Hop Head Red - Belmont Brewing Company

MCain04

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

02-12-2013 18:35:10 | More by MCain04

JRHeikk

Texas

3/5  rDev -18.3%

03-09-2013 00:43:59 | More by JRHeikk

stereosforgeeks

Virginia

4/5  rDev +9%

12-17-2012 17:38:42 | More by stereosforgeeks

brethartt

California

4/5  rDev +9%

11-06-2012 09:13:57 | More by brethartt

Ktom

3.25/5  rDev -11.4%

09-19-2012 00:12:19 | More by Ktom

nosavingsaccount

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9%

08-27-2012 01:37:54 | More by nosavingsaccount

TheGovernator

2.25/5  rDev -38.7%

07-01-2012 01:42:14 | More by TheGovernator

ncstateplaya

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -11.4%

05-15-2012 13:21:52 | More by ncstateplaya

Grinnerman

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +9%

03-07-2012 00:43:28 | More by Grinnerman

Souleman

California

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%

02-25-2012 23:44:47 | More by Souleman

kepp

California

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%

02-04-2012 22:50:10 | More by kepp

cjatc

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev +9%

01-31-2012 03:37:51 | More by cjatc

BretSikkink

Mexico

3.9/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep brown-red at the top, a little hazy, with orange lights along the bottom. Barely tanned head is about an inch thick initially, some soapiness but pretty tight. Retention is okay, keeps a nice dusting of foam on top, and the lacing is pretty sticky.

Bright citric hops with a caramel backing. Run of the mill for craft beer at large, but notable for style given its hops bent. Not much power.

Again, hop-forward character on the palate, lots of citrics, even leaning toward the bitterness of grapefruit. Plenty of caramel malts to keep things honest, but nothing that shows up after the swallow. The finish is clean, pleasantly bitter, and pretty long.

Soft, fairly creamy texture. Pretty good size and smoothness. As mentioned, the hops are the major player here but it's certainly not too bitter by any stretch. Nice take on a boring style. I liked this one quite a bit but not nearly as much as Lucky 13 or Red Rocket.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2008 02:58:09 | More by BretSikkink

charlzm

California

3.53/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On draft at brewery, consumed on 11/12/07.

Not as dark as their amber ale, this beer is a little on the orange/copper side. A resiny hop character greets the nose. Very well-balanced malt/hops flavor, neither overpowering nor overwhelmed. Slightly astringent aftertaste where hops linger on the palate. Not as hoppy as the name would leave you to believe, though hoppier than most red ales I have had.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2008 03:54:57 | More by charlzm

SacoDeToro

California

3.95/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at BBC.

Poured a rich amber color with a nice off-white head that lasted most of the glass.

The aroma of the beer was reasonably hoppy with citrus and resin notes. Some caramel and burnt toffee malt characters could be smelled as well.

The flavor of the beer was crisply hoppy with a noticable mineral tang, much like Burton-On-Trent bitters. The malt profile had notes of caramel and toffee mixed in.

The mouthfeel of the beer was pretty good, but a tad on the thin side. I would have liked a more dextrinous mouthfeel. The carbonation seemed just a touch high, which added a little airiness to the beer.

Overall a solid amber/red ale from a local brewpub.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2007 18:07:25 | More by SacoDeToro

pdrizzle

California

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I really only like reds if they are on the hoppy side, and this one brings some great flavors to the table. I was pretty impressed after two pitchers shared among three friends; to my two companions who are BBC locals (we only got charged for one pint!) this was the only choice for their afternoon brews. As much of my drinking is done in Santa Cruz and other NorCal watering holes, I couldn't help but think that the Lagunitas Imperial Red is just a bit better than the Hop Head Red, but its always nice to taste some quality brew from by home town of Long Beach.

Cheers to the BBC for another great fade.

Serving type: on-tap

10-16-2006 05:04:28 | More by pdrizzle

rgrace99

California

4.05/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Returned to Belmont Brewing Company while on a bike ride with the wife, Hadn't stopped in for a while and I was never totally impressed by their beers but they used to have a great happy hour with dollar beers and two dollar tacos. Sorry to see that the happy hour was no longer but had a pint of the hop head red which was the beer of the month. Served in a standard pint glass from tap, strong hoppy aroma with a good malt background. Strong hop flavor without being overwhelming, very quaffable. Too bad this isn't one of their regulars but it makes be want to return to retry their beers and see what else they have for beer of the month.

Serving type: on-tap

07-06-2006 20:23:46 | More by rgrace99

TheLongBeachBum

California

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: Sampled at Belmont Brewing Company, Long Beach during a recent regular Thursday get together with the LongBeachHopHeads. Shared a Pitcher of the Hop Head Red with fellow BA Scott & Jess. Listed only the blackboard as Hop Head Red, this is a seasonal offering that makes an appearance as ‘Beer of the Month’ once or twice a year I believe.

Appearance: Dark ruddy red brown body with a light cloudiness to it. Light tan colored head has excellent retention and a creamy texture with a gentle undulating surface that leaves a very nice looking lacing. Fresh conditioning and a bold confident look.

Nose: Sweet malts and a punchy hop character. The hops come through more in the back end at first. Once the beer settles and warms up the Humulus takes over the nose completely. Not that strong to be honest, but highly skewed towards the hops nonetheless.

Taste: Pretty much a running parallel reflection of the nose. The finish is clean and thankfully the usual annoying cloyingness that so many Reds have is not there, in this case it has been replaced with a rather cool hoppy twang that balances the sweet malts in the beginning, contributes moreso in the middle and basically takes over the finish. The hoppy ending has a little spice and is very attractive.

Mouthfeel: Freshly tapped it was no surprise that the conditioning was finely dissolved and provided massive support to the tastes. Soft but virulent it added to the sweet malts and spicy hops.

Drinkability: Probably the best part of the make-up. I found this to be a very drinkable offering. The Hops are the main player but the sweet malts and “Red” character is there. A very West Coast take on a style that has been done to death in many BrewPubs. This is a nice twist on a style that is definitely not one of my favorites.

Overall: I think that this one would go well with spicy food. Very enjoyable, and a good session offering. A Recommended “Beer of the Month”, during Happy Hour it’s a steal at $2 a Glass.

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2006 23:39:04 | More by TheLongBeachBum

rowew

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Ale of the month at the BBC. This beer poured a cloudy red color with a nice head. As it drained the head left a very nice lace. Aroma was very appealing - mainly hops but with enough sweet malty smell to draw me in. Very drinkable - much hoppier than most reds. Medium body. A nice session beer!

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2005 21:13:25 | More by rowew