New Holland Existential: Hopwine - New Holland Brewing Company

clayrock81

Virginia

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

Poured a light brown body with lace patches and a frothy one-fingerh ead. Something akin to grape skin along with faint citric for a juicy hop smell as well as a little caramelized malt sweetness. Smooth, creamy, sweet with good malt base and the ABV complements the beer as it adds a little spice and kick to the leafy, citric hops. Medium-bodied beer that is balanced, albeit slightly sticky, that is easy to drink from sweet hoppy flavors and has a nice dry backbite that is also crisp. Watch out as this can be killed quickly and it catches up with you.

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2009 15:51:52 | More by clayrock81

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

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

On tap at HopCat in GR.

Pours a clear orange/amber, thin off white head forms, drops to a thin ring and drops a few spots on the glass, looks alright. Smell is nice, very fruity, caramel and brown sugar, alcohol, very malty, floral, big malts and big hops, nothing jumps out but very well balanced. Taste is similar, very malty, some biscuit, caramel and brown sugar, toast, very fruity, apricots, alcohol, nice toasty finish, very balanced. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with medium carbonation, bit of warmth going down but the ABV is decently hidden. More of a barleywine than DIPA, and nothing really jumped out, but pretty solid and drinkable stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

07-03-2009 18:21:34 | More by Viggo

PretzelCity

California

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

Thanks to sefus12 for the chance to try this one. Poured out a deep amber, like unfiltered honey, with a fluffy one inch white head that quickly recedes to lacing around the edge of glass. The nose upfront is a hop and malt blend, not like what I expected. It reminds me more of a hoppy barleywine then a DIPA. Whatever it is, I like it. The taste is the same, lots of hops take on a resin quality, well blended with a heavy amount of malt. Sweet and syrupy like honey with a bit of a bite in the finish. Slight alcohol in the finish as well but not enough to be distracting or take away from the beer. Medium body, this beer really coats the mouth and makes it's presence known. Pretty drinkable considering the 10.5% ABV. Hopwine is the perfect name in my opinion. This one seems like it could really hold up well in storage and turn into something interesting.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2010 02:29:43 | More by PretzelCity

BMoney575

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled on 5-25-07

Pours a nice orange color, with a big head that is still there long after the pour, followed by huge lacing.

Smell is super piney hops, with a strong malt backbone to keep everything even.

Taste is ridiculous piney hops, with a huge amount of earthy maltiness in the middle. The finish doesn't taste bitter, but you can feel it on the sides of your tongue. A huge alcohol warmth rounds the experience out. Different but good.

Mouthfeel is huge, thick, syrupy, and resiny. The carbonation fades away and leaves this beer somewhat flat, which adds to the heavy mouthfeel.

Drinkability is not as good, huge flavors and thickness are intense.

Overall, the second in the New Holland high gravity series that I have tried, and I'm impressed. This beer stands on its own, and is better for it.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2007 01:44:10 | More by BMoney575

beer2day

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours copper with virtually no head. Leaves behind decent lacing, though.

Nose is very bold, with flowery hops dominating for me. Ordinarily this would rate higher for me, but there's a mild wet laundry smell there dragging me back down.

Very chewy. Lots of body and you can practically feel the hops in the thickness of this. Starts thick, turns flowery hop bitter, and finishes well.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2009 00:31:09 | More by beer2day

ColdPoncho

Ohio

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I do not know when this was made. We shall see shortly.

A - clouded deep amber, with a tight and thin white head. Nice color.

S - This is the old one! Very malty, but a nice hop presence like an American barleywine, so I'm going to consider it more on the "wine" part than the "hop" part. caramel and toffee malts, and some light piney hops.

T - Malt forward for sure, nice caramel and toffee profile, a touch of chocolate even. A very light hop bitterness at the end. Not as hoppy as I'd hoped, but it's actually quite subtle and complex. Definitely more along the lines of the "wine" thing.

M - Quite smooth, medium-full body. Not bad, but perhaps a touch thin. For a DIPA, it'd be fine, but for a Barleywine, it's a bit thin.

O - This is a 4-year old DIPA that is tasting like a pretty good barleywine. It's kind of impressive. I just wish it were hoppier! But what can you expect.

Serving type: growler

08-23-2011 23:00:32 | More by ColdPoncho

kzoobrew

Michigan

3.93/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pour a burnt orange color bright white head with decent retention.

Smell is not so large. Citrus and floral hops are light no the nose. Very pleasant aroma, just less than expected.

Flavor reminds me of a Barley wine more than a DIPA.
Hoppy bitterness does not stand out in front of the sweet malt. Wonderful flavor just confused on the style.

Smooth moth feel, slick and oily.

Very drinkable, especially for the abv.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2008 22:04:39 | More by kzoobrew

robwestcott

Indiana

3.93/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

thanks to arvjunk and the barleywine BIF for this one.

poured cold and aggressively from the bottle to a dogfish head shaped pint glass a semi-tranlucent copper with a big bubbled off white, short lasting head leaving hints of spotty lace after each sip.

nice hearty aroma of earthy hops and thick sticky sweet malts.

this one is grassy / earthy hops forward, but its a subtle king of forward, not a bitter type of forward. sneaking up on you hot with a nice candy finish.

medium bodied, creamy smooth, low carbonation. hot. no bitter to speak of.

drinkable - a bomber or so.

overall - a very interesting style crusher.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 00:24:14 | More by robwestcott

benito

Oregon

3.9/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A very challenging and hoppy barleywine, Existential is the latest High Gravity offering from New Holland.

Copper to dark amber in color with a little ring of head and virtually no visible carbonation. The aroma is unassuming: noteworthy only for its lack of distinction, yet it cloaks a beer chock full of flavor. Notes of cinnamon, pepper, and cotton candy with a bitter, celerial edge (strangely, the vegetal notes really work to complement the bitterness here!) and it finishes dry, quick and bitter.

The bitterness makes this deceptively drinkable for a barley wine, and the speed with which the flavors dissolve into a hop-dominated finish leaves me begging for more of the malty sweetness that began each swig.

A fine barleywine for winter, or in my case, summer enjoyment. Relative to New Holland's other high gravity brews, this isn't as distinguished as Pilgrim's Dole (a great beer), but it's at least as worth as Black Tulip

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2007 01:51:35 | More by benito

UA8

Washington

3.9/5  rDev +4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Pour a rich amber color with nearly no head and a bit of white foam.

S- Nose starts with hints of citrus hops and then moves on to warm alcohol

T- Combination of bitter hops and sweet malts dominate the flavor, finishes with alcohol warmth.

M- A bit on the thin side, alcohol warmth dominates.

D- Something that you could do maybe one of in a night, not a session beer. Pretty nice example of a barley wine. However there maybe better examples of the style out there for less money.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2008 01:07:24 | More by UA8

Mdog

Minnesota

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

Appearance: A medium pour gives a pretty cascade of bubbles that create a small head. Amber in color.

Smell: Citrus, deep caramel, a little bit of booze.

Taste: Nice sweet caramel with a dry citrus finish. Starts to get a little hot in alcohol after a few tastes.

Drinkability: Good for a change of pace but better DIPA's are out there.

I figured, it has a hop cone on the bottle, it must be good. The hops weren't as prominent as expected but it was still a good beer. Seemed a little more on the malty side than hoppy.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2008 20:51:40 | More by Mdog

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

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

On tap at UJ's on the Manatawny last weekend.

The beer pours a copper amber color with decent head retention and lacing. The nose is pretty sweet and malty on this beer, but with a good lick of noticeable hoppy bitterness as well. Still, this beer smells as if it will be pretty sweet. As expected, this beer comes across as a fairly high alcohol IPA, but with a particular sweet and malty base. There is enough hops to keep it from tasting too sweet, but the beer is noticeable boozy and a bit heavy. The beer does have a pretty nice mouthfeel, and is smooth and long on the finish. However, alcohol is a bit over the top and hurts the beer's drinkability just a bit.

This is a still a solid beer, though I confess I'd like it even more if it had a bit less sweet malt and alcohol, and bit more hoppy bitterness to counter it.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2009 19:59:50 | More by johnmichaelsen

grub

Ontario (Canada)

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

sampled on tap at hopcat june 13/09.

pours deep reddish orange with a small fine off-white head. the head drops fast and leaves lots of spotty lace behind.

aroma is good. big malty base - biscuit, multi-grain bread, rye and caraway. bit earthy and woody. slightly herbal. light alcohol.

taste is good. again, tons of malt to start things off. biscuit. multi-grain bread. caraway rye. light cracker. bit of toast. light caramel. earthy and woody. medium-high bitterness level. some citrusy and slightly floral hops. maybe a touch of smoke too.

mouthfeel is good. nice big body. medium carbonation level.

drinkability is good. the alcohol is hidden very well by the big malt presence and the bitterness. this feels like it's more in barleywine territory than DIPA, but regardless of what you choose to call it, it's still good.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2009 23:13:17 | More by grub

Lepley

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours thick tan-orange with a little tan head.
S: Sweet and strong. I was able to smell the hops it without holding the glass up.
T: Sweet fruits, hoppiness. Alcohol burns in its aftertaste.
M: Thick with good carbonation.
D: This is a solid imperial IPA. I recommend trying it.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2008 00:52:01 | More by Lepley

calise1122

New York

3.88/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Second of the day, stared with BORIS the Crusher and sipped slow, really enjoying it. Took a break and the hop head in me wants to get some love. So like any good coach, I revisited my game plan.

I recently got a New Holland Existential Ale from New Holland Brew company in a trade (thanks again wisrarebeer) and decided to pull the trigger. The pour coincides with the Seahawks slowly driving on my Pats... hopefully this New Holland Mojo will change things:

This 22 oz bomber comes via their High Gravity Series. The bottle explains that this "Is what it is." Amen, only if it all were that simple.

Holy soap bath, rubber ducky and all...bubbles explode on top of a golden straw color liquid that turns darker as it takes a tour of the glass. Once filled, the soap suds settle down on top of an inch thick light tan head... but they keep on popping. (shoot, 7-0 Seahawks.. that drive was to long and too easy) Nice lacing... beehive lacing that clings strong and tight. And the lacing lasts, no rings here... this lace sticks like peanut butter, leaving a coat down the glass.

Lots of pine on the nose, mixed in with caramel... nice smelling beer. Not over powering by any means, and the malt driven characters are get stronger as you smell. Kind of like back seat drivers, they don't control this leg of the drive, but they sure as hell want you to think they do. Shit, I just dunked my nose in the friggin beer... god damnit, the Pats can't stop the run and I can't smell a beer....

Hmmm? Where did the piney hop smell go and hide... very sweet, actually very sweet with strong honey and caramel. It's as if the malt and honey brokered a deal where the hops would take the smell and the malts would handle the flavor... but then both of them tried to finagle their way into the other half of the deal, showing up late to the party with a tuxedo on... demanding to be noticed. The aroma was hop on the front with a nice caramel maltiness lingering around and the complete opposite happened for me on the taste... honey, caramel, vanilla on the front with some hop on the finish. The problem is, the Malt showed up in an all white tux with blue suede shoes... out performing the hops. Me thinks this might be better off called Winehop.

It is full bodied and creamy. Plain and simple? It feels good in my mouth. (wow, I was going to erase that and rewrite, but I deserve to be responsible for my initial thoughts... and the pats are down 14-3, this Mojo is NOT doing what I had hoped)

It's a big beer, that is for sure. I recently had Southern Tier Back Burner, which I didn't care for to much... but this takes the sweetness that I did enjoy out of that beer and put it on a platform that suits my style better. I just wish the hops had the fancy tux at this dance. The bottle really summed it up nicely, this beer is what it is.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2008 21:55:26 | More by calise1122

BeerAndBourbon

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A. Pours a hazy orange with a small white head.

S. A bit of hops, but mostly caramel malt. It smells like the backbone of a good DIPA without the upfront hops.

T. The earthy/grassy hop flavor is still present, but not pervasive; I can only imagine what this was like fresh. Flavor is mostly caramel with some bread and yeast contributions.

M. Smooth medium body.

D. Good drinkability. This drinks very well for a 10.5%. I'm not sure what this was like fresh, but it's quite interesting now.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 20:58:18 | More by BeerAndBourbon

drxandy

Michigan

3.83/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

poured into a tulip glass from the bomber, heavy beer! wow, pour left little to no head, very thick from the alcohol.

color is of a golden amber, very deep - looks like trouble

smell is of hot alcohol, and extreme hopping - malt is sweet, almost malt liquor in quality, bready yeast creeping in the end.

taste proves this to be a hop bomb, extreme bitterness with sweetly dry finish. The malt is very much in the background with all the overpowering hops, makes me feel like if i sat on the bottle for a year it would balance out and it might come off smoother and more delicious.

mouthfeel is oily and thick, definately DIPA territory

overall drinkablity is where this fails, i really couldn't see myself drinking often if again soon, i would really like to see how age would do on it as stated before and am tempted to get another bomber to hold onto.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2008 05:11:07 | More by drxandy

Tyrawlings

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. Bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: Hazy, deep dark orange in color woth tea colored hues. Micro bubble white head pours two fingers thick. Decent retention. Nice sticky lacing.

S: Sweet fruit. Apple. Peach. Apricot. Toffee. Grain and alcohol.

T: The sweetness of tropical fruits and apples dominate the front end of this brew. Soft caramel malts and the taste of toffee come in to play the balancing game but are immediately beaten back by a citrus hop bitterness that zaps the tongue. Big grain taste is followed by a hot alcohol burn. Finishes sweet and dry.

M: Syrupy and slightly slick. Minimal carbonation. Warming and dry.

D: I think this barleywine has the potential to be a very nice example of the style. It seems a bit hot and needs time to settle down. I am very interested to try this one again after some six months or so of aging! Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2007 15:09:02 | More by Tyrawlings

peabody

Kentucky

3.78/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is amber to brown and clear with lots of suds in the off-white vein.Slight lacing occuring on the tulip glass.
Smell is sugary malt with very little hops. A dried grape/raisin aroma with some cherry dark aroma in there also.
Taste is very dark and mild. Not bitter at all. Sugar and malt and plum. Alcohol is not present here. Great cold.
Mouthfeel is very clean and not bitter(which would have been a good thing for an IPA).
New Holland has a lot of nice beers. This one misses the mark by a little bit. Still a good brew, just not a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2007 04:20:13 | More by peabody

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a tulip glass)

A- This beer has a light toasted-brown body that is crystal clear with a strong carbonation of tiny bubbles. There is a thick spongy film that fades into a film pretty quickly.

S- This beer has a sweet caramel malt and sugary smell with a green hop note and a light citrus perfume note to it.

T- The sugary sweet caramel malt flavor has a note of sweet honey with a soft green hops flavor. There is an alcohol finish that is covered by the hop bitterness that hangs on after each sip.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a nice alcohol heat that is pretty smooth.

D- The biggest hops are on the label. In the bottle the hops are pretty soft compared to the sweet simple malt flavors. The bitterness of the hops is stronger than the flavor but both are lighter than I expect for an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2007 02:34:49 | More by rhoadsrage

mattcrill

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Aroma: Orange juice and citrusy notes lend way to some piney resin aromatics. Sliced candied oranges with some gentle alcohol warming the nose.

Appearance: Very murky and hazy amber pour with a very thin sudsy white head.

Flavor: Good firm carmel base with more pithy citrusy hops to balance. Floral and light grassy hoppiness overlay a nice warming alcohol base. Low fruity esters appear as the beer warms up.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with low carbonation. Warms the palate on the way down.

Overall impression: A big, powerful American Barleywine. Too sweet and too much malt character for a double IPA. I would have liked to have seen more carbonation. These big beers from New Holland are notoriously undercarbonated. Disappointing b/c I think this could be a world class beer with a touch more carbonation to open up the aromatics and flavor profile. Probably worth trying once but not much more than that.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2008 13:09:26 | More by mattcrill

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a clear, bright amber body with a lush, bubbly off-white head.

Smell: Light, delicate aroma of caramel, green tea, and tangerines.

Taste: Sweet and somewhat grainy with the taste of caramel flanked by hop flavors of juicy tangerines and a sprinkling of pine needles. Finishes bittersweet and also resinous and soapy.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Mild carbonation.

Drinkability: Not really as hoppy as the front of the bottle led me to believe.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2007 04:39:33 | More by ChainGangGuy

atsprings

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber poured into a Duvel Snifter. Pours a nice crisp amber with a thin diminishing head. Aroma is Earthy pine hops with sweet caramel right behind, quite fragrant. The taste is dominated by bitter pine with some burnt caramel and dried fruits in the background. The hop bitterness is quite overbearing and the alcohol is cloyingly sweet, I'm hoping some aging would do this beer well. The beer is one of the driest I've ever had, slight cloying alcohol hits hard but than somewhat dissipates, just not completely. This is certainly an interesting beer, but this one in particular is not what I look for in this style.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2008 02:14:26 | More by atsprings

rajendra82

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I picked this bomber up at Green's in Greenville, South Carolina. The color of the beer was copper, the body clear, and the head quite small. For a beer with a silk screened hop cone on the label, the smell was quite subdued. I could pick up some distant earthy and citric hops, but its was nothing to rave about. The taste was much hoppier, as the spicy and bitter flavors were apparent immediately. The malt was skeletal in nature and provided a stable but unspectacular foundation. The alcohol was completely hidden, and this one drank like many IPAs rather than the barleywine strength it really was. In the mouth, this felt, oily, slippery, and mercurial. This was a very unique creation indeed, but I found it somewhat empty.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2008 04:18:08 | More by rajendra82

movingtrain

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a somewhat cloudy/murky brownish-red color. Not a lot of head retention here, though this would be due to the growler, also.

In the aroma are tart cherries, dark honey, ripe citrus, raspberry, wet wood, and hard candy. It is rich, almost syrupy in the aroma. On the way toward the palate, some big malt characteristics come forward, filled with oats and caramel.

The flavor here is a strong balance between the malty and the hoppy. The initial taste is quite sweet, providing caramel, ginger, brown sugar, molasses, and honey notes. As the beer progresses, it becomes more bitter, though not overly so. The hops are present, but not dominant, allowing a slight hop character to play beneath a fine chorus of toasty malt flavors.

Overall, this beer is rich, dense, and packs quite a punch. It has some interesting characteristics, and gives a refreshing and unique take on the "barleywine" style, calling it "hopwine." Both the Double IPA big hop character, and the Barleywine malty sweet characteristics are here, and the final product is, well, somewhat similar to the name.

Serving type: growler

08-20-2011 23:43:33 | More by movingtrain