to it. Worth a try, might sneak in to my regular rotation.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 01:05:20 | More by JohnnyBarman

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Amber with a near peach colour and a great fluffy creamy foam head that rests on-top like a marshmallow. Very good retention and good lacing.

S: Healthy dose of pine and grapefruit, strong baked bread-like malt, an earthy nutty aroma, honey, and some vanilla.

T: Similar to smell with a bittersweet herbal hop presence, bread-like malt, and a damp woody earthy taste (that's appealing). Also detecting a maple syrup quality to this, or perhaps it's that wood taste coming through.

M: Near perfect mouthfeel for the style with an oily medium mouthfeel and moderate carbonation.

O: A good IPA that's certainly sessionable. Could easily have a few of these in an evening. Reminds me of Sierra Nevada a bit- obviously a good thing.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 03:41:56 | More by Digimaika2

sholland119

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Picked this one up at Premier Wine & Spirits, Halifax.

A-Pours a crystal clear orange amber with a frothy off white head and nice sticky lacing.

S-Lots of malty richness, some good pine and a hint of citrus.

T-Lots of caramel malt, some good earthy hops and a bit of grapefruit bite in the finish.

M-Medium bodied, good carbonation.

O-Nice. A bit underhopped for my liking but still nice.

HV

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 00:34:09 | More by sholland119

shamus

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A decent IPA but not going to be a favourite. It's got that nice hops richness as you would expect with an IPA called Hop Head but it's not quite spectacular. Maybe it's the kind of hops. Hmmm I'd rather have a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I guess in general I prefer APA to IPA but I would definitely buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 22:22:21 | More by shamus

nighthawk

Nova Scotia (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Undated 330mL bottle poured into pint glass. Procured from Premier in Halifax.

Pours a typical clear copper with orange hues and lots of visible carbonation. Head is initially two fingers high and white, fading to a thin haze that leaves a little lacing here and there.

Mainly hops to the nose, citrus with some pine and grassiness. Some caramel from the malt.

Hoppy at first, sweetly citrusy leading to more bitter pine and herbaceous notes, with a mice malty backbone to it of caramel and cereal grains. Finishes slightly sweet but with an accompanying bitterness.

Nice robust body with gentle but noticeable carbonation. Finishes clean and crisp.

Very nice IPA from Tree Brewing. Worth picking up.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 21:34:49 | More by nighthawk

mrnobody

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 ml bottle poured into a Duvel tulip.

A: Pours a hazy orange/amber with a finger and a half of off-white head. Good retention and lots of sticky lacing.

S: Smells of pine, caramel, grapefruit.

T: The flavour follows the aroma: piney grapefruit with a nice complementary malt base.

M: Medium body with a fairly creamy mouthfeel. Carbonation is subdued.

D: The drinkability seems pretty high. A good AIPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 02:35:45 | More by mrnobody