Hop Wallop - Victory Brewing Company

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Review from notes taken 6/22/10 at Als of Hampden during the intro to the beer engines. $2 nonic glass.

Appears a hazed golden yellow color with a finger of off-white head. Lace clings in spotty patches all about the glassware. The aroma is mostly hop character showcasing an herbal scent with some citrus and grassy notes. Also included in the aroma is a bit of grainy biscuit malt. Taste is along the same character a outlined in the aroma along with an alcohol presence that is a little bitey and warming. The finish accents the spice of the hops tasting herbal with some citrus.

Medium feel with a light level of carbonation. As it warms the flavor of the hops takes on more of a grassy flavor and increased grainy sweetness that balances out the alcohol and hop bitterness nicely. A very good brew all together and impossible to ignore for the price.

Serving type: cask

08-16-2010 15:58:08 | More by stakem

NittanyBeerFan

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Bubbles forced into the beer cascade upwards, swirling and dancing as they form a creamy 1/2-finger head. The body is light copper with some amber hues. This is much lighter and less orange than what I envision when I think of a DIPA. The lacing is phenomenal.

S: Grapefruity undertones highlight a big grassy hop presence. Bitterness seems a bit subdued. Not much going on aside from the hoppy flavors mentioned before. Even so, I enjoy the hop-leaning aspect of this aroma.

T: There is a huge presence of grassy and some piney hops, and they are nicely complemented by hints of citrus. Distinctly German malts reign in the hop bitterness and really balance this one out. Maybe a little bit disappointing, since Victory's Hop Devil is such a hop masterpiece. It is just a bit too balanced for a Double IPA. However, I would never believe that this is an 8.5% beer.

M/D: Incredibly smooth and easy drinking, but it lacks a big resinous hop feel. It is dangerously drinkable. The bitterness could be more accentuated, as I said before. Otherwise, very enjoyable.

Serving type: cask

03-07-2010 21:55:32 | More by NittanyBeerFan

BigMike

Pennsylvania

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

Had this on the hand pump at the brewery. Served in a nonic pint glass.

Pours a hazy yellowish color with some orange highlites. A finger and a half of thick rich and creamy head that hangs around forever.

Smell, is piney and a touch of floral. A touch of malt sweetness also.

Taste is close to the same as he bottle version but more bitterness is present. Same, piney floral hoppiness and touch of caramel.

Mouthfeel is incredible. Are all cask beers this creamy and rich?

Drinkability is great. I paired this with the Jerk chicken grinder and it went very well.

Serving type: cask

01-28-2010 19:26:31 | More by BigMike

Durge

Connecticut

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Was overjoyed to find this on cask at Novare Res in Portland, Maine last month. It was a glowing cloudy straw amber color with a generous big bubble white head and crazy lacing. The aroma is bready citrus pine hop, and a touch of alcohol straw and maple. The taste is right on with mellow piney hops and biscuit with some pleasant honey maple. In a near full bodied liquid that offers tingly carbonation that is well beyond any cask ale I've had. A delightful brew that I highly recommend as a great, drinkable DIPA on cask!

Serving type: cask

12-31-2009 00:21:45 | More by Durge

rfgetz

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Muted, worn gold in color, hazy from the cask pour. Stiff white head, good retention, minimal lacing. Smell is of citrusy and piney hops... grapefruity, slight peach scent. Taste is bitter grapefruity and resiny pine hops with a slightly fruity sweet and malty sweet backbone. Medium bodied, decent cask carbonation, bitter aftertaste. A nice beer thats got a lot of good flavor, just a touch too bitter throughout.

Serving type: cask

12-14-2009 18:04:52 | More by rfgetz

donniecuffs

New Jersey

4.93/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

(had this on cask, but have also had it on tap and out of the bottle, with near-identical results)

Pours hazy golden-orange, with a finger of white head, and excellent lacing. The smell was pink grapefruit, lemon, pine, maltiness, grass, and floral herbs. The flavor yielded all of the above in generous amounts, dissolving mid-palate to a more grassy/herbal/woodiness, and then finishing a pleasant dry bitter, with bitter/grapefruit/pine aftertaste hints. The body was medium, with subtle carbonation, even from the cask (must've been a fresh tapping). Despite the strength, the flavor beckons you for more, and before you know, it's a session. Thank the beer gods (and Victory) for making this a year-round offering.

Serving type: cask

10-13-2009 18:57:20 | More by donniecuffs

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this on cask at Market Cross pub & inn in Shippensburg, served at cask temp in an imperial pint.

A - A very clear golden w/ highlights the color of amber honey. The cap of cream is small but clings as lace in rings

S - A sweet tropical fruit hint w/ a high amount of pineapple and grapefruit w/ alcohol very noticeable in the nose w/ mild malty sweet caramel tinges

M - A hint of spice goes right to the astringent drying texture, mild grapefruit and alcohol w/ a light creamy sweet edge

T - The taste is strong of citrus and dry leafy flavors w/ lots of astringency and light medicinal taste as the alcohol overtakes the malt in the transfer of hops to malt. The taste is very bitter which seques into the flavor of alcohol and mellows w/ slightly sweet malt in the finish

D - Not an easy to drink cask ale, but I don't remember tasting it in this format before so it piqued my interest. The drinkability is better than average w/ good taste and alcohol is very well matched for the style. I would prefer this on draft or a fresher cask possibly.

Serving type: cask

10-02-2009 16:43:29 | More by Slatetank

blackie

Virginia

4.4/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

a: golden in color, with carbonation cascading from the bottom to the surface to settle into a thick, frothy white head, cask-typical great retention and lace

s: rich citrus rind hop presence, mostly grapefruit, atop a clean but full flavored honeyed pale malt presence, candied citrus rinds, wonderfully aromatic with all components complimentary to each other

m: lusciously smooth body with a delicate carbonation - far from flat, though, as is common with cask ales

t: initial flavors of pungent citrus rinds are beautifully tempered by the cask serving, smoothing any harsh acidity and leaving a candied pulpy presence atop a honeyed pale malt body, bitterness builds into the finish with a grapefruit bite, absurdly smooth blend of assertive flavors

d: limited only by the abv, a superb dipa

0.4 litre glass at the brewpub

Serving type: cask

09-16-2009 03:19:25 | More by blackie

wd40

New York

3.88/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance was surprisingly clear for a beer on cask, a deep amber color. There was not a particularly strong aroma, but that is too be expected from a cask. The taste was good with some citrus and piney hops balanced by sweet malt. The mouthfeel was great, very smooth and drinkable. I would have this again.

Serving type: cask

09-05-2009 03:35:45 | More by wd40

sholland119

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On cask at Teresa's Next Door.

A-Pours a cloudy apricot with a fluffy off white head, great retention and lacing.

S-Grapefruit hops and biscuit malt in about equal proportion.

T-Citrus and earthy hops supported by a modest amount of biscuit malt.

M-Nicely creamy with light bitterness.

D-Quite tasty.

HV

Serving type: cask

08-18-2009 18:40:06 | More by sholland119

alleykatking

Indiana

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had at Max's in Baltimore

A- Poured a little hazy with a beautiful golden yellow almost slight orange color. It was given to me with almost no head to it which was fine by me because I was thirsty. No real lacing on the sides of the glass...just soapy looking and that slid down the glass into the beer.

S- Nice bitter piney hop smell to this right off the get go. There is a sweet malty undertone with this as well that mixes with a tail end of citrus-y hops. Nothing to over the top but then again I wasn't expecting this to smell so bitter. This was a welcome sight to me.

T- Nice crisp dry bitter hop taste upfront. A semi-sweet malt backbone comes in for a small second while a citrus hop ending balances this beer back out to a DIPA. Nothing over the top once again which was nice but only because at the time I didn't want a tounge crusher.

M- Medium-light mouthfeel. Carbonation not all there but still made a nice sipping beer. Oily resin left on the tounge made you want another sip almost right away. Good clean feeling left on the palate while the beer was in the mouth.

D- This was a very drinkable beer on cask. I am a fan of the bottle but almost prefer this on cask rather than bottle. Nice easy DIPA for times when over the top is just well....over the top.

Serving type: cask

08-17-2009 22:04:12 | More by alleykatking

armock

New York

4.15/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured a hazy yellow color with a white head that leaves lacing behind

S - For a DIPA its a little weak but still good hops in the nose

T - Wonderful smooth hops in my mouth I love it

M - This beer has a creamy smooth body with light carbonation to it

D - I love IPAs on cask its heaven in a glass I could drink the whole cask myself worth getting on cask

Serving type: cask

08-05-2009 23:55:24 | More by armock

schmitter

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This was my first hand pump cask beer.

Appearance was light orange/gold with a thin head.

Smelled bitter and spicy with some citrus.

Taste was definetely creamy due to the lack of carbonation. Hops, bitter grapefruit, and slightly malty.

It went down less-than smooth and was kind of chewy.

A pretty good offering from Victory, but I think I enjoy it from the bottle more.

Serving type: cask

08-01-2009 18:17:51 | More by schmitter

FickleBeast

New Jersey

4.53/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

.4L glass on Cask at Victory Brewing

A - Cloudy, three fingers of head settle down into one finger of foam after a few minutes. Pale orange in color, leaves huge sheets of lace on the glass.

S - Grapefruit, residual sweetness

T - Big citrus hop flavor, huge bitter kick at the end balanced by a substantial sweet malt backbone. This is one good beer.

M - Silky smooth, creamy mouthfeel, bitterness lingers on the back of the tongue.

D - Awesome. The alcohol is well hidden, the beer is well balanced and tastes great, I could drink this all night.

Hell yeah! This beer is freakin' amazing.

Serving type: cask

07-27-2009 15:19:09 | More by FickleBeast

soulgrowl

United Kingdom (England)

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Sunny, clear yellow, no darker than a Helles, witha thin beer-stained ivory head. Fruity and piney hops leap from the glass - very, very Christmasy with orange, lemon, evergreen, rummed-up raisins, and malts that smell of caramel, toffee, and cake. It is redolent of fruitcake, booze included - there is a surge of alcohol if you sniff too hard, but still, this is not too aggressive. Predominantly biscuity and more malty than expected, but the hops do indeed deliver a wallop, though it comes on a bit delayed, like a counterattack to the malts' first strike. Moscatel and orange rind make this quite fruity, but there are earthier things afoot as well - brown bread, pine, carnations, and warm, grainy alcohol, a bit medicinal and reminiscent of a gin and tonic. Soft cask mouthfeel works well here; it is a bit syrupy, but higher carbonation isn't necessary as the hops do a fine job keeping this clean and balanced (though not exactly dry). Intense yet drinkable - very good.

Serving type: cask

07-04-2009 08:41:08 | More by soulgrowl

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +22%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Presented from the hand pump with a finger of bone-white head with great retention, given my (slow) rate of consumption. The color was a rich, gold, such as Croesus might have had between his fingers. The clarity was phenomenal - well beyond NE-quality, allowing me to peer across the room and nearly through the wall, x-ray spex style. The nose was of freshly-squeezed Florida grapefruit on a huge scale. The mouthfeel was silky smooth, running down my gullet slick as a whistle. The hops were more muted than the in-your-face, mofo! taste that I have experienced in its CO2 draft version. I really liked the citrusy play on my tongue. It tickled! No, really, it scrubbed my palate clean and opened my heretofore stuffy sinuses. The finish was muted, compared to the CO2 version, but it had a pleasant citrusy aftertaste. Yum!

Serving type: cask

04-25-2009 12:50:43 | More by woodychandler

stingrayvr6

New Jersey

4.8/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Had at Local 44 in Philly. Very golden color with frothy white head that did not linger long. Fruity but biting, almost acidic smell. Very smooth with a fruity and bitter body with lingering bitterness and a mellow and bitter finish. Great beer, but a little more biting than some would like.

Serving type: cask

03-26-2009 23:59:35 | More by stingrayvr6

iamntbatman

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Light yellow to gold with a short, but thick head. This is a very hazy beer, even for an IPA, with very good lacing all the way down the glass.

Smell: Hops, hops hops. Every aspect of that typical American hops flavor is well represented here. The malt is very subtle. The alcohol isn't anywhere to be found.

Taste: Absolutely great! It's like the IPA equivalent of hearing a very loud metal band from another room and through a wall: you pick up every bit of the aggressive florals, citrus, pine and bitterness but all are muted a bit by the cask. They're definitely present here though, and make up the vast majority of the flavor profile. The malt is discernible but doesn't play a major part.

Mouthfeel: Quite creamy due to the cask. Very low carbonation but also has minimal typical IPA stickiness. Different, but I like it.

Drinkability: The cask makes this *very* drinkable for a DIPA. This one could definitely sneak up on you with its quite well-hidden 8.5% ABV.

In case I didn't make it clear enough, this beer is a whole different animal on cask than in the bottle or on tap. However good this was, it definitely takes away from the "wallop" this beer usually has. I can't recommend it enough, but in a "desert island" scenario I would stick with the stronger flavor of the standard bottled Hop Wallop.

Serving type: cask

03-25-2009 05:08:44 | More by iamntbatman

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On cask at the brewery

Appears a hazy, staw color with amber highlights. The creamy paper white cap sits like cool whip on top of the body. Beautiful.

Aroma is of pine needles, grapefruits, tangerines, lemons, biscuit, and a tad bit of caramel. I think the cask brings more out on the aroma side of things.

Flavor mimics the nose only a honey like sweetness emerges to counteract the citrus rind and pine needle flavor. Finish is bitter and dry. Just the way I like it.

Full, rich and creamy, almost too creamy.

Drinkability is good. Not great. It is a rich and creamy beer and really knocks you over the head with the bitterness. A nice, slow interaction is necessary to fully enjoy it.

Serving type: cask

03-11-2009 21:55:10 | More by ColForbinBC

kirkmichel

Georgia

4.97/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The pint I sampled was hand pumped from a cask.
A- Opaque golden amber in a pint glass. Lace was rough with lareger bubbles in the ivory/tan foam and clung to the glass pretty thickly.
S - Very fresh hops and spices on the nose - love it!
T - hops tasted fresh picked and though bitter had a soft edge to them and lasted through the finish. Couldn't taste much malt to balance, but this is so good that their presence was not missed. Hops ere very piney tasting with floral oils (i know this sounds like a smell, but I swear I tasted it!)
M - Pretty viscous but refreshing.
D - Great, though the bitter finish does stay with you for a while.
I will say that I probably enjoyed this more than itams bottled counterpart, but it was more bitter.

Serving type: cask

11-29-2008 22:20:53 | More by kirkmichel

shivtim

Georgia

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Deep gold/amber beer, ever so slightly hazy, with a sticky off-white head. Nose is heavy on citrus hops, as expected. Nice and fruity. Taste is hoppity hoppiness from the first sip. Long lingering citrus hops, quite piney. Good mouthfeel. This beer is pretty much exactly as I expected: a nice citrus pine hop monster.

Serving type: cask

11-27-2008 14:14:22 | More by shivtim

CrellMoset

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On cask at Brickstore Pub, Decatur, GA. Served in a fitted pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a clear orange amber beer with a swiss-cheese like head. Retention is average to above-average, and as it fades it leaves sticky, thick, bubbly lacing. A very nice-looking beer, though it's hard to tell which parts of that are due to the cask and which to the beer itself.

Aroma: Whew. Tons of hop notes - pine needles, sappy, syrupy, resinousy, grapefruit and orange zest, a healthy dose of mint looming large. This one's big and bold in the hop department, though at cask temperature it comes off as slightly harsh. Still very nice though.

Taste: Doughy and sweet with a nice roasted edge. Tons of citrus and pine add a nice dimension to the proceedings, coupled with tons of herbal notes. Oh, and, how about some bitterness? This one's got it, though it's not overbearing or rough.

Mouthfeel: Wonderfully smooth and even with a nice level of carbonation given the thickness. Casking seems to work well for this beer, given its body.

Drinkability: I've had Storm King on cask and Hop Devil on cask, but Hop Wallop on cask seems to work equally well. The body and flavors are such that they seem to come through nicely at this temperature and with this level of carbonation. Give it a try.

Serving type: cask

11-23-2008 03:21:41 | More by CrellMoset

gford217

Georgia

3.78/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On cask at the Brick Store.

Pours a hazy golden amber with a big bubbly head that dissipates to a ring and leaves good lacing.

The aroma is dominated by floral pine hops and some citrus notes as well. There is a bready malt presence as well.

The flavor has more citrus hops than the pine that I got in the aroma. There is certainly grapefruit, oranges, and a hint of resin. The malt body is evident as well.

The mouthfeel is crazy smooth due to the cash with less carbonation than I remember in the bottle version. Still has a prickly hop bitterness in the finish though.

This is a good DIPA and I enjoyed the smooth cash version. Not one of my favorites but still very drinkable.

Serving type: cask

11-15-2008 02:26:26 | More by gford217

glid02

Georgia

4.43/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Got this on cask at the Brick Store in Atlanta.

Pours a hazy light copper color with a rocky one-finger head. The head dissipates into a bunch of big bubbles on top and a thick ring around the glass. Lacing is interesting - this beer leaves larger than average bubbles clinging to the side of the glass.

Smells of juicy grapefruit and robust sweet malt. I'm excited about taking a sip of this.

Tastes great. Smooth grapefruit and sweet malt flavors followed almost instantaneously by a good amount of bitterness. Unlike the bottle version I'd had previously the bitterness isn't overpowering. It's a bit more mild now, leaving the door open for the citrus flavors to shine through.

Mouthfeel is great. Very smooth with subdued carbonation, this glides down my gullet.

Drinkability is great. I had to make a conscious effort not to gulp this one down, and I wish MARTA ended up closer to my house so I could've had a few more.

Overall this is the best IPA I've had on cask. The flavors here lend themselves to the cask very well. Be sure to give this one a shot if you have the chance.

Serving type: cask

11-12-2008 04:12:55 | More by glid02

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.85/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I was lucky enough to have one of thses on cask at the Brick Store recently, and Man oh Man, this stuff is even better that way. Pours about the same as on draft, golden with a decent head, but the cask head is a bit rockier. The smell and taste are about the same as well, with delicious citrusy hops and enough malty sweetness to underline the hops and contribute its own juicy fruitiness to the equation. The smoothness imparted by the cask, however, is out of this world! I wanted to gulp this stuff and drink glasss after glass. I definitely had a bit more than I was planning to, its just that good. The creaminess and lower carbonation of the cask really allow the juicy flavors to shine. What a beautiful experience. Yaay Cask!

Serving type: cask

07-02-2008 17:09:29 | More by Georgiabeer