Hop Wallop - Victory Brewing Company

GiantMidget

Pennsylvania

4.56/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bought at Wegmans in Collegeville PA.

High expectations on this one and it most definitely delivered.

Poured hastily into a tulip glass. The lemon pine evident immediately, heavy on the citrus and very pleasant. Golden haziness in the glass.
1 inch head with lacing that remains throughout, even the headiness stays around for awhile.

And the hops nail my tongue with dryness as soon as I sip. This tremendous hoppiness remains in every swig and stays in the back of the tongue all the while.
Bit of bread, malt characteristics and best off all, for a high ABV I find it untraceable.

I could sit and drink this one anytime and I would invest in a case, I'm impressed, Victory, being only about 45 minutes from me, has outdone themselves.
I look forward to having this on tap when I visit the brewery next time.

The mouthfeel is a bit heavy on the carbonation but the dry hop slam manages to make that irrelevant.

Hop heads, try this double, it's worth it.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 02:38:21 | More by GiantMidget

ColdWaffles

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a standard pint from a 12 oz bottle.

Appearance: Nice light golden color with a substantial white head. Dies after a few minutes, but leaves an excellent lacing.

Smell: Hops, grass, pine. Nothing remarkable, but very evident.

Taste: This tastes last a remarkable session IPA, but it's actually a Double IPA with a higher ABV. If this wouldn't get me trashed very quickly, this would be a favorite session IPA of mine. Regardless, this is excellent and highly recommended. Nice hop flavor with great richness and a good pine flavor. Light citrus notes on the end, and a little alcohol, but not much.

Mouthfeel: Not particularly heavy with appropriate hop levels. Great lightly bitter "grassy" aftertaste.

This is a pretty excellent ale and one of the best beers I've had from Victory.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 01:22:39 | More by ColdWaffles

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Beer is a slightly-cloudy golden colour with a large white head. Good lace.

Smell is hoppy but not strong. Grassy, citrus, some pine.

Taste is like the nose- hop focused but not all that intense. Citrus, a soapy flavour, some pine. A bit of caramel malt but very light. Alcohol is well-hidden.

Medium bodied, moderately carbonated, somewhat oily.

Overall, not bad, but despite its strength, this comes across as more of an IPA than a DIPA to me. Close but does not pack the punch that I expected.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 17:26:23 | More by jrenihan

tronester

Oklahoma

3.88/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A light golden in color, with a thin off-white head. A mild earthy and citrus aroma. Taste begins with a huge malt blast up front, followed by some resinous hops, then some citrus. Mouthfeel was super rich, but low carbonation. Overall a good DIPA, though I prefer them to typically be a bit drier than Hop Wallop is.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2012 23:50:22 | More by tronester

AdamPenna

New York

3.55/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Big melon scent from the first pour's blast. Not much of the piney, citrusy smell I like in an IPA, but eccentric enough to keep me interested. Straw/amber color. Fine, fluffy head. Tastes melony, citrusy, bitter-y, and some pine. Not hoptastic but a very pleasant bitter experience. Some oiliness, dryness, too, in the finish. An admirable mouthfeel. I have to be careful with this because it's 1) delicious and 2) 8.5% ABV. Lacing lasts and rings the glass--a thing I like perhaps more than I should. Served in a Greenport Harbor Brewing pintglass.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 20:00:14 | More by AdamPenna

JamesMN

Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Clear golden with some visible effervescence slowly ascending towards a finger of bright white foamy head that laces well.

Aroma: Orange citrus and some pine. Not much of a malt presence.

Taste: Piney hops hit the palate first along with a nice moderate bitterness (I'm guessing 75-80 IBUs). Real good barley flavor and a hint of toffee. Finishes with a little citrus and an earthy character. A real nice balance without being too hop forward or a malt bomb. It's expertly done because there is a good amount of bitterness throughout but the malt flavor still comes through. Don't taste any of the 8.5% ABV but get a nice warming in the back of the throat. Comparable to DFH 90 Min.

Mouthfeel: Just above medium in body but never syrupy or sticky like some DIPAs can be. Real easy drinking but more of something you try to savor. Smooth feel despite the bitterness.

Final Thoughts: Pleasantly surprised by this one. A very good (East Coast) IPA. Would I drink it again? Yeah, and since it's a seasonal I'll check it out every year.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 07:29:01 | More by JamesMN

EricLander

3.75/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Good quality beer here. As a general preference, I enjoy piney and bitter hops - and that's precisely why I chose this beer when making my last run.

Based on the date on the bottle, this was bottled up in September - so I'm drinking it a couple months later. Poured, there was a very tall two finger head - not expected.

The aroma was certainly hoppy - but not nearly as strong as I would've thought. Not exactly the wallop I expected. Taste wise though, particularly for a beer of this ABV, it's incredibly smooth. Appearance is decent - but nothing spectacular. A little more golden than I would've expected.

All in all a solid choice for a hoppy ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 03:37:15 | More by EricLander

jtierney89

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

rather clear blonde color with a nice 2 finger head. very piney hop nose. citrus and a bit of detectable alcohol.

Smooth slick mouthfeel. Big bitterness, hop resin, well blended piney earthy and floral hop flavors with a slight citric twang. Bitterness lingers and grows with each sip. Malt body is there just enough to hold hops together for a true hop wallop. Pretty good, alot drier than hop devil and not as good in my opinion but still a pretty good brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 00:24:59 | More by jtierney89

hoppytobehere

Colorado

3.6/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bomber. "Enjoy by Sep (looks like Sop) 10, 2013" So this beer was bottled on Sep 10, 2012. Over 2 months old.

A: Dark golden color, clear body. Not a ton of head, but retention on it is excellent. Also, very nice lacing. Lookin' good!

S: Floral hops, sugar, white bread. Nothing too pungent.

T: Hops dominate, some notes of citrus and sweet candy. But the bitterness could be balanced a lot better. Not much malt.

M: Carbonation levels are fine, medium-bodied. Hop oils make this one a little syrupy, but that's to be expected.

O: Not a bad IIPA by any means, but I see some room for improvement.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 03:23:15 | More by hoppytobehere

Mic-Lee

4.68/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Nice golden color is mildly cloudy. Decent lacing, medium head.

S: Off the charts amazingly awesome. Smells so good, I had my nose in it for a minute before I even took a sip. Strong hops, fresh herbs plucked straight from the garden. As good as any IPA I've ever smelled.

T: Warm aromatic hops all over the place. Very mild bitterness (my preference). Alcohol is virtually non-present, and at 8.2% that's pretty impressive. Floral, piney, herbal. Terrific hop-forward flavors.

M: Pretty standard, not overly carbonated. I think for brews this well-balanced and flavorful it pays not to carbonate too much. Probably the right amount for the beer, but mouthfeel isn't a standout characteristic for this one.

O: I'm very impressed. Luckily, I found a place nearby that sells this out of the coldbox for $5.99. I will be picking this one up frequently from this point forward. A new favorite. Thanks, Victory!

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 03:33:57 | More by Mic-Lee

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A: poured from 12 oz bottle into a chalice, golden orange amber with a small tight white head that slowly dissipates leaving good lacing, cloudy, some small bubbling

S: citrus hop notes, lots of lemon, odd wheat beer like ester (similar to banana), fresh delicious and complex, slight pine

T: sweeter at the beginning fading into a hop blast, dry hoppy finish, sweet beginning is surprising, mostly malt up front but changes to dry piney citrus hops

M: mouthfeel is near perfect, excellent carbonation, good coating of the palate, dry hop finish, alcohol well hidden

O: a very well crafted double IPA with few flaws, it was odd that the hops only dominated the aftertaste of this beer, also the sweet fruit ester made it a bit strange albeit interesting, a good beer to enjoy if you are a fan of the DIPA syle but want something besides hops, hops, and more hops

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 04:02:47 | More by M_C_Hampton

Beerandboards

New Mexico

2.58/5  rDev -37.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Bottle with DBD that looks to be sometime in 2013, but mostly illegible.

A - Color is pretty run of the mill pale gold. There are some visible floaties of some nature. Not sure what they might be.

S - Floraly hops, some citrus, lemon, some malty/bready notes. However, immediately on sniffing this, there is a soapy note, musty almost. Somewhat off putting.

T - Hmmm... Bitter lead, some malty-ness, theres the hops, lots of lemon rind, But theres that damn soapy overtone again. It just grabs my palate and dominates the flavor...

M - High carb, but not overly so. Good coat, even if its aiding that soapiness mentioned before.

O - I hope I just got a bad bottle (6 pack...). Maybe its just me, however, I had another brew right before this one, which I thought was great. I will certainly give this another chance at some point. Maybe (hopefully) this bottle is an an anomaly and the others in the six pack will be saved. Although my hopes arent high on that. Underneath the soapy weirdness, there seems to be a good beer. If this is a good representation of the brew, this ones not for me. But, I'll try it again some time, given my suspicion that I've just got a bad bottle here.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 01:37:59 | More by Beerandboards

Keyportnick

Wisconsin

4.83/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

12oz bottle served in a tulip. Dated on label enjoy best by may 30 2013.

A- pours a light golden pale with no haze. Pure white head that fades to one finger but holds on about half way through

S- I could smell the hops as I poured it. Nice bright grapefruit with spice. Rounded out by some dull pineapple and deep earth wet hop.

T- lives up to the smell, nice rich grapefruit, pineapple, mango, spice and bright green hops. out by a well balanced hop bitterness that hits the back of the pallet just right and doesn't hang around to long. The 8.5% is no where to be found either.

M- Nice and smooth light fluffy body with a low carbonation that floats right over the tongue.

O- overall I think this is one of my favorite American double ipa's. The flavors of the fresh fruits in the hops combined with the way the bitterness goes as fast as it comes but has enough time to really taste the bitterness makes it insanely drinkable. The light fluffy body and how this beer coats the mouth is very pleasing. Just wish I would of bought more than one bottle in a mix a six is my only fault with this beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 03:54:24 | More by Keyportnick

mjtiernan

New York

4.33/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into a globe. Bottled ??? I think there’s a drink by date that goes somewhere into 2013 but the stamp is illegible. Still one of the fresher bottles I’ve seen lately.

A: Lots of head on this one for a double IPA...almost three fingers. Oodles of lacing. Color is a pretty standard hazy gold.

S: Mostly citrus with some tropical fruit and floral aromas. Grapefruit, sweet mango, a bit of tangerine. A bit of sweet malt in the background.

T: Very nice. The tropical, citrus and floral hop flavors from the aroma mesh together wonderfully. The amount of malt is just about perfect for my preference.

M: Body is medium to full, carb on the high side, texture fairly dry but still refreshing. Nothing too harsh...very drinkable.

O: A very enjoyable experience. There’s something unique and well done about the whole flavor profile. Glad I finally found a fresh bottle.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 04:16:25 | More by mjtiernan

Hopheadjnr

4.78/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle into tulip.

A...clear and golden with a one finger head. Little retention with lots of lacing.

S...piney, earthy with a little malt backbone.

T...hops right up front. Nice bitterness with a crisp, citrus taste finishing off with a sticky pine resin.

M...perfect carbonation. Crisp.

O...very nicely done ipa. Very good examine of a west coast style. Highly recommended

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 00:48:08 | More by Hopheadjnr

Mojo

Alabama

4.63/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Now this beer is just simply awesome. It pours up a cloudy medium gold with a one finger head, some retention, and lots of lacing. The smell is citrus and honey, maybe some floral notes and pine. Mouthfeel is very satisfying. Very full with just the right amount of carbonation. Taste is where this really shines. It has that massive citrus hop presence that just makes you want to drink it fast. A Victory for Victory!!!!

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 01:49:11 | More by Mojo

PorterLambic

Florida

4.23/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Arrives a clear, golden color with a nearly creamy white head. Good retention with a few nucleation sites on the bottom replenishing. The bubbles are moving slower than I've ever seen. How thick is this beer? Good lace.
Smell is malt, hops and spices blended nicely together. Really nicely balanced but allowing all the flavors space. A sweetness is present upon warming, probably honey.
Taste is the same, malt, piney hops a bit stronger perhaps, spices including pepper and a faint whiff of vanilla, I think.
Full bodied, drying, effervescence is sharp up front but fading to allow the piney hops to linger with a remnant of malt for quite a long time. Very nice brew and very welcome after a long day on the motorcycle.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2012 21:07:53 | More by PorterLambic

Teleweizen2

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - pours a cloudy orange with a yellowish tinge. Only a fingers worth of tightly packed white foam on top. Does have decent retention. Leaves tons of spotty lacing on the glass after each sip.

S - very intense aroma. Tons of piney and floral notes. Lots of citrus fruit as well in the form of grapefruit rind, tangerines and orange zest and a hint of marmalade spread across soft doughy bread.

T - some candied sweetness and some lingering doughy flavor. Strong citric bitterness enters quickly in the form of grapefruit rind. Lots of grassy notes as well as some leafy ones. Juicy tangerine at the backend along with leafy bitterness.

M - medium bodied close to full with a creamy texture. Medium carbonation.

O - a very nice DIPA. I love the nose. Hits all the piny and floral notes. And it isn't too sweet which is always a plus.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 01:55:03 | More by Teleweizen2

BEERMILER12

Maine

4.1/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a cloudy straw yellow color with a fingers worth of head that fades quickly

S: Fruity and earthy hops are at the forefront, along with some malts. Hops anyone?

T: A smattering of fruity and grassy/earthy hops are the main focus, with a light malt backbone that provides just enough to undermine the hop bomb. Bitter well into the finish

M: Medium bodied with low-moderate carbonation. Really brings out more of the hop character

O: What more could you want out of a hop-forward beer? Provides plenty of juicy fruity hops with more than enough bitterness. The malts are barely a player in this beer. Victory achieved exactly what they set out to with this beer. Well done

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 20:10:53 | More by BEERMILER12

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A-cloudy dirty gold colored. thick frothy light cream colored head

S-fresh hops. herbal, almost floral and spicy. medium scent. pretty decent.

T-comes in with a really good taste of fresh citrusy hops and a slightly floral aspect. has almost a belgianesque spice to it as well. this is fairly complex, and very good. i'm impressed with this one. has a good matching after-taste that is fairly sweet.

M-creamy medium carbonation with a creamy finish

O-lately i've been noticing that I haven't been turning to IPAs too much. some of my favorite beers are IPAs, but i rarely try new ones anymore due to how disappointed i often am. i'm glad i was able to try this one. i was quite surprised and impressed with this. i think any hophound will love this.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 16:10:48 | More by AdamBear

ubenumber2

Arkansas

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into pint glass , cloudy light color , nice white 2 finger head , lots of lacing. Smell is very much of grapefruit and kind of sweet. The hop profile really comes through , lots of body in this bottle , with nice hoppy flavor with great after taste , not too dry at all. Im not a big IPA fan but this is one I could drink from time to time and enjoy

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 23:15:38 | More by ubenumber2

hardy008

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours cloudy amber with a 3 finger foamy white head with good retention and lacing. The aroma has grapefruit, pineapple, citrus zest, and pine.

The taste is both bitter and sweet, with the bitterness being stronger. There are the flavors of grapefruit, citrus zest, pine, pineapple, and bit of a sweet malt backbone.

Medium bodied with average carbonation, and a bitter citrus zest aftertaste. Not a bad DIPA by any means, but not as good as the best in class. Worth trying, if you haven't already done so.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 02:53:25 | More by hardy008

JimsArcade

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A recipe that changed drastically after it's initial release... for the better. Not that the original version didn't have its merits. (I miss the fresh-cut lawn smell and taste of that recipe and its extreme bitterness.) This new version is much more balanced, though ultra-hop-heads may want look elsewhere as Victory has muted the hop profile since its first recipe. If anything, this is a great starter IIPA now.

Surprisingly pale for an IIPA, hops and alcohol dominate the nose. The bitterness is countered by a malt sweetness that makes this beer quite drinkable (DEADLY drinkable on cask as it's so smooth).

(This review is based on my experience of the beer as it comes from a bottle, my most-frequent sampling. On draft, taste and overall would score and extra 0.5 each. On cask, where Hop Wallop truly shines: taste, mouthfeel and overall would get a 1.0 bump each.)

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 18:39:40 | More by JimsArcade

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.15/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: Slight chill haze on a straight gold body. Head is creamy and white and super sticky. Drops to a wispy cap and chunky collar. Sheets and huge notches of lacing.

Smell: Some pine. Grapefruit flesh and some oily zest. Slight resin. Malts are big, chewy, and slightly sweet. Some mild roasted malts. Touches of caramel sweetness. Really smells like bread dough dusted with hops. Mildly herbal as it warms. Pithy.

Taste: Pithy floral hops. Like drinking flower petals. Vaguely herbal and earthy as well. Some grapefruit flesh mingles with some slightly sweet, incredibly bready malts. Some caramelized sugars. Cooked malts. Doughy. Warms and some of the sweetness drops. Juicy, oily hops. Dry biscuits and crackers.

Mouthfeel: Slick, oily mouthfeel. Medium body with a moderate carbonation. Smmoth and a touch creamy.

Overall: Hippies had a hand in this.

So floral it's crazy. Like a pithy flower perfume. Less than desirable in the long run.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 20:17:42 | More by Goblinmunkey7

bmwats

Louisiana

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a standard pint.

A: Golden hue. Light carbonation. Effervescence rises throughout. Pours about a half finger, bubbly, white head. Settles quickly leaving a thick blanket of foam on the surface, and a hefty beer ring. Thick beer ring lacing remains as you drink it down.

S: Pine, lavender, and basil.

T: Sharp biting pine and pecan shells. Just a very slight hint of something sweet for balance.

M: Full and syrupy feel, very sharp bite in the front and throughout. Bitter, dry finish.

D: Sipping pace will be dictated by the harsh bite.

Atmosphere is solid. Nice body, great color, substantial head, and lots of lacing. Nose is simple, but very strong combination of pine, flora, and spice. Flavor, in turn, is simple but full-on.... pine and bitter pecan shells. Overall, this is a really good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 06:09:44 | More by bmwats