Snap, Crackle, Hop Imperial Rice IPA
Parallel 49 Brewing Company

Snap, Crackle, Hop Imperial Rice IPASnap, Crackle, Hop Imperial Rice IPA
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From:
Parallel 49 Brewing Company
 
British Columbia, Canada
Style:
Imperial IPA
ABV:
9.3%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.88 | pDev: 9.79%
Reviews:
26
Ratings:
96
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 25, 2021
Added:
Aug 23, 2013
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  11
Imperial Rice IPA brewed exclusively with New Zealand Motueka hops.

70 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by CalgaryFMC:
Photo of CalgaryFMC
Reviewed by CalgaryFMC from Canada (AB)

3.84/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Enjoyed from 650 ml bottle poured into a pint glass. Fairly pale yellow for a DIPA, just barely grading into orange with a considerable amount of white froth. VERY unique tropical fruit aroma and flavor. I got tons of rank guava and passion fruit on the nose, extremely sweet tropical perfume almost to the exclusion of other components. Ditto on the palate, massive guava, passion fruit, and lychee flavors with some lemon/lime citrus as well, in the understory of the rain forest ... There is also some green onion and what malt you can taste is grainy and astringent. Perhaps this is where the rice exerts its effect although this adjunct is typically quite subtle and is going to be overshadowed by any aggressive hopping, which this certainly has in spades. Some sources say that Motueka hops yield a blueberry flavor although I don't really get that here ... This ain't no Mosaic. Maybe a little strawberry and gooseberry-type funk. Whole package is tangy, almost a bit sour, evokes white wine in the combination of fruit and booze. The booze flavors make me think of some Belgian tripels but the fruit chew sweetness reigns supreme until the (not that) bitter end. Somehow a dry astringency co-exists with sweet fruit top notes to yield a pleasing complexity. I like it but do not expect classic DIPA levels of bitter piney assault.
Dec 20, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of BPVandenbroek
Reviewed by BPVandenbroek from Canada (AB)

3.87/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Snap Crackle Hop is a clear, light copper colored ale. The head is rocky and bone white.
The nose is very hop forward. Hops are assertive and north American in nature. The hop aroma is tropical and juicy, full of mango. Mango is supported by ripe oranges and other sweet, juicy fruits. Beneath all this is the gentle flavors of caramel and what could be toasted rice.
On the tongue, Snap Crackle Hop is smooth and slightly slick in mouthfeel. Malt flavors are more notable than they were on the nose and offer similar flavors of caramel, toasted rice, and a soda cracker base. Hints of leather provide a solid base for the beer's assertive hop profile. Hop flavors are more generic in their tropical juiciness, not giving me impressions of specific fruits. The finish is decently bitter and only slightly alcoholic thanks to its 9% abv.
It's a very well put together imperial IPA in its own right. It would be very easy for a beer like this to be very heavy handed with the malt profile, or super intense with the tropical nature of the north American hops. Rather, Snap Crackle Hop gives enough of each element to flavor the beer without making it oppressive in nature.
Apr 25, 2021
 
Rated: 4.1 by BCborn from Canada (BC)

Mar 12, 2017
 
Rated: 4.09 by BcCraft710 from Canada (BC)

Nov 16, 2016
Photo of JonCorbett
Reviewed by JonCorbett from Canada (BC)

4.36/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: A mostly clear bright orange like the colour of Jell-o. A weakly built white head, and you can see several trails of micro-marble carbonation bubbles floating to the top throughout the liquid.

Aromatics: Has a nice floral and grapefruit nose. Some mild green grass hoppiness, a mild lemon peel, and hint of honey dew melon.

Taste: Juicy! and remarkably complex, with a slight orange and grapefruit juice mixture, with thinned honey, and soft green grass that has a slightly dank farmhouse quality without the funk.

Mouth: A well built medium body, the carbonation not persistent enough to say it is active, but there is still a nice little froth for the palate. It is juicy and buttery, a little spritz from the carb does show up, and a clean and dry finish leaving behind a mild muting/numbing vacant hobo's cardboard house on the front of the tongue. The bitter is negligible as is any indication that this baby is over 9%.

Overall: Browsing the ratings, I'm wondering if their formulation has changed at all for this one. Because my recent review of The Alchemist's Heady Topper gave me many of the same impressions I get with this one. Maybe a quarter point off on a few of the judging elements but I think it deserves far more that what it has received in the past years. And it seems to be related to lack of a big hop aroma, which I can understand if you are a NW native and used to smelling the full grapefruit and pine orchard from an IPA, But this a DIPA, and in my experience once you go Imperial all kinds of things change in the chemistry of the aroma and flavour. This beer really excels in the flavour and feel departments, maybe needs a little something in head and aromas, but for flavour and feel alone, this is an excellent beer. I compare this to Hitachino's Red Rice PA - and Snap, Crackle, Hop is leagues better in flavour and the masking of an ABV that is 2.3% higher.

Pairing: Lol, I'm going to suggest something partly out of jest, but partly because I think it just be a great idea. Given the title of the brew I'm going to say "fresh" Rice Krispie squares (ie hot out of the pan while still gooey and warm)- but I'd want to introduce a little spice so have browse for "Rice Krispie Treats That Are Not for Kids" - and you will get the idea... a little bourbon, cinnamon, and cayenne in the mix would do amazing things I'm sure. This is a great "let's have some fun" type beer. The next time I get the urge to talk to a female at a social soiree, I'm gonna make sure I have one or two of these on hand.
Nov 03, 2016
 
Rated: 3.73 by Coronaeus from Canada (ON)

Oct 29, 2016
 
Rated: 3.66 by Tivlavrie from Canada (AB)

Sep 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.65 by alew_os from Canada (BC)

Aug 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.1 by Shaunmac16 from Canada (BC)

May 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.92 by DaPan from Canada (ON)

Mar 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.59 by ffshore545 from Illinois

Nov 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.31 by thatoneguymike from Georgia

Nov 18, 2015
 
Rated: 4.16 by crow from Illinois

Oct 08, 2015
 
Rated: 3.78 by Nurt20 from Illinois

Sep 26, 2015
 
Rated: 4.15 by buckyp from South Carolina

Sep 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.29 by headlessparrot from Canada (ON)

Jul 16, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by aussiebeer from Illinois

Jul 08, 2015
Photo of Billolick
Reviewed by Billolick from New York

3.79/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Bomber bottle

Pours clouded medium amber, gauzy off white head leaves nice looking froth and lace on the glass.

Sniff reveals malt...hmmmm where are the hops?

More caramel malts on the palate with a back note of lightly citrused hops....smooth and pleasant enough...but I do like me a bit of hop crunch in a DIPA...decent but nothing to go crazy about....
Jun 06, 2015
 
Rated: 3.97 by pstam87 from Illinois

May 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by Tanktizzo from Illinois

May 04, 2015
Snap, Crackle, Hop Imperial Rice IPA from Parallel 49 Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 96 ratings