Hop Hearty Ale - New Glarus Brewing Company

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Standard amber in color, with an off-white single finger of tiny-bubbled head that lasts about a minute but leaves behind lovely curtains of lacing on the inside of the glass. Aroma is a melange of pine resin, caramel, light amounts of grapefruit peel. Flavor presents biscuit malt first and a medium pine blast a split-second later. Resolves on a mostly-dry herbal note that I wish lasted longer than it actually did. Medium body, medium carbonation. A nice IPA that (unfortunately) doesn't do quite enough to stand out from other IPAs on the market. As another BA member has already stated, it does indeed seem as though this beer was designed to introduce the spotted cow frat-boy drones to their first IPA. Which is a good thing. But the downside to this is that this beer is just another good IPA in a crowded market already full of good IPAs... without anything "gimmick-y" to make it memorable, for better or for worse.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 07:06:10 | More by WastingFreetime

Duff27

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a really nice looking ruby red color with a very small head. Excellent clarity in the body. Below average head retention, minimal lacing.

S- Citrus notes on the nose, not real prominent until you get your sniffer in there deep.

T- Fresh hops, more citrus. "Bready, biscuity." Nice malt backbone. Drinks it's ABV, which is perfect for throwing back a few.

M- Medium mouthfeel, good carbonation.

D/O- I feel like New Glarus made this not with the beer geek in mind but to expose this style to the New Glarus faithful (read: Spotted Cow devotees). They do a good job achieving that, in my opinion, as it is very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 03:51:57 | More by Duff27

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Half Acre tulip.

A- pours a nice caramel color, with a heavy, light tan 2" head. Has a fair amount of blotching around the glass.

S- bready and sweet caramel malts, some citrus hop aroma with a pine resin from the English hops.

T- caramel malts bring a nice mild sweetness. Big bready, biscuit flavors with a slight citrus taste. This beers bitterness is dominated by pine and earthiness.

M- medium body and carbonation. Creamy and slightly dry finish as well.

O- expected more from New Glarus. Average ipa with a slightly thicker mouthfeel than expected from a 6% beer. I see why this beer was on a slight hiatus.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 03:23:58 | More by kawilliams81

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.78/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a Sierra Nevada Imperial Pint. No date or info on the bottle.

A - A bit of a rough pour encourages a four-finger head to rise up. Insane retention means it's sticking around for quite a while. As it slowly lowers, the sides give way to create the plateau with ridiculous amounts of lacing left on the glass. The deep orange-amber beer looks rich and tantalizing.

S - The resinousy pine aroma is powerful on the nose full of sap-like richness. Along side the pine sap is a classic grapefruit citrus aroma backed by sweet, rich Vienna, bready malts. A well-balanced and delicious smelling IPA although not heavily dry-hopped.

T - A surprising amount of bready, biscuit malt is the most prominent part of the flavor, containing light earthy dryness. It's a beefy-yet-crisp malt presence. The hops, interestingly enough, take a back seat. They don't share the grapefruit profile the nose has a but rather get deeper into the resinousy pine flavor. A bit lacking in hops for an American-style-IPA, however, it would sure please the English!

M - Medium-bodied with a crisp, lighter finish that's pretty dry with a little bit of hop bitterness. Hop Hearty is touch rough around the edges with a good moderate carbonation finish.

O - The aroma had me excited for something hearty with hops but the flavor seems to mirror the earthier, more subdued English variety. A bit heavier on the malt that I would have liked to see but it's still a drinkable IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 23:52:58 | More by BeerFMAndy

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.08/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Pours a medium amber with a big 3 finger off-white head leaving sticky lacing down the glass.

Aroma consists of earthy hops along with a good dose of caramel malts.

Flavor starts off with a little pine flavor along with a biscuity malt flavor. Dank earthy hops linger at the finish along with some grass and floral flavor as well.

A bit thin with medium carbonation levels. I wish this had a little more heft to it.

Not one of my favorites from New Glarus. No off flavors, but it's a bit too thin and the flavors don't mesh great for my palate.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 23:05:46 | More by jmarsh123

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into a CBS snifter.

A) Pours out a bright pleasing amber. There was about a half a finger of head, which fizzled out pretty quickly. There was decent lacing.

S) There was light pine and some floral aroma. A little bit of citrus and tropical blend.

T) Nice hop/malt balance. Tastes of caramel, followed by some biting hops flavors, mainly pine and citrus rind. This has a crisp, clean finish. Good aftertaste.

M) A medium body, with about the same on the carbonation front, which works well. This has some tingle, but stays smooth going down the hatch.

O) This is a pretty good IPA. It doesn't crack my top five, but who really gives a shit about my top five. I say give this one a try, it's worth a go.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 04:23:47 | More by RoamingGnome

znichols

Wisconsin

3.03/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- dark orange with a tight little full white head. Head dissipates in seconds and the lacing is minimal. Looks decent.

S- the aroma is slightly muted. I get a hint of spicy hops and a little sweet malt. Expecting this to be a very approachable ipa.

T- as expected this is a pretty standard tasting ipa. Great balance between earthy hops and slightly toasty malts. Not a ton going on but I can imagine 3 or 4 of these going down pretty easy while watchin a game.

M- light and bubbly mouthfeel. Id prefer it to have a little less carbonation and be a little more creamy. Not bad though.

O- another very accessible beer from NG. They are great at making this kind of beer. Perfect balance between kent/cascade hops and slightly toasted malts. Finishes pretty dry. No alcohol present. Try if you're in the mood for an easy drinking ipa. Reminds me of sierra nevada pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 20:24:46 | More by znichols

zoolzoo

Connecticut

3.68/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Copper colored, clear, thick white head.

S: Sharp citrus peel, pine needles, faint alcohol.

T: Slick, oily pine. Citric qualities are grapefruit and rind. Herbal mid sip, slightly soapy finish with a strong lingering bitterness. Malt is pretty subdued.

M: Pretty thick actually, medium carbonation.

O: A good IPA. Well rounded, full flavored, but I wish the hop bill was slightly "brighter".

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 20:37:51 | More by zoolzoo

Jason

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

LOOK: Clear brass, thick sticky head

SMELL: Herbal, earthy, spicy, citric, toasted grain, faint esters, leafy, ripe pears

TASTE: Oily, smooth, medium body, hop forward, blond tobacco, mild pine, herbal, woody, faint lime rind, dried grass, caramel, semi-astringent hop pull, dry biscuit, dry finish

This IPA got up all in my grill and did not want to back down. For serious hopheads only and hopheads that can understand a heavy hand of hops without using those super alpha-roid palate destroyer hops.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 02:19:14 | More by Jason

crewfan16

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

poured from a bottle to a sam adams perfect pint. they just brought this brew back two weeks ago or so, so i know its pretty fresh. i dont know if i have had a bad new glarus beer yet, so im excited for this one.

a- pours a bit of a ruby yellow. not quite amber, but not quite golden either. dark for an american ipa. thick white head is typical for the style.

s- alot of malt for an american ipa. typical malt profile for new glarus beers, but this one has some nice hope aroma as well. a little out of balance towards the malt though in my opinon

t- reminds me more of an english ipa than american. hops slightly more muted and a bit more sweet malt. hops bitterness is there in the middle, but fades for a bit, then appears again in the finish.

m- carbonation is slightly low, but i dont mind it. finish is slightly dry. very drinkable

overall, im a bit confused by this brew. I expected more of a hop bomb than this and I think i prefer moon man over this new glarus offering. not a bad brew, just a bit out of balance and for something you call hop hearty, lacking a bit in the hops department.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 02:52:00 | More by crewfan16

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle date of 3401 - Dec 6/11, so fairly fresh! Poured in to Duvel tulip.

A - Medium orange/amber colour; translucent; one finger of thick cream coloured head with good retention.

S - Huge cascade hop aroma up front - pine and grapefruit with a slight sweet malt backbone.

T - Bitterness up front with big pine, grapefruit notes and light earthy flavours coming through. A slight sweet malt backbone is evident and provides a touch of balance but the hops steal the show.

M - Somewhat thin and watery at first but the mouthfeel improved as I continued to drink. Overall, light to medium body with moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 02:34:07 | More by TheSevenDuffs

knepper

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Look: Pours a copper/light amber/orange with a fizzy white head that retreats to the edges a little too quickly.

Smell: Sugary candies, a bit of alcohol, citrus. Not too exciting. Maybe some earth, crisp fall air characters.

Taste: The beer has a decent crispness at first. A mid-level to low bitterness mingles with a toasty/hint of caramel body. The grassy UK hops are detected first followed by a kind of acidic lemon. I like the interplay and use of UK hops here. Kind of a throwback IPA.

Hop Hearty is a great beer but its definitely not pushing the boundaries of the style. Solid.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 01:46:04 | More by knepper

Jparker37

Wisconsin

3.65/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint. No bottled on date but I believe its from this year as I frequent the store I got it from and they recently didn't have it.

A - Light amber in color. This beer pours a little hazy with a small persistant white cap of foam that lacked much lacing.

S - Slight Citrus/herbal pine nose, quite tame for an American IPA.

T - Nice toasty malt character immediatly followed by piney/grassy hop flavors, finishing with a dry/crisp bitterness.

M - Medium bodied with light to moderate carbonation. Finishes nice and dry. I agree this a great session IPA.

O - This IPA is a good "drink a whole six pack" beer. The flavor never overwhelms and is quite refreshing and crisp.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 01:08:41 | More by Jparker37

bound4er

Wisconsin

4.18/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A. Fairly dark for an IPA (call it amber) with a nice pillowy, white head. Leaves some spotty lacing.

S. Citrus and pine hops with bready malt that, believe it or not, has a faint cherry smell to it. Decent aroma but a bit on the shy side.

T. This is a nice blend of both malt and hops with each playing off one another. Carmel and cracker followed by citrus and herbal hop flavors that leave a lingering, slightly bitter finish that lasts for a few minutes. Well crafted.

M. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

O. This is a tasty, well balanced IPA that is a nice change of pace from some of the more hop heavy offerings on the market. If you are looking for a nice session style IPA, this would be tough to beat. Glad NG brought this one back.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 03:41:59 | More by bound4er

bierbrauer

Wisconsin

3.93/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Purchased locally, ($7.49/6). Bottle dated 12/06/11, so just 20 days ago. Poured into tulip glass.

A: Color is split between amber & copper; clear; very few rising bubbles; 1"+ off-white, frothy head that falls slowly and leaves a persistent layer of lacing.

S: Muted citrus and tropical fruit; caramel malt.

T: Initial citrus fruit and malt mix, followed by very slight bitterness; little/no alcohol presence; fruity aftertaste.

M: Medium/high carbonation -- too sharp to be creamy; just below medium body; very slight heat detected; wet finish.

O: Extremely balanced, refreshing and drinkable; moderate ABV (6.10%) is a plus; a well crafted IPA from Wisconsin and one of the freshest of its kind I've rated. I'm glad it is back.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 22:25:30 | More by bierbrauer

adman08

Wisconsin

3.78/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A-Pours a slightly clear copper/amber color with lots of thick white head that leaves outstanding lacing.
S-Good aromas of citrus and herbal hops. There is some slight malt sweetness in the background.
T-Very nice balance of malt sweetness and herbal and citrus hops. This is a nice blend of traditional and new world hops with the blend of the new citrus hops and old world herbal hops. Not all that bitter.
M-Fairly light bodied and sweet overall. Good carbonation.
Overall, a very good traditional IPA. It's very well balanced, if anything a little under-hopped. A very very easy drinking IPA and I really like the balance of citrus and herbal hop flavor.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 03:09:28 | More by adman08

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

amber with a huge white pillow like head on top. Very and I mean very slowly receded and left behind lots of lace down the glass. Big time visible sediment here, bottom of the glass was covered.

Smell was a huge hoppy fiesta. Big profile was filled with hints of orange, grapefruit and pineapple. As it warmed a slight sweetness started to come through, but the big name here was hops! This was great citrus centric hoppy IPA, my favorite kind. It was smooth as silk going down and left a nice dry tingling aftertaste, left a long lingering flavor that stayed behind for a good 15 mins.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 02:51:44 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

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

Reviewed from notes. On tap at the brewery. Was very disappointed that this got retired; this was one of Amyliz4's favorite beers.

Pours a copper caramel color. Nice off white lacing. Nose is quite nice with some citrus notes and a bit of caramel. Taste doesn't go too far in any direction with a nice balance between citrus and caramel. Light bread. Good feel with a bit of sweetness and some bitterness. Drinks quite well and is really quite nice.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2010 02:38:07 | More by Thorpe429

climax

Missouri

4.6/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Lucky I found one before NG discontinued it. Poured into a SA Perfect Pint Glass for a change. Didn't do too bad, a bright amber with lots of red emerged. The head was a thick sticky mass of big bubbles and wispy froth. It didn't drop too soon either, as I had to give my self an off-white mustache every time I wanted a drink.

The nose, I could only initially describe as smooth and modest, yet incredibly hoppy. How they managed that, I have no idea, but it was delightful. The toasty malt backbone held it's ground, but never put up a fight against an excellent hop profile that boasted citrus, mint, soapy, and earthy flavors. Pear skin and caramel notes emerged as it sat.

The flavor had the same thing going for it. Gratuitous flavor and spunk, but in a tidy humble package. An IPA so clean and easy to drink just doesn't usually have a plethora of flavor like this. Juicy juicy. Citrus and an earthy/floral explosion of mint, herbs and a grassy finish kept the mouth satisfied while the brain searched for deeper hunks of caramel and sweet fruit.

The body and feel continue in the same fashion. The body was not big by any stretch, but boy was it easy to drink. It was sticky, and just a bit thick, with mild but ample carbonation. It's not drinkable, it's chuggable. Chugging this however, would be a mistake. What an excellent IPA. After only one, I'm upset it is discontinued, but pleased I got the chance to enjoy one.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2010 20:10:26 | More by climax

brentk56

North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy amber color with a thick three finger head that won't give out, while leaving plenty of lacing behind

Smell: Rather balanced, with a full on caramel tone that is joined by a piney hop character

Taste: Caramel malts dominate, up front, but by mid-palate, the piney hops arrive and more than hold their own; after the swallow, the flavor profile is balanced, with the brown sugar and caramel flavors lingering just a bit longer than the hoppy ones

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation; a tad sticky

Drinkability: As one who likes a more attenuated IPA, this one doesn't really float my boat; still, it is a well-crafted example of a balanced IPA and I recognize it as such

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2010 23:16:56 | More by brentk56

copyguyadam

Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Drank my first one out of the bottle while tailgating at Miller Park. I reviewed it a few days later in a New Glarus pint glass.

A - Amber gold with a thin head
S - Rich hop smell. Not too strong on the hops, but still there.
T & M - Nice hop flavor in here and leaves a great taste in the mouth after. Kind of a chewy coating.
D - Light enough to have 2 or 3. Probably could session a sixer.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2010 01:15:23 | More by copyguyadam

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.93/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Great orange appearance, this was one of, if not the first big hopped Midwest beers of its appearance ilk. Good aroma, a little fainter hop/dry hop aroma to it than the name would imply.

Taste, a good, not overfull beer of the ipa style, ample hop character, but not giant amounts of woody/earthy malt bills like a dipa you get lately from the bigger, faster, stronger ipa set. Small caramel feel instead of earth. Nice. Traditional mouthfeel, without being plain. A great, session-ish ipa.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2010 22:00:56 | More by Beerandraiderfan

civilizedpsycho

Michigan

3.93/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured bottle into pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a pale amber color that is much clearer than many IPAs I've had. Had a small head.

Smell: Has a good, strong hop aroma typical of the style. Somewhat fruity smell that reminded me of grapefruit.

Taste: A wonderfully smooth beer with an excellent hop kick to follow up the malty start. Very good.

Mouthfeel: Again, it seemed a little bit thin compared to the IPAs I'm used to.

Drinkability: Very good beer. While I could certainly have this again, I feel that there are some better beers of this style out there.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2010 20:03:20 | More by civilizedpsycho

Lolli1315

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Copper ranging to an almost orange color, not quite as light in color as expected. About half a finger head that holds very well with beautiful lacing down the entire glass. This is a nice beer to look at.

S- Hints of grapefruit and other citrus fruits that are quickly moved out of the way to make room for the hop oil presence.

T- Small amount of a malty beginning that develops into a strikingly large citric hop presence that is only further highlighted by the citrus fruit notably. Large amount of lemon in this, a little too much as it covers up a little too much of the hop presence. Back end of the beer as sneaking lingering of hop bitterness holds on for life.

M- Thin to medium mouthfeel that is a little disappointing for the style. What makes up for the body of the beer is the great carbonation that makes this more enjoyable.

D- A nice I.P.A. that suffers a little bit from the domination of the lemony taste but is still very enjoyable. I have 2 more of these so I look forward to seeing if it grows on me.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2010 01:29:20 | More by Lolli1315

AgentZero

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Reddish brown/burnt amber color. Small white head that left some sheets/lacing during the drink.

S - Citrusy hops and carmel malts, smells nice, but nothing overly complex.

T - Tastes a lot like it smells. Lots of citrusy malts, but not too much grapefruit, slightly bitter finish at the end that is not unpleasant.

M - Medium bodied, creamy, nicely carbonated.

D - Pretty easy drinker, not something I would seek out a lot, but wouldn't turn it down.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2010 18:15:39 | More by AgentZero