Hop Wallop - Victory Brewing Company

AmitC

Indiana

4.45/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

One of the better double IPAs.

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into snifter. Pale yellow to slight golden color. Some haze, but otherwise very clear. Two finger thick off white colored head that stays as a thin layer and persists well. Excellent lacing on the sides with each sip and by head. No bubbles seen. Very calm appearance.

Aroma is full of herbal, ground and earthy hops. A very slight malt backbone gives a tinge of sweetness, which is about to be dispelled. Some minor alcohol. Excellent aroma.

Taste is full of bitterness. Hops have some bitterness, that is more than a lot of other IPAs. Some malt in the middle with hops at the either side. Leaves a very clear dry finish dominated by bitterness. A very good aftertaste that invites for more hops or anything for that matter.

Almost light to medium feel. A little oily towards the end. No apparent astringency, except for hoppy bitterness. Low on carbonation. The carbonation generated tinge is lacking which is good.

Excellent stuff. Buy it.

Style Rate: 4.5
Personal Rate: 4.5

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 00:00:31 | More by AmitC

drh1382

Texas

4/5  rDev -2.4%

05-23-2013 20:06:44 | More by drh1382

visionaries

California

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

05-23-2013 17:46:50 | More by visionaries

Illos

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

05-23-2013 05:01:07 | More by Illos

Wally

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

05-23-2013 00:32:48 | More by Wally

scottyu27

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

05-22-2013 13:05:45 | More by scottyu27

Chuck_25

Kansas

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

05-22-2013 03:42:28 | More by Chuck_25

BurgeoningBrewhead

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured into snifter. Clear golden orange with a thick fluffy white head. I can smell it already as I pour it; getting some wafts of alcohol and something like wine almost. In the glass it smells a lot more yeasty than I was expecting, with piney hops in the background. Taste is the same, I'd almost think it had Belgian yeast involved somewhere. I think that confusing flavor may be coming from the combination of incredibly bitter hops and less malt presence. Smooth and yeasty?, with hops coming in and finishing very bitter. I appreciate how complex this DIPA is. It's a nice turn from the usual (malt)HOPSHOPSHOPS. Mouthfeel is a little thicker and...fluffier? than expected as well.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 00:49:16 | More by BurgeoningBrewhead

lenbert

Indiana

4/5  rDev -2.4%

05-21-2013 10:06:02 | More by lenbert

johntfox

Florida

4/5  rDev -2.4%

05-21-2013 02:14:45 | More by johntfox

mc4z

California

4/5  rDev -2.4%

05-21-2013 01:21:51 | More by mc4z

Lucoli

New York

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

05-21-2013 01:20:11 | More by Lucoli

hopkrid

Florida

4/5  rDev -2.4%

05-21-2013 00:00:23 | More by hopkrid

ipas-for-life

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

05-20-2013 20:54:38 | More by ipas-for-life

RyFikes

New York

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

05-20-2013 15:46:45 | More by RyFikes

dar482

New York

3.7/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

This beer comes in a wonderful deep gold, orange color that is very hazy as you cannot see through it.

The aroma is of huge tropical fruits. Pineapple, orange, mango with a bit of a bready note. It’s very juicy. There is just a fantastic aroma on this.

The flavor does not match the aroma. It starts off with some grapefruit and then goes with some piney flavor. It just punches you with a huge hop astringent bitterness that really sticks on the front of your tongue. One of the bitterest beers I have had. The middle has a bit of maltiness to it that carries the beer along before the smack of bitterness. Then again, having this on tap months later, the bitterness wasn't not as offensive, but it just wasn't quite right to match the aroma.

The mouthfeel is medium.

In the end, I wish it had more grapefruit fruitiness to match the fruits on the nose. The bitterness overpowers the beer. It's also the hop profile that isn't really for my suiting. I prefer a dry finish that has that fresh grapefruit peel flavor. This just is slightly off in a confusing sense that isn't quite right. If it was toned down a bit, I would like it a lot more with its beautiful hazy color and maltiness.

Having had this on tap, it was surely less offensive than the bottle. Still, not quite my style.

Serving type: on-tap

05-19-2013 22:54:38 | More by dar482

birdsellam

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

05-19-2013 18:19:40 | More by birdsellam

Fubar1453

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

05-19-2013 14:20:17 | More by Fubar1453

purppy

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.4%

05-19-2013 13:01:55 | More by purppy

kojevergas

California

3.34/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

1 pint 6 fl oz brown glass bottle with fun label art and blue branded standard pressure cap acquired at the Cap N Cork liquor in Los Feliz for a scant $3.99 USD and served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Acquired earlier tonight. Expectations are through the roof given its current ratings; Victory is growing on me as well. No visible bottled on or best before date.

Served cold, straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Appears extremely overcarbonated, pouring an eight finger head. White in colour. Good thickness, nice froth and cream. Excellent (~8+ minute) retention for the high ABV. Body colour is a clear translucent yellow; looks more like a pilsner than an IPA. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Pretty appealing for the style, but far from ideal. I'm excited to try it.

Sm: Pale malts. Grassy malts. Some graininess. Floral hop character is shockingly restrained. It smells like a hoppy pilsner, to be honest. No bold hop character here. No yeast character nor any alcohol is detectable. Clean, crisp, fresh, and appealing. Not the aroma I'm used to for the style, but I'm intrigued. Mild in strength. Some straw. Lemon zest. Lemon grass. Surprisingly lemony for an IPA.

T: Prominent floral hop character suits the simple clean pale malt foundation nicely. Lemon grass and lemon zest surface. Pleasant and approachable, if simple. Some straw notes. Crystal malt. Grassy malts. The hop character isn't particularly deep or diverse, but the balance is lovely. It flirts with hop bitterness but none ever really surfaces. A tasty IPA, if a strangely built one. I do like it, but it's not what I expected.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Overcarbonated. Good thickness. Nice body. Suits the flavour profile pretty well. Pretty good presence on the palate. No overt flaws. Quite light on the palate considering the style and ABV.

Dr: A rather drinkable IPA from Victory that hides its ABV impressively well. I'd have it again. Well worth trying, and priced extremely well for its quality. Victory is rising fast in my estimation of quality. Quite tasty stuff. Not a conformist IPA; it does its own thing and I respect that. I'd recommend it to friends. Well worth revisiting.

B-

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 04:01:11 | More by kojevergas

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a deep golden color with a 1 inch head. Smell is dominated by hops, not much else. Taste is bitter, hoppy, piney, a bit minty, some malts are present to balance it out. alcohol is well hidden. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 16:27:23 | More by tone77

Omer4176

California

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

05-18-2013 04:18:48 | More by Omer4176

inanity

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +22%

05-18-2013 00:17:34 | More by inanity

grannaniwa

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

05-17-2013 03:27:27 | More by grannaniwa

DenverHopHead

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Ok Victory, I'm all in! First Storm King completely caught me off guard, then Hop Devil really caught me by surprise. Hop Wallop, though the label and back story are cheesy, is the best brew out of the three. Gorgeous thick head with solid lacing, grab your attention smell, easy to drink and smooth, and the hops dance along the palate. Fantastic!

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 02:33:58 | More by DenverHopHead