Hop Cream - Capital Brewery

Crimsonfloods

Florida

3.41/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A: golden orange, white head, little to no lacing in the pint glass

S: very light on the nose, hops and I smell feint vanilla notes.

T: creamy hoppy, subtle vanilla far in the background, not too much more.

D: very dry finish! I assumed this beer would stick to the inside of my mouth but once it was down it was down. Pretty neat.

O: I don't think I would jump through hoops to try this again, but if it fell in my lap, I'd give it another go! Solid flavor and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 04:03:11 | More by Crimsonfloods

ChimRichels

Wisconsin

3.79/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A - Brilliant orange body that is slightly hazy. Only a thin ring of head yet it still manages to leave a good bit of lacing near the top.

S - Big time hops up front. Very resinous and somewhat herbal. Little to no citrus/fruit to speak of. Maybe a little bit fresh bread in the background.

T - A little more fruity than the nose, but not as much of a hop wallop as the nose would have otherwise indicated. Still some pine flavors persist as well as some mild bread notes.

M - Really smooth and easy to drink. Carbonation mild.

O - A solid representative of an under appreciated style. Will purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 23:52:37 | More by ChimRichels

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.26/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Clear brass and copper color mix. No bubbles. Quick head and a small ring of residual foam.

Interesting lactose, faintly toasted malts, and somewhat citric hop aroma. A little metallic too.

Dry lactic cream with light orange zest hop flavor and bitterness. Toasted crackers and soda water. Feels carbonated, dry, and bitter overall.

An interesting cream ale indeed, but not something I'll buy again. I will say it's worth a try though.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 21:52:39 | More by scruffwhor

Hoploaf

4.48/5  rDev +26.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

If you love hops, but are tired of how hops have become so overused as to make many beers off balance, then I suggest trying Hop Cream. I first tried it when it was just an experimental creation that was on tap at Capitol's beer garden. I was hooked on the first sip by the mellow hop flavor and the creamy head. This is one easy drinking GOOD beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-27-2013 21:13:35 | More by Hoploaf

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.19/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

What folks usually don't know is that early examples of cream ale exhibited a wide range of flavor and feel. The fine folks at Capitol Brewery know this and exploits the crisper, cleaner, and hoppier end of the spectrum than that of the corn riddled lager-like examples.

With its mild haze (presumably from hops), the beer carries a strong straw hue that's brightly golden but not yet amber. The richer look makes me think maibock heading into my first whiff. A cottony white foam floats the beer and is very confident in its retention and lacy adherence.

Grass and grapefruit rise first as the hops dominate the grain in the beer's early aromas. Rustic in nature, the near-stemmy woodish tones over rule the blend of starchy malt, corn, and grain sweetness underneath.

Flavors are more balanced as the grain sweetness latch onto the front of the tongue and give a light coat of crisp bready malts before the hops settle in. But shortly after, the hop flavors of grapefruit rind, orange pith, and citrus oils gain slight command and morph into a grassy, herbal bitterness in finish. The grain taste of "Grapenuts" and cereal reside in support for the light starch and bold hops and add to the sense of crispness and refreshment in finish.

Light to medium-light in body, the grain sweetness is accompanied by rich proteins that hold onto the abundant carbonation deep into finish for a creamy texture. But as the malts and carbonation sharply fall off, what's left is a grassy astringency to accompany hop bitterness as the beer comes to closure. This is the lasting feel that trails quickly for a terse aftertaste and texture.

As the beer lovers will likely agree that the preferred crisper and cleaner versions of cream ale are best. But the flavors here are similar enough to American pale ales to draw these unfair comparisons. These comparisons will leave this hoppy cream ale in slighter celebration and demand.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 18:38:46 | More by BEERchitect

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The final offering in my surprise Christmas mixer pack.

A - Pours a slightly hazy pale golden colour, finger of head with little retention and some sporadic lacing.

S - Some nice floral hop notes, sour citrus rind, hints of earthy pine and a touch of buttery caramel.

T - A tad more mild than implied by the nose, the earthy pine and floral hop notes come through alongside a bready caramel malt base. The citrus rind notes linger alongside some buttered bread.

M - Medium bodied, smooth and wet.

O - The tastiest of the mixer by far, though it could still use a bit of a flavour boost. I would suggest this as a good brew to suggest to someone who is just beginning to appreciate hops. The hop presence is a nice additive to what is otherwise a pretty mild flavoured brew style. Glad I had the opportunity to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 00:21:05 | More by andrenaline

pmcadamis

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Dull bronze, slightly cloudy, and topped with a small but persistent head of khaki fizz. Good lace too.

S - True to the name, this is quite hoppy for the style. In a sniff test I would have guessed an APA or English pale ale (due to some floral aspects). Caramel behind the hops. Nice.

T - Metallic, floral, and bitter in an English-bitter sort of way. Again, really hoppy for the style and for some reason this is really giving me a British "Real Ale" bitter vibe.

M - Extremely dry. Starts dry and finishes sararah-dry.... wow. Light and creamy as it should be, but this dryness is really impressive.

This is a really good brew, especially for what I've found in my limited experience to be a relatively ho-hum style. I'm quite impressed.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 18:12:42 | More by pmcadamis

garymuchow

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

No bottle dating that I can see.
Nice green grassy hop aroma, with an English ale presentation that is enjoyable. Just enough malt to fill out the base.
Slightly cloudy golden amber with a smaller, but very creamy and very white head. Drippy lacing throughout the glass.
Nice and soft but hop forward flavor. Just a bit of toasty crunch to the malt. Hop flavors match the aroma, with a noticeable but soft bittering and a pleasing lingering on the finish.
Smooth for a lighter bodied ale. Moderately carbonated but it lends a soft character and doesn't disrupt the smoothness.
This is another good addition to the local cream ale scene. It competes well with the others with an additional twist to make it unique.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 22:01:42 | More by garymuchow

shand

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

It's strange, but I'm actually pretty excited about this one. I love Cream Ales, and wouldn't mind one with a little more of a hop kick. Hop Cream pours out a slightly hazy orange with two fingers of persistent head. The aroma is nice, with grassy and floral hops over the cream ale base. The taste is very good, it's got a nice amount of floral and grassy hop flavors at first, with a light and creamy finish. Basically a tastier riff on the cream ale formula as far as I'm concerned. It's not going to give you the hop flavor that an IPA will, but it's a great amount to still keep the cream ale character in place. The mouthfeel is light and creamy, and the drinkability is great. Overall, this is a superb cream ale. It provides more hop flavor than average, which really makes this a more interesting beer. A great session beer that I'll be sure to revisit next summer if it's still around.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 01:03:52 | More by shand

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out as a clear looking golden yellow color. The head was white and kind of fizzy. The retention and lacing was minimal. The smell of the beer is much hoppier than most Cream Ale's. Given the name of the beer that was the intent. The taste of the beer has a sharp bitterness to it also, not too badly balanced either with the malts. The mouthfeel of the beer is clean, crisp and light bodied. Overall it was a decent beer in my opinion. Glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 03:11:22 | More by Knapp85

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Hop Cream pours a nice dark copper color, with a nice sized head. There was a wet slightly hoppy smell, and an almost coffee aroma. The taste had a weird floral taste, that was slightly bitter, with a strong malty backbone, and a bit of a sweetness, and a almost farm like yeasty taste. A solid flavor, but I don't know if I would like to drink a few of these. Overall not horrible, but i didn't find it too enjoyable, reminded me of an up class miller.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 02:21:00 | More by vette2006c5r

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.2/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- Dark golden. Head is one finger and retains well. Some lacing.
S- Smell is mild but is light citrus, some earthyness and biscuity malt.
T- The flavor is kinda medicocre. There is a hint of citrus, a bit of noble earthyness and a touch of sweet malt.
M- Lower carbonation. Medium-light body. Easy drinking.
O- This isn't a bad beer but since they advertised hop I expected more. Not bad, but underwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 17:19:38 | More by jsprain1

barnzy78

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz, pours golden-copper with a foamy white head that fades to a thin layer atop the ale, leaving some lacing on the glass. Aromas are grassy, herbal, earthy. Tastes are similar to aroma - grassy, herbal hop, biscuit, earthy, fruity, slight peppeyness on the tongue. Mouth-feel is medium, creamy, and smooth. Nice, but still light enough. Finishes slightly dry with some lingering hops that fade to a clean finish. Overall, I wasn't sure what to expect here. It's decent and sessionable, but I'd probably pass on buying it again.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 01:59:22 | More by barnzy78

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from session notes.

Pours out a golden color with a single finger of foam that lasts for about a minute, but doesn't leave behind any lacing on the glass. Smells and tastes of a light blend of floral and citrus peel hopping over a touch of wheat, honey, and cracker malt. Lighter soft-textured body and crisp solid carbonation levels.

Once again, a capital beer that does just what it says on the label, a cream ale with light hopping. Although if it were up to me, I would have amplified the hopping by about 30%.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 00:36:00 | More by WastingFreetime

jjanega08

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

No freshness dating.

A= Pours a totally translucent yellowish amber color. Actually looks quite a bit like a sort of basic lager. Maybe a little darker than piss yellow beer. The head is a finger and falls to a thin skin on top of the glass. Some sketchy lacing but it's there.

S= A solid hop aroma with a sort of wheat in there. I don't know if they used wheat or not. I get a little poopy wheat in it however. There also seems to be some basic malty sweetness.

T= The flavor is interesting. It starts with a smooth hop flavor. Nothing over the top or crazy it's a very mild hop flavor before slowly moving into a sort of nothing taste. After nothing the after taste is a biscuity wheaty flavor. For a moment there I thought it was water.

M= A nice lower carbonation.

O= This is an interesting beer. I actually sort of like it. It's got a little flavor and is super easy to drink. I could see myself picking this up if it were reasonably priced. Mine came in a mix six pack. I may be buying some more of this.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 04:05:34 | More by jjanega08

pstutzman

Washington

3.78/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: clear, slightly orange/amber with a smallish head that lingered nicely
S: some citrus hops and a slight hint of malt
T: Starts quite hoppy, then hops vanishes a bit. Not a lot of aftertaste
M: medium-light body
O: very interesting beer. Quite drinkable. Nice hot weather beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 01:08:45 | More by pstutzman

match1112

Illinois

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

as i pour this into a pilsner glass a thick creamy head forms immediately on top of a rising bright golden orange body. thick clumps of lacing are left from top to bottom in the glass. very good looking beer. taste and smell are very floral and hoppy with some bread and cracker in the background. mouthfeel is a little creamy with a nice hop bite to it, clean finish. nice cream ale, will buy more during the hot months.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 01:28:26 | More by match1112

emerge077

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A sixer that disappeared all too quickly, a couple were shared but this is the last one. Poured into a large tapered mug, it has a frothy head of white foam and a copious amount of drippy lacing. Its body is a bright high clarity orange, a perfect crystalline jewel tone. Lasting head retention.

Citrus rind, light yeast, grapefruit and floral notes in the aroma. Hop forward as the name implies, certainly a welcome addition in a cream ale.

Orange zest, citrus pith, light clean malty notes, crackery and resiny dry finish. Light bodied due to the style, plenty bitter but not a chore to drink like some IPAs (not that style comparisons are necessary). A unique and drinkable cream ale from Capital, nice to see a new seasonal from them.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 01:55:35 | More by emerge077

mdmusch

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: Nice, rich golden color... Barely any head on this brew and dissipates to a small outer lace.

Smell: Not overly aromatic... I pick up some citrus notes from the hops and a pretty profound honey smell. I can definitely smell the lager hidden within this beer.

Taste: Actually the beer itself tastes alright. At the beginning you taste something similar to a standard IPA, but that taste almost immediately goes away. The aftertaste is subpar, no flavors really linger. Pretty bland.

Mouthfeel: A light mouthfeel. Almost a perfect consistency for a hot day, the problem is, it doesn't meld with the flavor.

Overall: This was an interesting concept. I've been on a cream ale kick lately, and I was curious as to what a more pronounced hop profile would do to the beer. The beer underwhelmed overall, but I won't have a problem finishing the six pack.

Edit: I actually found that I really enjoyed this beer from the bottle... I will give it a bump in ratings because initially I thought it was too bland, but after the first one I really enjoyed the rest.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 00:20:52 | More by mdmusch

dhannes

Wisconsin

3.13/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured chilled into a Perfect Pint.

A=Dark, rich golden color...creamy two finger head that was very slow to dissipate.

S=Clover honey and citrus and grass. I hate to say it, but it reminds me of the smell of mowing the lawn--cut grass and gasoline.

T=Extreme hop flavor with a sweet backdrop...clearly, Capital is trying to offer an alternative to New Glarus' Spotted Cow, but with more hops. But the hops is a bit too overpowering for my taste and takes it to the extreme for the style. Second half was rather sour and unappealing.

M=First few sips left a film in my mouth, which was not enjoyable. Moderate carbonation. Nice moderate body.

O=This beer got more and more nasty as I got near the bottom. Too sour and too much hops for cream ales.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 22:45:19 | More by dhannes

Strix

Wisconsin

4.23/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark yellow with a frothy head. Crisp green pepper and grapefruit notes atop something not unlike Spotted Cow. A beer like this is presumably not in Capital's lager-comfort-zone, but I feel like they pulled it off nicely. Nicely balanced, and compared to most cream ales I've had, the hops add a nice burst of flavor. Only picked up a single, will have to look for more. This, along with Lakefront's Wisconsinite, may become go-to summer beers.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 01:01:47 | More by Strix

jokemon

Illinois

4.23/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very nice beer from capitol brewing. Picked this up on my way back to IL from WI.

Just like the bottle says there is a very good upfront hop presence that fades into a smooth tasty finish.

It pours a nice creamy head as well. Note: If you are looking for a super hoppy beer this is not it, this is more for people that like hops in smaller quantities.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 00:44:43 | More by jokemon

Pyedog

Florida

4.7/5  rDev +33.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is a new brewery in the Florida Panhandle so I gave it a try. Really surprizing flavor...yes, a very well balanced hoppy cream ale. You should try this if you are a fan of either of these...who isn't? This is a very drinkable offering from Capital City Brewery (good job Kirby)...gonna get some more while I can!

Serving type: on-tap

07-04-2012 16:19:32 | More by Pyedog

deedric

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark straw - clear. White head that falls quickly - reasonably sticky lacing. Smell is delicate, hop hints. Taste up front was hard to determine - started (again) delicate, hop back with some malts interspersed with hops. Sharp mouthfeel at at the front, didn't experience "cream" but was not disapointed. Overall, a nice offering.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 23:47:18 | More by deedric

martyl1000

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +27.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Totally impressed by this beer. What Ilittle I was expecting of a cream ale is upon need by the awesome balance of hop bitterness and s malt smoothness. If you took Sport d cow and I ejected some serious hop flavor, you'd get this .. incredibly refreshing. Wonderful aroma.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 03:07:03 | More by martyl1000