Hoponius Union - Jack's Abby Brewing

womencantsail

California

4.1/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Golden in color with a white head. A very nice citrus hop aroma and plenty of floral notes to go with it. There are some pine notes to it as well as a light grass note. Very little in terms of malt. The palate is on the dry side with a lot of hop flavor to it. Citrus fruit and peel, lots of floral notes, pine, and a hint of grass. Just a bit of biscuit and cracker malt flavor. Very well done.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 23:07:36 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to Reagan1984 for getting this growler out my way. Served in a mug since I've packed all my lager glassware pre-move.

Pours a clear light golden color with a nice white head and some spotty lacing as it goes down. Thin collar throughout. The nose brings some nice tropical fruits with a bit of citrus and resin there as well. The flavor profile is along the same line and is really fantastic. Beautiful fruits and a nice hoppiness throughout. Moderate bitterness throughout and a dry finish. Body is fairly light. Finish is fantastic. This is a very, very impressive beer.

Serving type: growler

01-22-2012 22:34:46 | More by Thorpe429

UCLABrewN84

California

4.3/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle pour at the bottle share hosted by Adam Fine Wine & Liquor held at Sophie’s Place in Redondo Beach, CA.

Pours a hazy light orange with a foamy tan head that settles to a small cap on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, citrus zest, and herbal hop aromas. Taste is much the same with a fresh hop flavor and a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 03:36:47 | More by UCLABrewN84

brentk56

North Carolina

4.78/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: The clear golden liquid arrives capped by a fluffy head that leaves copious amounts of lace behind

Smell: Citrusy and floral

Taste: The malt bill of this beer provides a base for the floral and citrusy hops to strut their stuff; grapefruit and tangerine flavors abound with just a slight oniony character; a bit of a lagery twang in the finish reminds you that this is not just another IPA, though I am not sure I would have picked up on it had I not known this was a lager

Mouthfeel: Medium body with the crisp carbonation often found in lagers of this genre

Overall: Just when I thought I had tried just about anything, along comes this twist on a lager that is just a superb drinker - lives up to the hype

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2012 15:37:30 | More by brentk56

drabmuh

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks Thorpe, at the time of this review, this is the #2 beer on the "Top Beers - Dortmunder / Export Lager" list on beeradvocate.com.

Beer is yellow with a mild haze, wispy white head, minimal lacing.

Aroma is quite hoppy, sweet, fruity hops, a mild yeast presence.

Beer is light in body and a little sweet, moderately bitter on the finish and quite hoppy in the midpalate. I really like this beer very good. I'd have a lot more of this if available to me.

Serving type: growler

02-01-2012 05:34:30 | More by drabmuh

MasterSki

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to AutumnBeerLove for making the trek to pick up this growler. Served in a Surly Darkness glass.

A - A finger of white foam settles to a near-complete cap, thick collar, and stray splotches of lace. Transparent golden body.

S - Massive aromatic hops here - very floral, with orange blossoms, pine, faint herbs, and a faint chive note I sometimes get from Citra hops. Some nebulous sugary malts in the background.

T - Taste is a bit less sweet, with more pine and a more bread-heavy malt character. Plenty of pine and citrus hop flavor, with mid-level bitterness and a crisp, clean lager finish.

M - Pleasant moderate carbonation, medium body, smooth texture, and no alcohol presence. Dry finish with a bit of residual oily hop texture. Easy to drink in large quantities.

D - It's a slightly smaller Humulus Lager. I'd never heard of Jack's Abby but this beer is for real. We obliterated the growler in record time. I would order this all the time if it was local.

Serving type: growler

11-19-2011 17:01:11 | More by MasterSki

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.48/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 16.9oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep gold color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains floral hops, fruity citrus and caramelized malts.

T: The taste starts out with a nice burst of grassy hops bitterness followed by some citrus and caramel sweetness. Then there is some breadiness from lager yeast and a hearty but not too heavy malt character to create a very good balance. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, not too filling, decent kick, very good variation of style, this is an excellent beer with plenty of flavor and substance to make it worth pounding down for a whole evening.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 02:20:43 | More by TheManiacalOne

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Clear, golden color. Clear. Excellent chunky lace from the modest head.

Fresh, but quite strong, grapefruit like hop smell. Very similar to a hoppy pale ale.

This is a very smooth lager with a strong hop bite, which takes this beer out of the style. Nevertheless, this is an exceptionally easy-to-drink beer. The aftertaste Is a long lasting bite of bittering hop. The body is rich for a lager, but the carbonation provides decent balance.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 21:57:42 | More by smcolw

Wasatch

Utah

4/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks goes out to portia99 for this brew.

Poured into a Squatters True Pint glass a very nice cloudy dark golden yellow color, very nice carbonation, with a nice one-finger white creamy head, with some nice sticky lacing left behind. The nose is hoppy, malty, with a nice citrus note. The taste is hoppy, nice little touch of malts, and some citrus notes. Medium body, with a nice slightly dry/bitter finish. Overall a very nice brew. Thanks Bill!

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 00:02:21 | More by Wasatch

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tap at Armsby Abbey

Big creamy 1 finger head, lots of lacing, crystal clear pale yellow golden color.

Nose had fresh hops, resins, hops oils, bit musty, some fresh citrus fruit and grapefruit, almost no lager or malts.

Taste explodes with fresh citrus hops, grapefruit and tropical fruits, light hop resins and musty fresh hop oils, a bit oily, then some light lager fruits and light pale malts, some sweet toasty malts. Light sweet honey like flavor. The it gets very bitter and slightly astringent, the hops way overpower the lager flavors and gets a bit overly on the finish, dry and very bitter finish with lingering fresh hops and citrus, light pine as well, and has a weird sticky almost creamy feel.

Moth is med bodied, decent carb.

Overall good, great hop flavors but overpowers the nice lager underneath, and a weird finish as well as a bit astringent.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2011 03:21:03 | More by jlindros

mdfb79

New York

4.38/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From 08/17/12 notes. Had this on tap at a bar right outside of Boston. Served in a pint glass.

a - Pours a clear amber color with one inch of white head and moderate carbonation evident. Looks pretty good.

s - Smells of citrus hops, pine hops, fruity malts, floral hops, and light biscuit. Very nice and hoppy, almost like an IPA. Very nice nose.

t - Tastes of citrus hops, resin, pine hops, tropical fruits, grapefruit, fruity malts, floral hops, and light herbal notes. Even more fruit and hops than the nose; outstanding taste.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Light bitterness but not much at all. Very easy to drink; feel like I could definitely have a few of these.

o - Overall I thought this was a fantastic hoppy lager. I've been pretty impressed with their beers and this might be the best one I've had so far. Tons of hops and fruit in the nose and taste, and pretty easy to drink for 6.7% ABV. Would love to have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-22-2012 15:22:19 | More by mdfb79

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.23/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours out a nice darker yellow beer with good clarity, 1" of white head with pretty solid retention, especially for a hoppy beer.

Aroma was obviously a very hoppy lager. You got both, in good supply: Simcoe hops, lager yeast. Has an herbal component to the aroma.

Taste, good snap and bite from the culmination of the yeast, Simcoe hops and mild/light body of the beer. Plenty bitter, but not a one trick pony, it kicks down some grapefruit (probably Cascade) with the Simcoe bitterness, and of course, the lager yeast is well intentioned and complimentary with this brew. It doesn't have a tropical fruit component to the hop flavor in the mouthfeel, its definitely more in the grapefruit and pine realm.

Carbonation is high, but appropriate for style. I was impressed with SA IPL, and this beer takes that up another notch. Clean, crisp and hoppy, super mild bready malt does its job.

Wouldn't hesitate to drink this over and over again. Not quite humulus lager, but better than SA IPL. I'm really liking this IPL trend. . .

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 16:43:01 | More by Beerandraiderfan

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle into a snifter. The brew appears a clear orange with a finger of white frothy. Patchy legs of lace stick to the glass and the cap displays decent retaining powers.

The aroma is tropical with hop character. Somewhat herbal with pine, rind and pulp to zest of something like oranges or grapefruit. A mild inclsuion of supporting fruity alcohol.

The taste is surprisingly toasty with bready malt. Considering the aroma, I was expecting a hoppy assault right upfront but instead its quite grainy. Toffee mixes with sulfur and a bit of a cheesy hop flavor mixed with herbs towards the back.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. It is earthy herbal and cheesy with plenty of bitterness and a veggie hop flavoring. I would have this again if the opportunity presented itself.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 16:01:05 | More by stakem

Brad007

Vermont

4.4/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Pours a bright golden color with a frothy white head into my glass. I've heard great things about this brewery and I'm glad we can finally get their offerings.

Hops mix with sweet spelt in the nose. Floral, grassy and there's also some citrus. The label doesn't say which hops.

Wow. Hops with a decent citrus/cut-grass edge mellow out in the middle to expose the sweet, rich buttery malt underneath.

Very clean and it retains most of those flavors at the back. An added bonus would be a citrus tweak right before the edge of the throat.

I gotta hand it to Jack's Abbey here. The only other "hoppy lager" I've sampled is Sam Adams Double Agent IPL. This is much cleaner, much tastier and more to my liking. I'll be buying more in the near future!

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 00:20:34 | More by Brad007

thagr81us

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks goes out to MSquared2 for sharing this one during one of our random Sunday tastings! Served from bottle into Sweetwater 15th Anniversary snifter. Poured a pale golden yellow with a half finger white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, earth, earth hop, marijuana, fruit hop, and pine resin. The flavor was of sweet malt, earth, marijuana, pine, pine resin, earth hop, and spicy hop. It had a light feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a good brew. There were quite a few different components going on in both the nose and flavor of this one that really kept me on my toes. With having a few brews from this brewery that night I can honestly say that they have aromas pinned down. With just a little more robustness this could definitely be a standout for the style. I suggest you get your hands on some of these or other brews from them if you get the chance. You won’t regret it.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 13:11:59 | More by thagr81us

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.23/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler shared by Thorpe429. Thanks Mike.

The beer is clear and golden hued with a small head that leaves sparse lacing on the tulip. Lots of fresh hop character in both the nose and taste. This drinks much more like an IPA than a German lager. And while this beer is tasty, it does lack the distinctive characteristics of a Dortmunder lager. The body is light and the finish is dry, offering a hint of lager yeast. Overall, a tasty brew. Easy to drink and flavorful, just don't expect an authentic example of the style. I would definitely have this again.

Serving type: growler

02-12-2012 18:24:43 | More by Huhzubendah

largadeer

Kentucky

4.28/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks, Barry. Glad to finally try this long-time want.

Appearance: Clear pale gold body topped by a lasting, clinging head.

Smell: Big floral and apricot hop notes. Slightly herbal and grassy, with a pleasant whiff of lager yeast buried beneath the hops. There's little in the way of malt.

Palate: This could easily be mistaken for an IPA, albeit an unusually clean and light one. Bitterness is mild, but there are big hop flavors. It leans toward the floral side of things (centennial?), with a touch of citrus and stone fruit. There's a touch of coarse grain flavor, though it's a very dry, very hop forward beer overall. Within the IPL style, I'd say this is a notch below Humulus Lager, and probably Fathom as well, but it's a delicious beer nonetheless and I'd drink it often were it local.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 06:47:35 | More by largadeer

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I received this as an extra from Gogriz (thanks Cody!). It was an unlabeled 12oz bottle, filled expressly for him (not distributed). Talk about a cool extra!

It pours a clear light copper color with a few fingers of frothy foam. The aroma is really hoppy for a lager. In fact I recently tried an Indian Pale Lager and it didn't smell quite as hoppy as this beer. Simcoe I believe, resiny with a splash of cat urine.

It tastes as good as it smells, and its actually pretty hard to tell its a lager. A touch of initial sweetness turns into a manageable bitterness in the aftertaste. Very well constructed, this was smooth and flavorful. I could definitely go for a whole lot more of this beer, surprised I never heard of it before. I'll have to try to stop here sometime in the future!

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 21:08:00 | More by TurdFurgison

smakawhat

Maryland

3.98/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle at Smoke & Barrel as part of the first DC bottle share/tasting. Sample pour into a large snifter glass. From notes.

A pale orange amber body, with faint very light tan off white bubbles. Minor head produced but quite thick bubbles for a collar that is left.

Nose is quite hop forward, and I guess expected. A good airy light citrus hop front, with a mild malt presence. Clean, surprisingly smells like a solid IPA. Kind of jarring but real impressive.

Palate hits with a thick pine resin, and a good mild sense of sweetness. Like a solid lager it finishes quite cleanly, almost like as if an IPA were missing something. Malt backbone seems to be missing a little but it's sort of something you don't seem to care about on this first sip. No sweetness or heat present either, or sugar rush.

Overall, a real memorable and impressive take on a style, worth trying again. Quite enjoyable would love to have more of this.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 22:36:16 | More by smakawhat

FosterJM

California

4.16/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1763rd Review on BA
Bottle to Speiglau Wheat Glass
500ML

Thanks to Jlindros and Rudzud for this one.

App- Into the glass, its that classic lager yellow with a bit of deep golds behind it. The small capped head receded fairly quickly but didnt leave a ton of bubbles behind it. Was a nice looking beer, just needed a bit more head and lace.

Smell- When I first smell this one its a bit more of a grainular hop note with a touch of pale hops. As it warmed a little bit more it takes on a bit more of a juicy hop note on the noise.

Taste- I enjoyed this beer. The crispness of the lager paired with a good dose of juicy and semi fruity pale malts and then go into a bit of a little bitter to balance out the flavors. Better when this was cold.

Mouth- A semi light body with a bit of a medium carbonation level behind it. A bit more hops on the residual flavor wouldve been nice but the lager notes with a bit of grain are really nice.

Drink- Im not a lager fan, but these hoppy lagers are really starting to do it for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 00:00:19 | More by FosterJM

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.58/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

500ml bottle into a 668 tulip.

A: Clear pale amber body under a dense finger of off-white head. Good retention, light lace. Nice.

S: Cannabis aromas waft out of the bottle as soon as it's opened, but in the glass I'm getting more grapefruit and underripe mango. Amazing, especially for the style.

T: Citrusy hops up front, transitioning into pine midway through and ending up with crisp minerality and powerful bitterness. Mild fruitiness on the aftertaste. Great.

M: Light-to-medium body with moderate, creamy carbonation. Terrific.

O: Awesome beer, by far the best of its style I've ever had. Until the crisp lager finish you really wouldn't know this was anything other than a dank west coast hop bomb IPA. And it's a great deal, too. If I lived in MA, this would be a regular in my beer fridge.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 01:00:22 | More by woosterbill

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

4.65/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

16.9oz/500ml/.5l bottle served in a glass beer mug.

L - lightly hazed orange/copper color with a white head that thinned to a layer leaving some decent lacing behind.

S - citrus and tropical fruits with a malty backbone.

T - citrus hops upfront with a dry and bitter finish.

F - medium bodied, crisp and refreshing, easy to drink.

O - it's a great example of a IPL, a style I wish more breweries would tinker with.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 22:46:08 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

flagmantho

Washington

4.08/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I had this beer on-tap in a pint glass at Stone's Public House in Ashland, MA.

Appearance: medium golden hue with a bit of haze and a moderate effervescence. Head is a finger of creamy eggshell foam with a nice chunky lace. Good!

Smell: lightly malty with a big grapefruit aroma. Not over the top but very enticing.

Taste: the hops are definitely the story here with a big grapefruit/pine/tropical character. Malt and sweetness are just enough to balance the surprisingly smooth, moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a great and well integrated carbonation and delightful creaminess. Wonderful!

Overall: tasty, refreshing and wonderfully creamy. Bam!

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2013 00:47:13 | More by flagmantho

Jwale73

Rhode Island

4.28/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle served in a cervoise. Pours a semi-hazy straw gold with a bright white, creamy half inch head. Nose is clean, light and bright and expresses citrus zest, a slightly earthy character and a hint of tropical fruit. Taste consistent with nose with the addition of some hops bittering that lingers between quaffs. Mouthfeel is light and lively with a pleasant, palate cleansing acidity. Overall, I'm not sure if I can rate this beer to style as I think it is a bit more of an Americanized version of the style; nonetheless, this is an excellent and extremely drinkable brew. I see a trip to the brewery in my near future.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 22:52:51 | More by Jwale73

Bierman9

New Hampshire

4.03/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a 0.5l bottle, one of a 4-pack bought at Harringtons ($12.95). Seeing July out with a nice, hoppy lager...

Filled a nonic with a deep, rich, clear golden bier. Has plentiful carbo rising rapidly, with a creamy, fine off-white head up top. Lacing is decent as well. Aroma is quite rindy, along with some biscuity malt. Mouthfeel is solid, as Hoponius is a nice medium with only light prickle hitting the tongue.

Flavor has some grainy sweetness, though light. There's lots of citrus here, with a hint of tropicality, too. Mostly, though, it's piney, pithy, resiny hoppage hitting the palate. Has plenty of bitterness, but finishes dryly. Would personally like a tad more balancing sweetness, but this is solid nonetheless. Prosit!

4.03/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1484

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 21:48:50 | More by Bierman9