Portsmouth Hop Harvest #2 - Portsmouth Brewery

blitz134

California

4.03/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up last weekend. According to the Portsmouth blog this one is loaded with Simcoe hops.

Solid dark copper colored beer. Nice and clear. Good carbonation and head retention supports a good 3/4" light tan head that drops slowly. Nice rings of lace are left behind.

Not an overwhelming hop aroma but there is a lot of it. Nice pungent pine sap aroma of Simcoes. Light malting underneath, but not much.

Flavor is a like a pine needle tea. Not really sweet like a Double Simcoe, so less pine sap and more bitter needles coming through. Some pungency finishes, something I've noticed in wet hop beers. Fairly smooth flavor really, with a little bitterness kicking in at the end. A touch of toasty malt comes through as well as hints of mid-level crystal malts.

Medium bodied, smooth, carbonation is middle of the road too. Coats the mouthwell and the flavor lingers. A bit oily from the hops.

Overall a good beer and a good showcase of Simcoe hops. Lots of pine though, so that could wear on you after a while. Goes down easy with no hints of alcohol. Between a single and a double IPA in my books. Definately worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2008 23:11:07 | More by blitz134

Kelp

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

04-23-2013 05:47:06 | More by Kelp

rderedin

Maine

3/5  rDev -29.7%

12-15-2012 01:17:01 | More by rderedin

vonnegut21

New York

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

11-08-2012 02:34:02 | More by vonnegut21

uscbrasco

Virginia

4/5  rDev -6.3%

10-14-2012 23:18:09 | More by uscbrasco

Rhettroactive

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

10-11-2012 01:26:11 | More by Rhettroactive

NateWilleverpott

Maine

4.4/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

If you like Citra Hops this one is for you! Opened a bottle and immediately got huge grapefruit/passionfruit/tropicalfruits. My Fiancé could smell it from the other room before pouring it! All that nice grapefruit on the nose follows through in the taste. Amazing stuff. Just enough bitterness to cut all the sweetness from the hops and malt. I hope P.Brew will brew up another batch this fall!

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 00:46:53 | More by NateWilleverpott

phingdong

New Hampshire

4.75/5  rDev +11.2%

02-01-2012 23:17:03 | More by phingdong

andylipp

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

01-12-2012 22:25:35 | More by andylipp

FrankLloydMike

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +17.1%

12-08-2011 17:29:16 | More by FrankLloydMike

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev -6.3%

11-21-2011 19:16:54 | More by Rochefort10nh

Durge

Connecticut

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A crystal clear yellow amber colored ale with a healthy white foam on top with plenty of lacing. The aroma is whoa Nellie cat piss and skunky cereal. Wonderful to any hop head! The flavor is true to the aroma with sweet lemon/grapefruit grass and a thick grain base that coats the tongue. This is probably pretty one-dimensional to some folks but who’s complaining? Hop bite abounds in this medium bodied brew with understated carbonation that supports the bright, somewhat eye-opening hops. There’s a slight chalky feel in the finish but through it all is this bold pissiness that mellows into a hop heavenly blend of harvest grains. A hop sessionable brew that further boosts my respect for Portsmouth Brewing.

Serving type: growler

11-16-2011 04:11:02 | More by Durge

ElGallo

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +17.1%

11-15-2011 17:03:43 | More by ElGallo

halfshell

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -6.3%

11-15-2011 08:57:12 | More by halfshell

HopStoopid120

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +17.1%

11-15-2011 04:47:24 | More by HopStoopid120

KTCamm

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz bomber into a pint glass.

Pours medium/dark amber. Light foam top with some around the ring. Grassy pine smell. Malty taste with a light bitter taste - not as much as the smell might suggest. Smooth, well balanced, hop blends in easily. Easy drinker with lots of flavor. Good beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 13:47:01 | More by KTCamm

SawDog505

New Hampshire

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into 13 oz tulip. Pours a clear reddish orange, with a half inch of fairly sticky off white head. I got the growler from a friend that didn't love it, so the seal had been broken and I bet it would have had more life & lacing if new. Smell is tangerine, pineapple, grapefruit, and pine. Taste all of that, with some floral undertones and a little more bitter finish than you would expect from the smell. The body is nice, fairly heavy for the ABV. I really think this is a special beer, smell reminds me of Heady Topper.

Serving type: growler

10-06-2011 19:25:56 | More by SawDog505

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap@ the Portsmouth Brewery (Portsmouth, NH) on 10/1/11. Served in a pint glass. ABV listed as 5.5%.

Pours a clear copper, with a ½ finger of off-white creamy froth. This retains with a thin richness that throws up a foamy cascade of lacing, which hangs in a robust smattering on the sides of the glass. The aroma smells fresh, floral, and herbal, with a zesty citrus character and is punctuated with notes of pine and spice. A grainy sweetness adds some support underneath. All those delicious hops flavors are just all jumbled up in the nose here and the overall freshness of this literally has them just blasting up your nose with each sniff.

The taste is fresh and juicy hops the whole way through the profile, being very flavorful, and only getting really aggressive toward the backend, with spice, resins, and pith all lingering with a moderate dryness in the finish. More malty notes of lightly sweet caramel and toasted bread round out the edges and help keep this balanced while simultaneously keeping the focus of the profile on those hop flavors, with the fresh robustness of this really coming out strong across the back of the palate after each sip. The mouthfeel is medium bodied; with a lively sharpness up front that then smoothes out considerably thanks to huge amount of underlying oil slickness from the hops. The body feels more like Pale Ale strength to me but there is no doubt that the overall package is extremely easy drinking.

This was a pretty darn excellent Fresh Hop Ale. One that you could really feel those vibrant hops literally just jumping out of the glass at you. Delicious and refreshing, I could have gone at this all afternoon long. This is definitely one of the better beers that I’ve had form here.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2011 12:30:01 | More by Kegatron

dickroop

Maryland

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed this brew with lunch and it was the best part of the visit. A nice brown, like watered down root beer, good head and authentic lacing, a hazy, fresh brew. The nose was rich piney, cirtrus hops, some floral hints and generally much more than usual. Not much malt notable in the aroma.

The brew was tasty with some peppery notes and a few hints of fruitiness. The mouthfeel was light to medium and a little watery, but that was OK. There could have been some hop oiliness, but it was pretty well diluted.

I was offered two varieties of "Hop Harvest" and this was the one said to have "West Coast hopping", which it did. This is not a heavy-hitter IPA, but a good conveyance for FRESH hop flavor, of which there is lots and that was welcome. I would have had another in a heartbeat.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2011 15:46:57 | More by dickroop

BearsOnAcid

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is the Citra Hop Harvest. I had this on tap too when I got my growlers.

The beer springs up large sticky bubbles for a head. Not really any head retention. Carbonation seemed to be on the lower medium side for an IPA. Smell is like a big candied tangerine and hawaiian punch. More tangerine and orange in the flavor. I love that fruit punch flavor that comes from citra hops it makes for a tasty and refreshing IPA. Resinous herbal hop flavor in the background. The malt is bone dry and has a tolerable astringent finish. Hop flavor finishes too quickly.

Funny thing about citra hops is that they are so one dimensional that you need to pair them with another hop to get it to that next level. There's great things about this beer but it has a few issues that can easily be tweaked.

Serving type: growler

10-06-2010 18:59:43 | More by BearsOnAcid

gibby

Pennsylvania

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

Growler received through trade with portia99.
Poured a deep orange color with a nice head that only stuck around for a few minutes that left some sticky lacing on the glass. Nice big citrus nose with a bit of orange, some tropical fruit and a bit of grass. Very nice taste that stuck with the citrus theme. You could really taste the citra hops but it was not a bitter beer at all in my opinion. Great mouthfeel, not light but not heavy at all. I split this growler with my wife and neighbor so we each had about a 16oz pour..I was looking for a second glass for sure. I really enjoyed this beer and wouldn't mind snagging another growler if they do a HH # 3. Thanks a lot Bill!!

Serving type: growler

10-03-2010 12:57:42 | More by gibby

Brez07

Maine

4.08/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Reviewing from notes. Had this last week at Novare's cask fest. 10oz pour into a pint glass. It was listed as an ESB with citra hops and dry hopped with Athanum

A: Pours an orange/amber color. Limited amount of head, no lacing

S: Impressive amount of floral and citrus hops. Didn't expect that from a cask beer

T: Follows the nose's lead. Lots of citrus hops, some pineapple and other various fruits. Finishes with a grassy taste

M: A smooth beer, medium bodied. Some lingering bitterness

D: This was one of the highlights of the evening for me. Originally poured by accident, I found it to be a wonderful accident. Very impressed with how much hop character came out

Serving type: cask

10-01-2010 21:21:12 | More by Brez07

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

4.65/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at the brewery in the basement both on cask and on tap. This review is for the on tap version which I preferred. Also, I know this is the first year this beer has used Citra hops, so I think it may be different than last years.

Appearance: Nice amber color. Two finger head on the first pour, but it dies down pretty wuick to a nice lacing. No sediment in this beer at all.

Aroma: Orange zest and fresh pine. Very hoppy and floral. The hops take center stage and show off a nice balance of sweet citrus countered with bitter pine.

Taste: Bursting with sweetness and fresh citrus upfront. Really smooth and fruity. Grapefruit and pine grab hold near the second half of each sip. Nice bitter pine finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and with some decent carbonation, but could be more crisp in my opinion.

Drinkability: The ABV certainly doesn't stand out and the flavors make for a drinkable IPA.

Overall, my favorite IPA from the brewery and one of my favorites period. Great balanced, fresh, tropical flavors and a nice bitter finish make this really worth a try. I definitely would put this in the top 5 single IPAs I've ever had.

Serving type: on-tap

09-28-2010 03:18:12 | More by Gosox8787

gtn80

Maine

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served at Novare Res's Caskfest.

Appearance is great, nice copper color, crystal clear.

Aroma is incredible, tons of floral hops in the nose.

Taste was great, lots of fruity, citrusy hops. Bitterness is incredibly well balanced with the malt, but the hop bite does linger into the aftertaste, in a pleasant way.

Great IPA, definitely want to try this one again.

Serving type: cask

09-27-2010 14:27:27 | More by gtn80

andrewinski1

Maine

4.05/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Poured into an imperial pint glass (so I get more than Ben). Nice amber almost red color, no head on this one; just a couple bubbles around the side. Slight haze.

Smells delicious. A little bit of citrus, lots of tropical fruit. Maybe a scotch of pine. Yum.

The taste is very crisp and hop forward. This is very dry and only a bit of the malt flavor comes through.

Decent mouthfeel. Portsmouth growlers rarely maintain the carbonation very well.

This is a nice, light bodied beer. Hope to get more before it runs out.

Serving type: growler

09-24-2010 03:19:24 | More by andrewinski1