Pursuit Of Hoppiness - Grand Teton Brewing Co.

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BA SCORE
90
exceptional
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324 Ratings

THE BROS
91
exceptional
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rAvg: 4.01
pDev: 10.22%
Reviews: 172
Hads: 152

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Brewed by:
Grand Teton Brewing Co.

Idaho, United States

Style | ABV
American Amber / Red Ale | 8.50% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (142), on-tap (26), growler (4).

Notes:
Pursuit of Hoppiness Imperial Red Ale is brewed to showcase the brash beauty of American hops: Chinook, Centennial and Columbus at 100 International Bitterness Units (IBU). The hops grown in the United States are considered to be some of the best in the world. Compared to their more traditionally subdued, elegant European counterparts, American hops are bold, bright, piney and zesty. This ale is brewed with Idaho 2-Row malted barley and German specialty malts to provide a rich, slightly caramel flavor and bold reddish color. At 22 degrees Plato starting gravity and about 8.5% alcohol by volume, this thick and warming beer is to be shared and savored.

100 IBU

View: Beers (28) | Reviews (3) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by beagle75:

beagle75

Iowa

3.95/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Slightly hazy, medium amber color--showing crimson in strong light--with over one finger of diminishing off-white foam head that leaves partial residual coverage across the surface. Trails of carbonation rise eagerly in the column and heavy lacing remains on the glass.

S: Resinous and slightly piney hops are initially subordinate to focused tropical fruit, consisting mostly of passion fruit and pineapple. A thread of mild caramel unifies the other components, but as time passes the tropical fruit quality fades, revealing more of an estery presence.

T: Begins off-dry, with citrus and pine hop aromatics balanced by caramel malt and moderate acidity. A whiff of alcohol and some substantial bitterness work here to elevate overall flavor intensity. Estery fruit emerges into the middle until becoming co-dominant alongside refined caramel. Relatively restrained bitterness returns in the finish, and a faint manifestation of woodiness lingers on the palate.

M: Medium viscosity, slightly sticky with hop resins and also lively with acidity, and with moderate carbonation. Ultimately it is remembered as being quite interesting yet smooth on the palate.

D: While the flavors encountered here are an ensemble component of a greater whole, their understated nature does not disappoint. In comparison to the other highly noteworthy qualities, they simply struggle to be recognized as this beer's stand-out feature. It has at times been suggested that any beer with a hop reference in the name is sure to go off the rails at some point, but Pursuit of Hoppiness stays the course with laser-focus, with the benefit to the drinker being an elegant balance that is frequently found to be lacking in other American beers.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2011 05:41:54 | More by beagle75

More User Reviews:

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

3.75/5 rDev -6.5%

05-23-2013 01:59:57 | More by mikeincharleston

firecrack0r

California

4.75/5 rDev +18.5%

05-22-2013 23:02:39 | More by firecrack0r

dertyd

California

4/5 rDev -0.2%

05-19-2013 03:20:29 | More by dertyd

NickSMpls

Minnesota

4.5/5 rDev +12.2%

05-19-2013 01:03:26 | More by NickSMpls

GOGRANDE

Colorado

4.25/5 rDev +6%

05-17-2013 04:15:25 | More by GOGRANDE

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.15/5 rDev -21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz bottle, $2.49. I had this once before in a 750ml bottle so I thought I better review it hence the repeat purchase,. The bottling date was fuzzy but it appears to have been bottled in March of this year so its about two months old. Red color, head was fine. Aroma was a muted bit of hops and really smelled like a double amber ale. Flavor was heavy malts like an amber ale with just a bit of fruitiness from the hops. I bet this is great when its a couple weeks old but at two months its really a disappointment. Its not bad but the hops were just not there for teh advertised IBU and the name of the beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 20:29:28 | More by ArrogantB

sevenshubby

California

4.5/5 rDev +12.2%

05-12-2013 02:59:36 | More by sevenshubby

JeltMaaj

Illinois

3.5/5 rDev -12.7%

05-12-2013 00:33:36 | More by JeltMaaj

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

3/5 rDev -25.2%

05-08-2013 03:32:15 | More by tommyguz

MeisterMayhem

Colorado

4/5 rDev -0.2%

05-07-2013 19:03:12 | More by MeisterMayhem

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.75/5 rDev -6.5%

05-04-2013 20:37:11 | More by Kelp

Mdog

Minnesota

4.03/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark red amber, lots of particles in suspension, big head.

Smell: Citrus, fruitiness underneath.

Taste: Moderate sweetness, toffee, raisins. Mild citrus bitterness, lasting bitter finish.

Overall: This was a tasty beer, if not quite what I was expecting. At 100 IBU I thought it would be much more bitter, however, the hops took a back seat to the malt flavors. The hops did give it a dry finish though. Bottled in March 2013, consumed in May 2013, it shouldn't have lost too much in the way of hop flavor. Still quite good.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 15:34:41 | More by Mdog

LuceScrew

Idaho

5/5 rDev +24.7%

04-27-2013 22:26:15 | More by LuceScrew

zonker17

Illinois

4/5 rDev -0.2%

04-23-2013 00:13:10 | More by zonker17

jreindl

Wisconsin

4/5 rDev -0.2%

04-20-2013 13:26:30 | More by jreindl

GuzzLah

Illinois

3.75/5 rDev -6.5%

04-19-2013 23:03:39 | More by GuzzLah

Ak555667

Illinois

4/5 rDev -0.2%

04-18-2013 14:34:11 | More by Ak555667

TS057

North Dakota

4.5/5 rDev +12.2%

04-17-2013 00:52:55 | More by TS057

Stevedore

Wisconsin

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

12oz bottle dated 12/5/2012, poured into a Nonic pint 4/13/2013, review is transcribed from notes from that day.

Aroma: A nice, sickly malty sweet scent, remniscent of caramel and toffee right off the bat with a good bit of hoppy pine and a bit of grapefruit. Not the most pungent ale but it's easy to get the nose here. (4)

Colour: Pours a cloudy, sort of opaque dark copper with a fluffy 2cm white head that dissipates into a thick white film with a medium sized collar. The lacing is beautifully thick and sticks all over the place. A very appetizing and tempting red ale. (4)

Flavour: Given that its 3 months old, this beer is still hoppy as hell with pine dominating with a little bit of citrus in the background; all of this hoppiness is backed up by a sweet caramel toffee malty backbone. It's an extremely well balanced beer, especially compared to IPAs which tend to have more hoppiness compared to malts. The not so cloying sweetness reminds me quite a bit of Nugget Nectar even though the hop profiles are very different. I liked this a lot. (4)

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, resinous and very well carbonated. Aftertaste is an assload of pine and a bit of citrus that definitely showcases the IBUs, and it doesn't go away on its own without washing it down with water. Dang strong hoppy beer, and well-balanced to boot. The finish is a bit drier than I would like, even taking into consideration the hoppy bitterness. (4)

Overall: Nicely done, I think I prefer Nugget Nectar slightly more to this one just because of the difference in hop profiles. Yet this one is hoppy as hell with an awesome malt backbone to back it up. It's seriously well-done and I would definitely recommend. (4)

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 02:41:43 | More by Stevedore