Pursuit Of Hoppiness
Grand Teton Brewing Co.

Pursuit Of HoppinessPursuit Of Hoppiness
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From:
Grand Teton Brewing Co.
 
Idaho, United States
Style:
Imperial Red Ale
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
89
Avg:
3.98 | pDev: 10.05%
Reviews:
192
Ratings:
498
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 16, 2021
Added:
Oct 10, 2009
Wants:
  48
Gots:
  41
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
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by nhindian:
Photo of nhindian
Reviewed by nhindian from Pennsylvania

4.27/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Provided by dtx00 at a recent, small tasting. Thanks, Sam!

750ml bottle poured into a pint, split 3 ways.

A - Pours a ruby red color with highlights of rustic orange and cherrywood. It grows about 1.5-fingers of head with good retention. It leaves behind some lacing, but nothing incredibly special. The body, however, is beautiful, from the color to the almost crystal-clear transparency that paints everything on the other side a deep crimson.

S - Immediately after pouring, aromas of numerous hops waft up and fill the air. This apparently has reached the fabled 100 IBU mark, which definitely is impressive, especially for a style like amber ales, where very hoppy beers are not typically the norm. The hops here give a robust nose full of spice, earth, and of course lots grapefruit bitterness. Some caramel as well, but obviously not much.

T - I have to say, upon my first sip I was impressed. I've heard snippets about this brewery, but nothing substantial, but this is a great tasting beer. It has the bitter hoppiness like something a double IPA would bring, but also has a more complex base behind it with the malts, which are sweet and even nutty at times. From there, the hops springboard to the front, offering bold, rich flavors across the hop spectrum. The spiciness is something that I found myself liking, especially when complemented with the malts, and the strong pine and grapefruit and other citrus notes are always welcome. Just a tinge of heat in the finish.

M - Mouthfeel is moderately heavy-bodied with okay carbonation. A little bit more carbonation would have hit the sweet-spot, but it's not bad in its current state. Even after a single pour, my mouth and palate were starting to feel that numbness that hops sometime impart.

D/O - Drinkability is high. A complete dark horse for me, but I can't say I wasn't enjoying every last bit of this beer. It was refreshing to get a beer with the strong hop presence, but also with the fortitude to withstand that and balance it with the malt sweetness. I will definitely be keeping Grand Teton on my radar for the future.
Oct 12, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.62 by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

Oct 16, 2021
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: A most impressive bubble show creates two fingers of ecru foam; the clear copper colored liquid glistens beneath the splattering of lace

Smell: Piney hops interplay with caramel malts, producing an earthy tone

Taste: Caramel forward with the piney hops emerging; some dried citrus character, as well, through the middle; despite the big malt bill, the beer stays relatively dry, with the earthy tone of the hops blending nicely but ruling the show

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: I am always wary of red ales as so many of them are dominated by Munich malts; this beer has plenty of malt and some may be of the Munich persuasion, but the hops are so powerful that the result is quite worthy
Jan 19, 2017
 
Rated: 3.74 by Ilafan from Minnesota

Jan 17, 2017
 
Rated: 3.16 by Wonderweasel from Kansas

Dec 13, 2016
 
Rated: 4.79 by johnnyminor from Washington

Dec 05, 2016
 
Rated: 3.74 by Juno_Malone from Idaho

Nov 11, 2016
 
Rated: 3.94 by wisegreensoul from Idaho

Nov 09, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by WillisTalkinBout from Wyoming

Sep 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.83 by cbcrunch from Wyoming

Sep 11, 2016
Photo of Bierliebhaber3
Reviewed by Bierliebhaber3 from Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I’ve had many “imperial” beers before and enjoyed many of them, but this is the first time I will try an imperial red. This beer pours a dark amber color with a fairly minimal tan head. The smell is quite unique, very crisp and hoppy, with notes of citrus. The taste is fairly unique also. It starts with a fairly muted, but crisp flavor, but then the aftertaste hits you which is much bolder and fairly complex for a red. It is certainly hoppy at 100 ibu with notes of bitter grapefruit and a little pine common to IPAs, though it is less hoppy than some west coast IPAs. It also has flavors not common to IPAs though, like a fairly pronounced biscuit maltiness, and definitely some caramel. This is certainly more interesting than most reds and I kind of like it in general. It has a nice balance between hops and malt.
Jun 09, 2016
Photo of Omnium
Reviewed by Omnium from Pennsylvania

3.77/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle > Pint Glass

A - Slightly hazy deep red with a thick foamy two finger khaki head, thick lacing
S - Lots of caramel malt, some roasted nuttiness, pine and grassy hops, light citrus.
T - Lots of caramel and biscuit malt, slight diacetyl, orange, raisin, the bitterrness of the hops doesnt come through well enough.
M - Chewy and on the thicker side.
O - Kinda standard IRA, too much malt and not enough hop flavor comes through
May 18, 2016
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.33/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Red appearance, but came off a little overcarbonated. Head jumped up and down quickly. Off white. Aroma was giving off more crystal malt caramel smells than hops. All bittering hop bill here.

Taste could have just as well been called pursuit of maltiness. I mean, the red malt body is really here. Its a sticky resin. Some C hops give it high bitterness. Price is expensive in this format. Would not repeat.
Apr 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by einman from Minnesota

Apr 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.64 by Futbolmanby from Michigan

Mar 27, 2016
Photo of oberon
Reviewed by oberon from North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pours from the growler into an imperial pint glass a deep rich amber with a frothy full one finger light beige head atop that leaves one full thick ring of "scum" behind as it settles into a frothy mass.Pine resin and nutty malts in the nose with some underlying caramel but not to sweet.I really like the almost creamy feel,it goes down very easily but has substance.Flavors of pine resin and grassy hops over top of nutty and caramel malts,kind of like an old school left coast hoppy red.I like this beer,it doesn't seem as big as it is and is the style that really turned me on to hops back in the day.
Mar 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.54 by wlynch from California

Jan 06, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by BabaBeer from California

Dec 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.63 by BEER88 from North Carolina

Dec 03, 2015
Photo of TheSixthRing
Reviewed by TheSixthRing from California

3.86/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Bottling date of 09/17/15

Appearance - Pours Pours murky and dark, rusted orange in color with a finger finger's worth of sandstone head. Fair retention, leaving behind a thin, consistent layer of suds across the surface. Lacing is mostly spotty with a few broken web patterns lining the glass.

Smell - The aroma hits on caramel, earthy and floral hops and a touch of citrus.

Taste - Follows the nose. Caramel malt and floral hop character hits first. Touches on woody earthiness and vague leafy/minty notes. Mild notes of bright citrus hits mid-taste and rides into the finish.

Mouthfeel - On the plus side of medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth, drinkable quality.

Overall - A commendable brew that takes on the more earthen qualities of the hop as opposed to the more fruity, citrusy flavors we've seen bombard the market in recent years. It's a quality brew, and those who love more earthy hops will love it.
Nov 28, 2015
Pursuit Of Hoppiness from Grand Teton Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 498 ratings