Drake's Hopocalypse - Drake's Brewing Co.

Thingus

California

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

Live tasting, bomber into Duvel tulip...

Appearance; pours a remarkably clear copper/orange/burnt sienna color... Two fingers of bubbly off white head quickly dissolve, and retention is minimal... Very thin film is all that remains after a minute or so... Minimal amount of blotchy lacing...

Smell; opens with generic tropics and citrus, having a slightly difficult time pinning down specifics... A dull carmel sweetness hangs around in the glass as well.

Taste; generic tropical fruits, strong grapefruit and orange rinds, good resinous finish but not too much pine... I do get mild hints of caramel... Spice comes in as the bitterness starts to come into full bloom... As it warms up a little, things are changing a bit, there is significantly more bitterness as well as a slight alcohol/resin bite on the finish.

Mouthfeel; solid mouthfeel, good carbonation and full medium to light full bodied... Slightly sticky finish with a moderate bitterness that hangs around..

Overall; a rock sold DIPA, but I was hoping for a bit more bitterness and perhaps some more complexity... Absolutely not bad but perhaps a little vanilla compared to some of the offerings I've had recently... Would love to get my hands on the black label!!

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 03:44:59 | More by Thingus

mxchap

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-21-2013 04:15:37 | More by mxchap

jakeox

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

05-19-2013 00:12:03 | More by jakeox

Pelican5

California

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

05-16-2013 07:29:10 | More by Pelican5

Bonko_the_sane

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

05-12-2013 18:34:57 | More by Bonko_the_sane

Topher78

California

4.75/5  rDev +14.2%

05-07-2013 20:15:55 | More by Topher78

Jeremy6566

Arizona

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-07-2013 20:15:07 | More by Jeremy6566

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-03-2013 13:18:01 | More by jmarsh123

Devi0us

California

4/5  rDev -3.8%

05-03-2013 04:37:58 | More by Devi0us

Dirtinabottle

New York

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-01-2013 04:15:29 | More by Dirtinabottle

spycow

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

04-26-2013 23:39:37 | More by spycow

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.14/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to JLindros for sharing this up at Tree House. Poured into a small snifter. Reviewed from notes.

A - Pours a clear golden hue with a quarter inch head that fades to leave a light thin blanket and light side lacing. Minimal wisps as well.

S - Quite nice and inviting bitter hop resins here. Light malt backbone.

T - Lots of resinous pine here and subtle sweet malts. This is a solid DIPA here with a good pine. That being said, its fairly one dimensional.

M - Mouthfeel is good, nicely carbonated and super drinkable considering what it is.

O - Overall this was a solid DIPA, however, there are in my opinion much better DIPAs on the market.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 22:01:44 | More by rudzud

Kenai4

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

04-26-2013 02:42:42 | More by Kenai4

hopkrid

Florida

4/5  rDev -3.8%

04-25-2013 16:15:16 | More by hopkrid

MrGone

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

04-25-2013 06:50:01 | More by MrGone

drgonzo2k2

California

4/5  rDev -3.8%

04-21-2013 19:07:35 | More by drgonzo2k2

Drucifer

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +14.2%

04-21-2013 03:33:23 | More by Drucifer

JimGlonke

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

04-21-2013 02:53:55 | More by JimGlonke

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

4.16/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Consumed 4/18/13

Cheers to magictacosinus for sending a bottle my way

Appearance: Light amber from a distance, copper, orange, and some golden tones around the edges upon further inspection - unexpectedly clear for a hop bomb -nice, off-white head, leaves some streaks of lacing

Smell: Hello, hops - fruity, oily, and resinous - tropical notes (citra is pretty obvious), melons, pineapple, orange, tangerine, and grapefruit - fleshy citrus, with some bitter oils, and some wet pine - some light caramel and pale malts in the background, nice amount of sweetness

Taste: Citrus, with a side of fruit punch - orange and grapefruit flesh, with some bitter, oily rinds - some nice tropical notes, very fruity - some hoppy spiciness, a touch of pepper - some wet pine - caramel and light amber malts, provides a good backbone - very bitter - a bit too sweet overall, with a touch of syrupyness, but not by much

Mouthfeel: On the full side of medium, nice carbonation, oily, sticky, bitter aftertaste

Overall: Superior to Mel Gibson's Hopocalypo

There are some aspects of Hopocalypse that remind me of Denogginizer, except this beer is a lot better. The hop profile is very interesting, with a lot of fruity, juicy, and spicy notes. It's close to abrasive in its bitterness, but it's not. Win.

Edit: While pouring the second half of the bomber into my glass, I re-read the label. This was brewed with rye. That would explain the spiciness. It's brilliantly subtle.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 04:18:17 | More by angrybabboon

Grant35

California

5/5  rDev +20.2%

04-19-2013 01:48:34 | More by Grant35

macrosmatic

Florida

4.24/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Big thanks to eyebereej for hooking me up with this bottle! Reviewed from notes. Poured from bomber into a Russian River pint glass.

A: Pours a mildly hazy bright gold with a two-finger white head and lots of visible carbonation.

S: Pine, tropical fruit, sweet citrus, and mango hops, with a bit of background cracker malt. Smells awesome.

T: Follows the nose in notes, but is significantly more bitter than expected. Tons of tropical, pine, citrus hops, but with some melon and spice added in. Cracker malt sweetness fades in and out during the drink.

M: Relatively light body for a DIPA. Lots of carbonation sensation, but the alcohol seems just a bit too prominent.

O: A good beer, but pretty far from a standout in the class. Not even Drake's best IPA - I would prefer Aroma Coma to this one by a good margin. Still, quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 00:04:44 | More by macrosmatic

popery

California

4/5  rDev -3.8%

04-14-2013 08:21:57 | More by popery

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

04-12-2013 14:52:17 | More by ShanePB

Pando

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -3.8%

04-10-2013 03:45:27 | More by Pando

mendvicdog

Maryland

4/5  rDev -3.8%

04-08-2013 02:38:48 | More by mendvicdog