Hop Czar - BridgePort Brewing Co. / Brewpub

BucannonXC5

California

3.68/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Type: 12-oz. bottle
Glass: Hotel glass (~1/3 pint)
From: A Chevron in Tempe, Ariz.
Price: $8.99 for mixed 6-pack
Purchased: May 15, 2013
Consumed: May 17, 2013
Misc.: N/A

Poured a dark orange, caramel, amber, clear color with khaki white head. Pretty bubbly underneath. Healthy amount of consistent layered lacing on the sides. Good retention on the top all the way down.

Smelled grassy hops up front. Also got a tad bit of resin, floral and spruce. Honey and caramel malts as well. Maybe some fruit notes. Some dirty socks. Abrupt on nose though.

Tasted a bit better than the nose. First thing I noticed was the heavy maltness that stuck to the tongue with a big bitter backbone. Floral notes come through better here. Also some orange rind and tangerine.

Light-to-medium body. Creamy texture. Average carbonation. Abrupt, bitter finish.

An OK IPA overall. I’d probably try it again though.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 07:16:25 | More by BucannonXC5

--Dom--

Missouri

3.95/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Pours a clear golden with a 1 finger white head. Piney resiny aroma with malty biscuit.

Pine and grapefruit dominate up front. Sweet malty biscuit on the back end. It's predominately bitter throughout.

Mouthfeel is slightly sticky. Overall this beer is OK. I'm glad I tried it but I probably won't seek it out again.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 03:26:06 | More by --Dom--

tjsdomer2

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Red IPA with good lacing. Bit of a Belgian look to it.

Smell: Mostly caramel.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Caramel and pine. Excellent balance of flavors, but not complex enough. Mouthfeel is full-bodied at first and becomes very thin as it warms.

Overall: I love the bottle design. I like the beer, but there are easily better DIPAs out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 00:42:37 | More by tjsdomer2

WalterHeisenberg

New Mexico

4.13/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Aggressive pour into stein
A: hazy reddish amber. Fat foamy head good lacing. Head dies to a foam cap. Nice.
S: not much. Mostly hoppy. Trace of malt. Still what little there is good
T: bitter slightly cirtusy hops upfront slightly malty middle finishes bitter bready. Bitter top to bottom. Could use more bready-ness. That would be excellent. Hint of the 7.5 ABV
M: medium what you expect for an IPA but not a DIPA.
O: pretty nice . Hoppy all around. Fairly balanced. Could use that touch of bready yeast that would be the hop bomb baby! A bit tame for a DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 01:56:09 | More by WalterHeisenberg

Offa

California

3.76/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

I find this to be a very enjoyable, characterful, and nicely balanced double IPA.

Dark gold, it has a smallish off-white head that steadily thins to a ring.

Aroma is pine and citrus with some toasty raisin.

The taste is similar, but better and fully, with nice balance but clear presence of both sweetness and bitterness. It's an enjoyable and very drinkable double IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 07:12:25 | More by Offa

ilikebeer03

Texas

4.03/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

About a month hold. Poured 12 oz bottle into a wine glass. (Have to improvise when snifters are dirty)

A: Golden bright orange/yellow. excellent head, retention and lacing.
S: citrus, grapefruit, lemon, malt.
T: Some lemon, grapefruit. Malty backbone. Not too much malt, though. Lingering for quite awhile is a bitter, hoppy after taste.
M: good level of carbonation. Medium to Medium +. coats the mouth and leaves a linger aftertastes.
O: A pretty good beer for a very reasonable price. Not the best imperial IPA out there, but certainly not the worst.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 20:36:43 | More by ilikebeer03

Braz

Washington

3.6/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Aroma: Piney and resinous. Touch of citrus rind.

Appearance: Clear, bronzey topaz in color. Pure white head that leaves a bubbly froth on top.

Taste: Quite bitter and definately hoppy. Not alot of sweetness to speak of. Very bitter lingering aftertaste with a touch of booze.

Mouthfeel: Smooth easy drinking feel. Dry finish.

Overall: I prefer IPA's to have just a little more sweetness to them. This is still enjoyable but would not recommend to someone who is still trying to get into IPA's as it is very bitter.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 03:15:56 | More by Braz

dgilks

Australia

2.98/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Hazy, Golden orange colour with a very small white head. Poor head retention and no lacing.

Light alcohol aroma. Notes of tropical fruit and citrus. Grainy malt. Meh.

Sweet, sticky malt. Uninteresting hop flavour. Sharp alcohol and harsh bitterness. Why?

Medium-light body with moderately high carbonation.

A disaster of a beer really. Lacking in crispness and clarity. I just don't get it. Too much alcohol that doesn't work.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 05:27:45 | More by dgilks

Mdog

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Gold, lots of particles (which is a plus for me), ok head.

Smell: Citrus, pine, mildly oxidized (cardboard).

Taste: Balanced, caramel in the background with citrus hops up front. A lemony flavor is kind of interesting.

Overall: Picked up a 6er over the holidays in Illinois as I like double IPAs. This might be a little old but is not too bad. A little more balanced than I prefer but still a fair amount of hop flavor and an interesting lemon hint in the taste.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 01:29:37 | More by Mdog

RattleheadKV2

New Mexico

3.58/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served from 12oz bottle into Unibroue tulip.

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden/copperish color, with about a finger and a half of a fluffy, pillowy white head, that disipates rather quickly, and leaves very minimal lacing.

Smell: Some very nice tropical, and citrus flavors at the front of the nose, followed by a slight grassiness, as well as a very understated malty breadiness.

Taste: Nice piney and citrus notes at the front of the mouth, in the middle you get a nice malty backbone while at the end you get a great crisp hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a nice crisp, dry finish.

Overall: Fairly well made DIPA/IIPA, though comes in a little on the light side compared to todays hop bombs. Still a repeat buy for myself.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 05:10:48 | More by RattleheadKV2

N3rdM3t4l

Oregon

3.05/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle into standard pint.

A: hazy mango flesh colored beer with a tiny little film of white foam and a pencil thin ring around the glass.

S: pretty standard northwest ipa smell. Grassy and slighy citric notes. The sweet rich malt body expected of a double anything stands out pretty well too.

T: the hops go from beginning to end and cary on into aftertaste. Grassy up front, the bitterness starts right away. The sweet on the nose doesn't carry to the taste. The beer is balanced pretty well for an IPA.

M: a tad thick but I have had chewier DIPA before. Smooth but not amazing. Fairly average for the style.

O: not a bad DIPA. Wouldn't buy a sixer but wouldn't turn down a bottle if offered.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 06:46:44 | More by N3rdM3t4l

nUgZ

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bomber poured into a snifter. Enjoyed thanks to SanFranJake.

A: Pours a hazy orange color with a one finger head and nice lacing.

S: Citrus and pine hops, sweet malts, and a little alcohol.

T: Quite bitter. Much like the smell with the addition of grass.

M: Medium bodied with ample carbonation.

O: It's extremely bitter and hoppy, but not quite done the way I prefer. I'm glad I tried it and I'd drink it if offered , but I wouldn't seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 22:45:29 | More by nUgZ

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.63/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours deep amber with a small head.
Nose shows hefty amounts of sweet rich malt along with some resinous piny hops.
Very bold flavours. Big piny and resinous hops along with an aggressive piny bitterness. Some malt underneath but not all that interesting.
A bit too much carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 11:36:43 | More by CrazyDavros

mfnmbvp

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle, no bottled on date present, uncapped and poured into a Boulevard tulip.

A - Non-aggressive pour yields about one finger of creamy root beer float looking head. Very cloudy orange look, significant amount of sediment floating around, and lots of bubbles rushing up the sides of the glass to the top, which keeps the head hanging out. Very nice lacing.

S - Can smell it from a distance. Bubblegum hops, and some more bitter smelling hops & some booze smell coming through. A lot more booze smell coming in because of the glassware.

T - Extreme bitterness kicks things off. Lemon zest. Grapefruit. Very good, but nothing groundbreaking. Still a very well-made imperial IPA, but no real solid distinctions to set it apart from the rest of the pack.

M - Bitter sticky mouth feel with a lingering taste that reminds me of a faintly sublime fruity green apple tartness. Very yummy, indeed.

Overall, the Bridgeport Hop Czar is a winner. When I'm in the mood for a Bridgeport, I have a tough time deciding on Hop Czar or the Kingpin, but Hop Czar usually comes out the winner. "Irresponsibly hoppy" with a nice 7.5% abv, and moderately priced at only $8.99 a six pack around here. In all, this is probably my favorite brew from Bridgeport that I've had so far and I'm looking forward to more!

Bridgeport Hop Czar ---4/5.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 22:18:11 | More by mfnmbvp

Murrhey

Montana

3.18/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Reviewed live.

A- Two finger thick white head with middling retention. Cloudy orange-brown color. Nice looking.

S- Bold floral hops, pineapple, brown sugar. Bold flavor, hop oil is well balanced for the style.

T- Bitter, floral hops. Tasty, not overdone, but not incredibly well balanced either.

M- Light but biting carbonation, light feel, clean finish.

O- Nothing special. Not bad, but not the top of the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 02:58:51 | More by Murrhey

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

3.08/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: poured from 22 oz bottle into a pint glass, deep amber colored with a short dense white head that lingers leaving some lacing, cloudy

S: hops up front, malt follows, grapefruit, grass

T: bitter hops up front but with a metallic taste that is unpleasant, unbalanced, strong bitter aftertaste of grapefruit peel

M: fuller body, definite alcohol presence, lower carbonation

O: the taste kills this one

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 19:16:37 | More by M_C_Hampton

bmwats

Louisiana

3.45/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a tulip.

A: Cloudy, dark amber hue. Pours about a half finger, foamy, white head. Settles quickly leaving a thick rim of foam around the edges of the glass. Some beer ring lacing.

S: Hops, honey, grapefruit, and bubble gum.

T: Really hoppy with a little grapefruit bitter-sweetness.

M: Light, crisp, and mouth-puckering. Steely finish lingers on the palette.

D: The bitterness will dictate a sipping experience.

Atmosphere is pretty solid. Nice hue, with a foamy head, and some solid lacing. Nose is hoppy and tangy with a tinge of sweetness. Hoppy and bittersweet flavor, with a steely finish. Overall, this is a pretty good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 05:03:26 | More by bmwats

BierStein711

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into pint

Two finger quick reducing head

Smells: Piney and hoppy: the way I like my IPAS!!

Taste: herbal, piney, grapefruit, apricot, and grassy!

Mouthfeel: Smooth, with a bite at the end

Overall, this is a solid IPA,! I don't know the price on a six pack, but quite frankly that would be the determining factor of a commitment to a six pack. If I can get something more quality for less, I will.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 17:25:54 | More by BierStein711

beergoot

Colorado

4.03/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Re-reviewed and updated from my 05-12-2012 posting; these notes are from 11-08-2012

Very clear, golden yellow body, very good, whitish head with great lacing.

Decent aroma: sweetly floral, bread-like malt. Hint of pine and caramel.

A very good malt flavor. A satisfying medium bitterness brings you to the finish.

Medium-bodied and soft in mouthfeel. Clean.

Perhaps my first go-around with this beer involved a bad bottle, thus the relatively low rating. This time all the components come together and provide a very respectable DIPA, rich with flavor and scents.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 00:45:34 | More by beergoot

Mojo

Alabama

3.58/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours up a hazy apricot color. The head was thin with poor retention and only a little delicate lacing. The nose is fruit, maybe apples, and I know this sounds strange, but I also smelled something not unlike rubber. Taste is not the most complex. I taste apples and oranges up front followed by a powerful (overpowering) delivery of grapefruit and hops. Mouthfeel is unremarkable. Overall it's pretty drinkable, but there are better DIPAs out there. But I wouldn't turn one of these down.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 04:34:46 | More by Mojo

heygeebee

Australia

2.98/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

From Jim's. BB Mar 13.

Pours a slightly hazy amber/gold. One finger head dies quickly to film. Little lace.

Moderate aromas of pine resin mainly, hint of grapefruit.

Taste is squarely hop-driven and one-dimensional, with a whack of dull hop on the back palate. Let's have some malt backbone if we are calling ourselves an Imperial IPA??? Yes there is grapefruit in the mix, but this is not a complex beer.

Mouthfeel medium weight, veering toward oily.

Overall, Average AIPA really.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 07:21:30 | More by heygeebee

jeffreydurbin

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

This is a perfect example of why Beer Advocate needs an Android app. Rate Beer thought this was a very good beer. Not!

I just completed my sample of Hop Czar and I have started in on a bottle of Hop Notch. There is no comparison.

Hop Czar is best described as an English style IPA and not an American style (or more specifically a Pacific Northwest or California IPA.) There is virtually no aroma and the taste is straight-up bitter. For someone looking for a more English IPA then this is certainly a serviceable example especially for the reasonable price I paid. I just was expecting a different product coming from an Oregon brewery.

As for Imperial, I don't think 7.5% qualifies as Imperial especially when the Hop Notch is 7.2% and it is just claiming to be an IPA.

Certainly not the worst by any stretch of the imagination but it is possible to do much better.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 04:04:45 | More by jeffreydurbin

DavidST

Texas

3.53/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a tulip glass, unknown bottled date. This pours a hazy tea color with a large off white head which has a good retention. and leaves a lacing. The smells are of a slight fruit, some grapefruit, some caramel malts. The feel is medium. The taste is good, a nice amount of bitter hop presence followed by the caramel malts.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 04:07:40 | More by DavidST

Jason

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

LOOK: Hazed dirty straw color, good showing of lacing

SMELL: Dank herb, fresh cut weeds, tobacco, grapefruit rind, pineapple skin, yeast, estery, mild caramel, peppery

TASTE: Smooth, almost silky, very bitter, oily hop resin, lightly boozy, heavy citrus rind, biscuity, ripe tropical fruit, more bitterness, dired grass, astringent, bitter finish

They, without a doubt were trying to go all the way with this beer ... hops seem to be overkill though. Not horribly overdone but certainly a chore to drink even for a veteran hophead. Glad I tried it though.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 00:54:56 | More by Jason

TheSixthRing

California

3.88/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a semi-clear orange amber with a white head that's a touch over a finger width thick. Good retention, resulting in an impressively thick lace with nice stick.

Smell - Lots of fruity esters on the nose. Slightly sour with hints of orange, pineapple and peach. A subtle, underlying malt sweetness is also present.

Taste - Follows the nose; fruity character that's semi-tropical with a a bit of orange pith bitterness. Malts play a minor role flavor-wise (faint notes of caramel here and there), but do well to give the beer balance.

Mouthfeel - Medium to full body. Somewhat sticky. Decently carbonated. Fairly drinkable, but nothing that stands out from sip to swallow.

Overall - Pretty good brew here - nice balance overall, though it doesn't do much to distinguish itself from the vast array of IPA's on the market. I'd buy it again if it were on sale.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 00:05:31 | More by TheSixthRing