Hoponius Union
Jack's Abby Brewing

Hoponius UnionHoponius Union
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From:
Jack's Abby Brewing
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
India Pale Lager (IPL)
Ranked #2
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
94
Ranked #2,277
Avg:
4.23 | pDev: 8.51%
Reviews:
461
Ratings:
2,915
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 16, 2024
Added:
Aug 07, 2011
Wants:
  412
Gots:
  645
WEST COAST STYLE HOPPY LAGER

You’re holding the OG Hoppy Lager! Hoponius was brewed to prove lagers could compete with West Coast IPAs and bring beautifully bitter flavors and fruity aromas to a crisp lager.

Cut through the haze with Hoponius Union, a crisp and clear India Pale Lager hopped with Citra and Centennial. Our flagship hoppy lager is like a traditional IPA but with a twist – it’s fermented cold and aged for extended periods. A blend of harmonious American hops creates a huge tropical fruit and citrusy hop aroma. A dry finish accentuates the pleasant bitterness and hop profile.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of FRANKHAZE
Rated by FRANKHAZE from Florida

4.12/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Nice crispy hoppy lagery crushably.
Jan 16, 2024
Photo of Darkmagus82
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas

4.22/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a can into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a clear golden amber color with a two finger head of white foam. The head has a decent level of retention, fading slowly over time and leaving a good sum of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is strong of a bready and citrus smells of orange and grapefruit. Other aromas of a hay and apricot, as well as a touch of pine are in there as well, creating a rather clean smell overall.
Taste – The taste begins with a crisp grapefruit and orange flavor that one would have anticipated form the nose. At the same time there is some cracker malt and a bit of lemon and herb. As the taste advances the grapefruit gets a bit more intense at the expense of the orange. Other notes of a light lemongrass and some hints of grain come on at the end, leaving one with a citrusy and crisp taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is light and crisp with a higher carbonation level. For the style and the tastes the feel is quite nice and makes for a nice easy sipper.
Overall – A rather crisp and clean IPL. Quite nice.
Nov 25, 2023
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

4.08/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a slightly hazy, medium golden amber with a two finger white head with great retention and solid lacing; looks nice. Aroma of pale and lightly biscuit malt, citrus and piney hops, lemon, pine, mixed light fruit; lightly floral. Flavor is pale malt, a touch of biscuit, citrus, grassy and floral hops, grapefruit, lemon, hay and pine. Lightly piney finish with moderate to full bitterness. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess. Didn't realize this was a lager rather than IPA; the looks and aroma indicated the latter, but the malt body was nicer like a lager. This is exactly what I want in an IPL; serious hops, but a lagered mouthfeel. Like several of the cans I've gotten recently from the East Coast, there is some age to the can, but not too bad. The overall profile is fine, but the hops do taste a little tired. That said, it's a nice hop bill with enough citrus and pine to satisfy the West Coast label, plus a little fruit and some grassy noble hop notes that one would find in a pilsner. Enjoyable. Another nice hopped beer I'd like to try fresh in the future.
Oct 05, 2023
 
Rated: 4.36 by Bhubbard34 from Pennsylvania

Sep 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by cryptichead from Illinois

Sep 18, 2023
Photo of Cathartes
Reviewed by Cathartes from Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
12 oz can acclimated to 48°F and poured into a footed pilsner glass.

Pours a semi hazy gold with a 1 finger foamy white head, leaving moderate lacing.

Initial aroma is cantaloupe, raspberry, honey, general sweetness, and perhaps a tiny hint of coffee. After agitating I pick up some yogurt funk and a hint of ammonia.

Initial taste before swallowing is dry and intensely bitter with some fruity esters. After swallowing I first notice a slight fruitiness, maybe raspberry is the closest I can get to describing it. A bitterness forms afterwards, it's intense, tasting like coffee and biting into an apple seed, it lasts long into the aftertaste where it sits on the top sides of the back of the tongue. I wouldn't say it's a very pleasant bitter taste but it's not enough to dissuade. I don't notice anything else to be honest.

Mouthfeel is pleasant but somewhat unremarkable, I would say medium bodied, and it feels good, but I can't put any specific descriptors to it.

Overall I'm not a huge fan. It's not bad, just not for me. I must say it's not at all what I expected, it's my first IPL so I don't have anything to compare it too, but I was really expecting more of an IPA, and ended up tasting what seemed to me to be more of a brown ale. Interesting notes that I enjoyed, but that particular bitterness didn't agree with me

Won't be buying this one again, but I love Jack's Abby and will continue to buy from them for sure. Will for sure also continue to try other IPLs.
Sep 08, 2023
 
Rated: 4.29 by not2quick from Missouri

Sep 03, 2023
Photo of brewerburgundy
Reviewed by brewerburgundy from West Virginia

2.39/5  rDev -43.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
16oz can, stange glass, canned 5/3/22.

I’ll start off by saying that I thought this was canned May of 2023, so that shall be considered. And shame on Wegmans and the distributor for having hoppy beer over a year old on the shelf. I’m not sure if that should extend to the brewery, but if it should, same to them. Finally, shame on me for overlooking the 22 in the date.

At least it looks nice; voluminous head on a copper body. The head is quite a looker.

Soft citrus, a hit of pine, it smells like a year old IPA.
Aug 27, 2023
 
Rated: 2.54 by stephenlee93 from England

Jul 10, 2023
Photo of beergoot
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado

4.04/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Great semi-clear, golden body; outstanding head, dense and rocky, white with good retention. Very pleasant smell; very mild malt grain scent; some berry and other assorted esters riding atop. Fantastic flavor; delicate biscuit base with a gentle tropical fruit flavor; light hop bitterness. Medium body, mild warmth; smooth; light dryness.

I've never been a big fan of India pale lagers, but this one is an exception. A very fine beer.

Pouring temperature: 42 °F; canning info: unreadable
Source: @tasterschoice62
Jun 06, 2023
Photo of KrakowBluegrass
Reviewed by KrakowBluegrass from Massachusetts

4.87/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This is a great beer. They got the hop level just right. It reminds me of a fine Czech Pilsner with a little extra West Coast magic. A few beers come close to this one, but unless a snow storm was in progress or I was in Ireland there’s no beer I’d rather be drinking.
May 31, 2023
Photo of JonnyCastle
Rated by JonnyCastle from Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
I avoid IPAs and bitter tasting beers but this I like.
May 12, 2023
Photo of daliandragon
Reviewed by daliandragon from Maryland

4.13/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Picked this up today at the Total Wine in McLean on the way back from a day hiking down in Virginia. At first, I was a little skeptical after the head died fast and the nose was more medicinal and earthy than west coast. Fortunately, the flavor came pretty correct with real flavor despite the sleek body. Several recognizable American hops, like Centennial and Citra provide a flowing bitterness that brings the resin in the aftertaste at an unheard level for a lager. This one grew on me, to put it mildly.
Apr 22, 2023
Photo of dcotom
Reviewed by dcotom from Iowa

4.53/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from 16-ounce can into a slender straight-sided mug. Slightly hazy amber in color, with a thick soap-sudsy white head. Excellent retention, great lacing. This is some good stuff. Beer-flavored beer, if you will. Perfectly balanced, with a substantial malt backbone, just the right amount of hop character and bitterness, and a crisp finish. Why anyone with access to this would go hunting for beach beer, cookout beer, or lawnmower beer is beyond me. This can do it all. Refreshing, good food beer, and the citrusy hops obviate the need to stuff a chunk of lime into it. I got this as a trade extra, but I wish I had regular access to it for all of the aforementioned reasons. Highly recommended.
Apr 04, 2023
Photo of Specialmick
Reviewed by Specialmick from Connecticut

4.16/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Look...A dark copper with a white carbonated head. Almost clear
Smell...A bitter citrus and a traditional west coast hop smell with some yeast and a light pleasant
Taste. a hop and lemon bite off of the top. A full IPA start lending the middle to a mildness of a lager thus the IPL moniker
Feel..A slick not sticky fell because of the nature of the Centennial and Citra hops IMO. a very smooth gulping experience
with medium carbonation
Overall...This beer is an example of the hybrid IPA . I really would like more examples of Imperial Pilsners. I believe this is what many of them taste like if the brewers would make a few of them. I would enjoy a few more examples of this style at the brewer and at the store. new rage style ahaha
Mar 17, 2023
Photo of nick_perry
Reviewed by nick_perry from North Carolina

4.36/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Body of a really enjoyable crisp, clean lager with zingy carbonation. Earthy, bitter hop profile, just a slight off-flavor that I can’t quite put my finger on, but it doesn’t take away from the beer too much. Refreshingly low on the citrusy, fruity flavors. Slight bready, biscuit malt note towards the end. Paired really nicely with my grandmother’s bacalaítos.
Mar 11, 2023
 
Rated: 3.87 by SpaethJam from New York

Mar 02, 2023
Photo of ANIMOUL
Reviewed by ANIMOUL from Vermont

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from tap at Positive Pies in Plainfield, VT into a pint glass. Golden amber color with two inches of foamy head that rapidly recedes. Subtle notes of bread and crackers with distinct tastes of bitter hops. Very good.
Feb 25, 2023
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

4.17/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
16 oz can from the Wall of Beer in Clemson SC ($2.99).

This lager pours with a golden-amber colored body that is topped by a foamy off-white head. Pouring also releases a surprisingly strong and hoppy aroma. The aroma is quite piney but the flavor is more complex, more herbal, and more malty than the aroma suggests. Excellent balance and mouthfeel.
Feb 18, 2023
Photo of RonaldTheriot
Reviewed by RonaldTheriot from Louisiana

4.85/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Hoponius Union has a thick, off-white head and a somewhat hazy, bubbly, gold appearance, with heavy lacing. The aroma is of hop resins and white bread. The flavor is of those elements, with strong bitterness. Hoponius Union has a medium body and a crisp finish.

RJT
Feb 09, 2023
Hoponius Union from Jack's Abby Brewing
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 2915 ratings