Hop Czar - BridgePort Brewing Co. / Brewpub

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

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

Shiny tangerine with golden sunshine colored accents when backlit with... golden sunshine. The firmly creamy crown is the color of lemon sorbet and is oozing with character. It also does a good job of plastering the pint glass with thick sheets of attractive lace that will undoubtedly last to the very last ounce.

Here's hoping the nose opens up a little with warming (note: it does... a little). It's hard to go wrong with a hop bill made up of Nugget, Chinook, Cascade and Centennial, especially when you're as good at brewing beer as BridgePort. Unfortunately, in the end, the aroma is less than impressive.

Sorry, but this Czar doesn't deserve the hopheaded peasants' allegiance. Bitterness we got. Abundant, bright, resinous hop flavor we don't got. In addition, I would have guessed at least 10.0% on the ABV. There's too much unmasked alcohol, something that more hop flavor would have helped to bury.

It sounds as if I don't like Hop Czar, but that isn't the case at all. It just doesn't deliver the goods as well as it should for a beer of this style. Maybe adding the hops later in the boil would have helped. Maybe... who knows. I'm not a brewer, I just drink the stuff.

The pale malt backbone is big enough and does what it can to counteract 100 IBUs worth of bitterness. The top notes are dominated by white grapefruit pith and peel, along with bitter orange, a spritz of pine sap and a bracing shot of Absolut. This DIPA could have been so much more.

Along with the appearance, the mouthfeel is a highlight. It's no more than medium for the style and has an interesting firm-creamy contrast. Other than a minor raspiness from the alpha acids and the alcohol, the beer is pretty damn smooth going down.

I have never had an average BridgePort beer. Come to think of it, with the exception of 2007 Hop Harvest Ale, I have never had a spectacular one either. Hop Czar is closer to average than spectacular, but it's still an interesting ride for the lupulin lovers among us. One and done, though, without question.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2009 21:57:12 | More by BuckeyeNation

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.4/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a semi-turbid amber/orange with 1+ finger of sand colored head. This clears nicely: superior head retention & good lacing

S: Resiny pine & orange slices

T: Citric hops, a bit of toffee sweetness sneaks in before grapefruit & piney hops slam the roof of my mouth! Nice biscuitty malt & tangerine surface as this warms, plus some leafy & piney hops & then the grapefruit express rolls on! Finishes with some woody dryness, then pine resin, plus much grapefruit

MF: Medium bodied, sticky, there's a bit of carbonation here & some nice juicyness from the hops. Balance isn't perfect, damn near

Drinks okay, the heavy hopping slows me down a bit, hopheads will surely disagree. Easily the best beer from Bridgeport IMHO

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2008 06:52:33 | More by russpowell

hopdog

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle acquired in trade with riversideAK (thanks!).

Poured a medium and slightly hazy amber color with a large sized off white head. Aromas of floral hops, a little earthy, and citrus. The floral earthiness dominates. Tastes of fruitiness, floral, caramel, and some toastiness. Fruity sweet and a lighter bitter hoppiness. Alcohol content well hidden.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2008 00:32:29 | More by hopdog

mikereaser

Pennsylvania

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

A - Pours a murky copper color with 1/4 inch of foam that left plenty of lacing on the glass

S - i detected citrus and floral notes and a bit of pine too

T - citrus hops up front, a maltiness that ends with a bitter hop finish

M/D - A little too thick to drink regularly, but a very nice hoppy brew. Not too overboard on the bitter but enough to keep me happy.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2008 18:58:55 | More by mikereaser

Wasatch

Utah

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz. Bomber
Silver Foil

Pours a nice cloudy golden orange color, nice carbonation, nice little creamy off-white head, with some nice sticky lacing left behind. The nose is hoppy, with a nice malt note added in, some nice citrus, slight pine. The taste is sweet, pretty hoppy, nice maltiness added, nice citrus/pine notes. Medium body, pretty nice bitter dry finish. Drinkable, really enjoying this brew, recommended.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2008 20:25:45 | More by Wasatch

troutmask96

Washington

3.68/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Very pretty beer, with a deep mahogany tone and thick, foamy head. That's where the unique merits of this brew stop, though. For a Double IPA, it really doesn't pop my tastebuds like other giants of this genre. For a beer that trumpets it hoppiness, they are deep in the taste bouquet. Pretty to look at, but not a memorable drinking experience...

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2008 03:49:46 | More by troutmask96

davidchollar

Washington

4.13/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

After some swirling and the final pour, this ends up looking totally gorgeous. Thick and dark, amber, with a great dense, off-white head of foam. Really nice retention, leaving rings at every sip. Near perfection.

First thought after sniffing? Candy. This ale smells like the inside of a freshly opened bag of movie candy, skittles or gummy worms. Next comes the citrus. I get mandarin orange, pineapple fruitiness, with a healthy dose of bitter sourness, grapefruit, a touch of lemon. And deeply buried is, of course, the malt. A distant trace of vanilla caramel malt. A huge pleasure to the old nose.

Taste does not disappoint, although I admit it doesn't blow me away. Solid and tasty, pulls through with a showing of each flavor detected in the nose. Decent, medium-full body. Lingering bitterness in the aftertaste. Somewhat unique flavor!

Definitely good. But ... it just doesn't rock my taste buds like, for example, 90 minute. I think this is quite good for an IPA, I really like it, but it's not much of an extreme beer. Not that that diminishes it. I probably just expected more. But overall recommended. Bridgeport has never let me down.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2008 14:55:50 | More by davidchollar

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.18/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22 oz bottle into a tuplip.

Pours a fantastic looking slightly hazy orange amber with a couple fingers of creamy off-white head. This settles into a solid layer of foam that flares up beautifully, leaving a huge latticework of sticky lacing behind. Nice text book IPA look here. The aroma is dense with a herbal leafy hoppiness and a thickish smelling mix of grapefruit, grains, and alcohol that gives things a bit of a medicinal smell.

The taste is quite the bitter bite up front that just puckers the mouth and lasts well in the finish. Underneath is a backbone of citrus and bready caramel but it only offers a modicum of balance, as it just gets trampled by the bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium-fuller bodied with a creamy carbonation that borders on the fizzier side and an oily feel that runs through it. Alcohol warmth is present and while it's not overly hot, the combination of heat and bitterness is just not doing it for me.

Overly bitter and warm with not enough balance and a body that felt too fizzy at times, it's sad when I have to rate the appearance of an IPA as it's best attribute. I can usually do warm and bitter in my DIPAs but this one just didn't click.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2008 18:02:19 | More by Kegatron

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.78/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle. Pours a murky orange/brown with a thick, foamy off-white head that leaves nice lacing. Aroma of sweet fruits (apricot, apple, pear). Flavor of slight fruitiness with a bitter fruity hoppy finish. Nice double IPA, not too heavy.
Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 4/5
Flavor: 7/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 14/20
3.7/5

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2008 00:00:10 | More by LilBeerDoctor

atsprings

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle poured into 2 Brooklyn tulips. Pours a crisp orange with a thin diminishing head that leaves little lacing. Aroma was a load of pine hops with some citrus and sweet malts thrown in as well. The taste is somewhat off, I can't quite put my finger on, the malts had a strange taste that did not complement the hops very well. The beer was medium bodied with fairly well hidden alcohol. This one seems to be just another thrown together Double IPA that I won't bother trying again.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2008 02:34:41 | More by atsprings

Spikester

Oregon

3.78/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy amber with a one inch cream color head. Good amount of lacings.
Aroma is piney floral hops.
Taste is bitter piney orange grapefruit hops. Malts are firmly in the background. The last third of the bomber was pretty cloudy. Overall not a bad DIPA. Hides the 8% abv pretty well too.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2008 07:16:14 | More by Spikester

tpd975

Florida

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

Thanks to Dave, ibrew2or3 for this one.

A: Pours a nice golden hue with a nice 1/2 finger head. Good retention.

S: Very strange aroma that I can not put my finger on. Piney hops are there but there is a strange chemical aroma with a hint of jasmine mixed in.

T: Nice bold hop aroma. Nice pine with hints of citrus and biscuit malt. Unfortunately the aroma carries over to the taste. Strange floral medicinal qualties come out in the finish. It is not necessarily bad, just strange. I know the flavor/aroma I just can't figure out what it is.

M: Nice medium body, smooth.

D: Fairly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2008 21:05:33 | More by tpd975

djeucalyptus

Oregon

3.35/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I've tried Hop Czar a few times, from bombers and on tap at both Bridgeport and at The Beer Stein in Eugene.

a. Pours a nice looking golden-amber on par for an imperial IPA. Nothing amazing, but pretty solid. The yellowish head was full, and the hop oils in the head created some impressive looking lacing.

s. As anticipated, hops dominated the nose. Fruity hop aroma took a back seat to the bitter piney hops and floral hops. There's also a difficult to pin down scent that strikes me somewhere between herbal and chemical. It's slightly unsettling.

t. Strong hops. I mean, look at the label. If it doesn't taste like hops, I'd be livid. But it's okay, because the hops are there. Bitter pine, juniper, and some floral notes are there. What catches me off guard though is that same herbal note that i can't quite pinpoint... almost metallic and medicinal in taste, I'm not sure what hop it's from (i'm giving the benefit of the doubt and assuming there's some hop flavor that I'm not quite tasting right). It doesn't completely detract from the flavor, but it's not as enjoyable as I'd hope.

m. pretty much what I'd expect from a NW big IPA. Carbonation is spot-on and while being high abv, it's not overly viscous and chewy. Pleasant to drink.

d. Aside from the taste and smell objections I had, it's a solid beer. I'd like to think that there's just one note that strikes me the wrong way. when i've had it on tap, that same note isn't as strong and overbearing as in the bottled version. Not a bad brew, and I know many who extol the virtues of the Hop Czar. It's just not for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2008 06:12:05 | More by djeucalyptus

bkilpatr

Oregon

3.03/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a pint glass. 09/27/08.

Pours an orange-amber color with about three fingers of sot beige head. The head faded slowly leaving some nice lacing. Aroma is strong with piny hops and sweet malt. There's also another smell that I can't quite identify, though not unpleasant.

Taste is odd. Plenty of sweet malt followed by lots of piny hops. There's also a lot of bubblegum flavor, in addition to a flavor that I can only compare to a cough syrup I had when I was younger. Overall, between the hops and the malt, the beer has a bit of a medicinal flavor.

Feel is full and well-carbonated, though not too heavy. Fairly slick with a slight hop aftertaste. Drinkability is alright, though not great due to the taste.

This beer would be really good if they get rid of the bubblegum/cough syrup taste. I think there are better IPAs out there.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2008 00:42:34 | More by bkilpatr

erikm25

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dense orange with copper and ruby hues. The head is creamy and tinted. Lacing is abundant and sticks all over the glass.

Burnt pine. Earthy, herbal, and fresh. Notes of sweetened citrus as well.

From the outset the hops are apparent. Piney and floral. Earthy essence even in the taste to help round it out. The finish is cloved and spiced. Sticky medium body.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2008 02:07:38 | More by erikm25

kosmoraios

Washington

4.55/5  rDev +25.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a deep, murky copper color with a 2-finger beige head that coats the entire glass with lacing. Aroma is of citrus and pinewood hops.

Taste is immediately of big, bitter hops. Other reviews found this beer to be "not over the top" and otherwise not hoppy enough. I like to think of myself as a bit of a hophead - and this one delivers. The citrus borders on tart, while the piney/herbalness of the hops has all the bitterness of a pineneedle tea. The malt is unidentifiable. A properly bitter IIPA in my opinion.

Mouthfeel is peppery and bodied, with a nice complex finish. The ale becomes more complex as it warms, and I take back what I said about the malt. At 8%, unbelievably drinkable for the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2008 01:19:20 | More by kosmoraios

ckeegan04

Texas

4.47/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Brownish-orange with a frothy light brown head, about one finger. Fades to a thin 1/2 inch layer and leave sheets of lacing.

S - Smells primarily of big citrusy hops with a faint sweetness in the background.

T - A light sweetness at first before quickly being washed away by a resinous citrus hop blast. Some grapefruit and lemon are most prominant. Also a piney note lingers later in the drink. Finished with a primarily bitter end.

M/D - Medium to full bodied. Smooth and creamy feel that somewhat coats the mouth. A great drinking DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2008 19:13:04 | More by ckeegan04

Vancer

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bomber #2 brought from my son, working in Seattle and coming home for a long Labor Day weekend - thanks Jake!!

Pours a semi-hazy amber, with an impressive thick foamy cap o' tan - sticking like Gorilla glue on the sides of the Corsendork tulip.

Stinging aroma of pine and citrus, followed up with a slice of woody pine in the quaff. Not the tastiest brew I've ever had, but a solid Impy IPA with no hint of 8%.

Nice sippin' beer on a football Sunday.l

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2008 18:52:00 | More by Vancer

froghop

Washington

4.13/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

pours a cloudy amber-copper with a small off white head and good lacing.

smell is of pink grapefruit, some caramel, citrus, and floral scents.

taste is thick and oily on the palate, very hoppy at first and then mellows out as your taste buds become immune to it, caramel, citrus, few malts in the back, fruit comes out as it warms, finish is dry with a nice bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2008 00:56:38 | More by froghop

ElGordo

Oregon

4.47/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the 22oz bottle into a wine glass, as I'm in a hotel without a proper vessel for this style. Body is a bright orange hue with golden highlights, topped by a smallish creamy white head that leaves some good lacing on the glass. Aroma of piny hops, with hints of orange blossom and a touch of biscuity malt to balance things out.
Palate is balanced up front between piny hops and slightly sweet biscuity malt. The bitterness of the hops moves to the forefront before the swallow, and the citrusy notes linger on the finish. Body is full and just a touch sticky, which is pretty much what I'm looking for in the style. This is one of the best new hoppy offerings I've had this year, and I'm proud it's from one of my hometown breweries. Great job.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2008 06:59:20 | More by ElGordo

westsidemiller

Washington

4.43/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

At first I was a bit under-whelmed from the aroma of this beer. For an Imperial IPA it didn't have the prominent hop character that I was expecting. In fact it smelled exactly like their regular IPA. It does have a nice reddish copper color with solid off white head that persists. The flavor was a pleasant surprise; hoppy yet not over the top. Citrus tones were present as well as a nice dry finish. Nice mouth feel with moderate carbonation and sweetness. Overall I was impressed with this beer, their IPA is solid, this model increases the complexity of their IPA while still preserving drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2008 03:25:48 | More by westsidemiller

Dogfishipas

Washington

3.35/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

22oz poured into a pint glass. I had higher hopes for this beer. Initial taste is great, nice strong hop flavor that quickly diminishes. The aftertaste isn't that great for me. Over crarbonated.

For an Imperial IPA I would say it's drinkability is average at best.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2008 01:23:59 | More by Dogfishipas

jakon

Oregon

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

22oz bottle purchased for $4.49 on 8-10-8 at Whole Foods Tanasbourne.

This beer pours copper with an average sized tan colored head.

The aroma is very interesting. First, I'm getting yellow candy cane. Not peppermint, but those yellow ones. Then it changes to big league chew, and morphs yet again into a grassy hop/bubble gum medley.

The taste is nothing like any IIPA I've ever had. The hops are very grassy and wet tasting. The bitterness is very strong at first, but kinda disappears with each sip. There's an astringent quality to the overall flavor profile.

Not sure what to think of this stuff. I like it, but I'm not sure why.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2008 07:16:51 | More by jakon

cannabanaceae

Washington

3.88/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured in pint glass.
The look to this brew was a nice creamy head lasting to the end. yellowish orange. A floral nose with some lemon and grapefruit. The taste was light in front followed by a nice bitter back with some alcohol presence. The mouthfell was a little oily with hop biterness in back of throat. This is a pretty good iipa. Not very special but worth trying. Its growing on me as I type.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2008 20:34:35 | More by cannabanaceae

KJH

Washington

2.93/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer pours a dark amber and there is defintely a good amount of hops in the smell. No citrus note is present. Mouthfeel is average for this bitter beer.

For an imperial IPA this doesn't rate as highly as many other options but it is still a pretty good beer.

Amazingly enough it tstes exactly like a Bridgeport IPA with a few extra hops

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2008 04:39:57 | More by KJH