Death By Hops - Olde Hickory Brewery

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

grabbed a nice sample of this off the cask at barelys tonight while i was in town with the kids for the day. only beer of the day for me so i had to make it good!

ich dark orange amber pour was very cloudy even from the start. A nice head nearly two inches high then came up and over the top, settling down with lots of webbing and lacing down the sides of the glass. Lots of visible carbonation was also apparent from the very beginning. A very nice overall look, classic for the style.

Aroma is very fresh, lots of ripe, astringent citrus notes coming through the air almost immediately. Very floral and juicy. As it warmed a light bit of pineapple and grapefruit start to separate them, but there was by no means any bit of a malty balance here, this was a straight up hop lovers dream. Biting, sharp hops pierce the tongue immediately. Again lots of fresh fruity notes, orange, grapefruit, citrus, tons of sharp hops. Very nice light body is well carbonated and this lends itself well to hiding any ABV that might be a concern. Loads of follow through here as the flavor seems to longer on the palate for what seems like forever before you can finally shake that last taste.

Overall this was a great, great DIPA. So soft and bitingly sharp with the flavors, light, easy to drink and very enjoyable. Glad I have a couple bottles and would not mind having this all the time.

Serving type: cask

03-13-2011 02:42:21 | More by mikesgroove

ncfranklin

Alabama

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber into a pint glass. Best by date of April 2012, so this should be fresh.

A: Rich copper. Light haze. Lots of carbonation bubbles rising to a finger tall off-white head with nice lacing. Settles to a frothy cap.

S: Tons of hops. Pine, citrus, earth. Very fresh indeed.

T: Very bitter. Grapefruit dominates, with lemon and grass underneath. The light biscuit malt is just in the tale end, no balance here.

M: A nice medium body, good crisp finish. Bitter hops sticks in the mouth long after.

D: Death by Hops as advertised. Hoppy to the max. Reminded me alot of the out-of-balance west coast IPA's. Well done for sure.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 19:10:41 | More by ncfranklin

GregSVT

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber into a tulip

A: Pours a slightly hazy golden orange with a big white head that fades to a layering and leaves a ton of lacing on the glass.

S: The nose starts with big notes of pine and grapefruit along with a sweet malt aroma. There are also hints of tropical fruits in the background.

T: The taste is a mirror of the nose with huge flavors of piney hops, tropical fruits, and sweet malt. The taste reminds me of fresh Pliny actually with maybe a bit more bitterness.

M: The feel is medium bodied and drying on the finish.

O: This is a hop bomb! Nice DIPA which is what it says on the label. I would drink this occasionally if it was available to me. Nice example of a big hop bomb.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 05:14:59 | More by GregSVT

AndyAvalanche

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle poured into a Duvel Tulip Style Glass. Yellow/amber in color, decent clarity, but a slight haze. Glows orange when held up to the light. Off white creamy colored head. Some lacing, not in credible, but it's there.

Smell is really good, better than your average IPA that's for sure. Very hoppy without being too aggressive. Hops are the feature presentation when it comes to the aroma on this IPA. Floral, citrus, herbal, pine, and earthy tones. All very good.

Taste is also very good, as equally excellent as the smell. Strong citrus zest, grapefruit and clementine so it's both bitter and sweet, but also fully ripe. Some malt presence, pale caramelized malts detected, but hops are again the main feature here. Overall some big flavors, almost crosses into a DIPA territory.

Moutfeel is very good, light bodied with an excellent carbonation level. Smooth feel overall fairly clean with a sharp bitter finish. Well balanced and big flavors all together, quite a bit going on here, better than your average IPA. My first Olde Hickory Brew, very glad to try it. Thanks JCB for the trade!

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2011 03:44:51 | More by AndyAvalanche

Mantooth

North Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On draft at Sammy's in Belmont, poured by Heather into a Coors Light pint glass (silver bullet, bitch!)

A: Amber - loverly colour - ample head and some cling for life lacing.

S: Does bitterness have a smell? Uh, yeah - hops, grass, citrus, butterscotch.

T: Yowza, welcome to FLAVA TOWN. She opens up with hops and some malt fighting to be noticed, finishes with off-the-charts hop bitterness, grapefruit on par with Sierra Nevada Celebration. "Excuse me miss, I'd like a tall glass of grass and sunshine please." I almost get some whisky out of this too.

M: Some initial chew prior to a big wet nasty oil slick of hop goodness. I wish I could roll this beer up and smoke it.

O: Lives up to the name with a bombastic hop finish. Is this the best brewery in NC?

Serving type: on-tap

02-07-2012 00:44:05 | More by Mantooth

gford217

Georgia

4.3/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Big, big thanks to Trevor for this bottle.

Pours a bright hazy amber with a medium beige head that recedes slowly and leaves a clump of foam in the middle and very little lacing.

The aroma is fantastic with tons of juicy citrus and slightly resinous floral hops. Lots of pineapple, oranges and mango with pine as a complement. Biscuity malts are present but the hops are the star.

The taste is just as good and starts with a scathingly bitter pithy citrus kick. Really just fills the mouth with oranges, grapefruits and pine. The bready malts are there to support the hops which leaves a big ol' bitter finish.

The mouthfeel is light to medium (for a DIPA) but on the heavier side of an IPA with sticky hops leaving their mark on the palate after each sip.

Well, this is an excellent beer. I struggle with how to categorize it as it's not quite big enough to stack up to the big DIPAs. That said, it's 7% and is likely the best 7% IPA/DIPA I've had in a long time. If we're going to call it a DIPA, then the drinkability is INSANELY high. Whatever, kudos to Olde Hickory for this beauty.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 22:33:44 | More by gford217

OakedCanuck

Washington

4.3/5  rDev +10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into cervoise.

This beer is a straight up palate wrecker. A true H-bomb. This slightly hazy golden yellow elixir of tastebud death laughs at you as you are about to indulge in that first sip. The smell wafts tempting aromas of oranges, grapefruits, cannabis and a bouquet of less illegal flowers. This liquid criminal assaults your taste buds with powerful forays of grapefruit, pine, tangerine, lemon and grasses. Oh the humanity! You immediately start to ask yourself, where are the malts to save me..??!!! They are nowhere to be found, scared away at the first sign of hopfrontation...kinda like France. This unwieldy devil is as unbalanced as Terry Fox playing hopscotch, but it is oh so good.

Hop heads, get this.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2011 14:06:39 | More by OakedCanuck

cavedave

New York

4.28/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to bullywee for this Olde Hickory palate expander.

It pours a finely cloudy gold, topped by an off-white wafer of head that relaxes to a bubbly skim. Some mountains of lace hug the glass.

As this baby opens up the vegetal aspects really crank into the nose, sharp pine tar, crazy herbosity mingle with a deep bitter note that sends this to the moon.

Where to begin here? As it warms the stupid complexity of the hop profile begins to grab hold. It's a journey that starts with some bitter pith fronting candy sweet and pine. At the edge is vegetal, sweet dank caya, deeply herbal and strong. When it reaches near room temp. the vegetal takes over. Sweet candy turns to ganja love, the bittering becomes a blessed drying in the finish, and keeps a clean presence on the tongue. The bittering here is wonderful, best part of this taste profile.

Mouthfeel is near perfect for style, well attenuated yet resinous and thick, generous dollops of concentrated hop goodness give the mouth that wonderful feel of a finest IIPA.

Drinkability for the average drinker probably won't be as high as how I rate this special beer of deeply herbal aspects. I rate em as I taste em, this baby is delicious to a hop head like me.

Impression: This is a more refined and flavorful beer in the Gubna school of excessive vegetal goodness, and deep hop excess. I recommend it only to those who, like me, revel in the danker enjoyments of extremely resinous hops.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2011 00:43:12 | More by cavedave

Genghis22

California

4.28/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bomber sent to me by my good buddy Stephen!
Best Before July 2011 on bottle.

A - Pours a deep carmel/ copper color. A vigorous pour resulted in a nice two finger off white head. Lots of sticky lacing.

S - Strong citrusy hops, with a sweet fruity burst. Lemon grass and pine gives way to an almost pineapple like smell. I am very intrigued.

T - First taste is sweet and bready. Almost biscuity. A sharp burst of hops is then introduced, very citrusy. The citrus gives way to a more piney taste. The aftertaste is all bitter. Very dry and bitter.

M - Syrupy thick body. Coats the mouth nicely, very chewy. Moderate carbonation fits this beer well, but I could use a little more. The finish is quite dry, leaving the tongue dry and looking for more beer.

O - This is a very good beer. I am especially impressed that a DIPA this good came from the East Coast (what can I say, I have a West Coast bias). This beer is very hoppy, but it manages to show you all the different tastes a hop can bring to a beer. I felt like it was a hops field trip of sorts. The finish was a touch too dry for me, and the carbonation could have beer a bit higher, but all in all, I'd buy this beer if I could. It was quite tasty, and the abv was in a range that I could safely drink more than one in a night.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2011 02:16:27 | More by Genghis22

beer2day

North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Apricot colored pour with 2 finger light cream head. While not much retention, the beer does lace very nicely.

Strong grapefruit nose with orange peel underneath. Definite hop bomb that will grow on you.

Grapefruit and sweet orange citrus define the tongue as well. Light taste of pine on the back end. Very peppery, with lots of hop bite well into the finish. Light esters, without much resin or oil. Very well done.

Not much malt backbone here, so the feel is a bit lighter than most. I like it better this way.

Overall, a very easy drinking - but extremely bitter - IPA.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 01:05:34 | More by beer2day

cjgator3

Florida

4.26/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

22oz bottle

A- Pours a golden amber color with an off-white head.

S- The aroma is fresh citrusy hops aplenty with some malt in the background.

T- The taste like the aroma is deliciously hoppy with a perfect amount of lingering bitterness from the hops in the finish. Very nice!

M- The mouthfeel is between light-medium bodied with a good amount of aroma.

O- Overall, Death by Hops is a very satisfying IPA that I really enjoyed!

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 03:40:19 | More by cjgator3

PhillyStyle

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Brick Store Pub (Decatur, GA)

The beer appeared a very nice deep orange color with a very nice creamy, slightly off white head. The head was retained very well and also left some nice lacing. The beer had a very good aroma to it, strong citrus hops with perhaps a hint to floral hops as well and just a hint of sweet malted barley. The taste was excellent as well. A nice strong, bitter, citrus hoppy flavor. Very well done. The beer was medium bodied with excellent carbonation and it had a nice bitter aftertaste. Overall, an excellent beer and one that I hope to enjoy again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-30-2011 15:03:40 | More by PhillyStyle

nUgZ

North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bomber poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours a somewhat hazy golden color with a 2 finger head and nice lacing.

S: Lots of citrus and floral hops and maybe a touch of alcohol.

T: Citrus, floral, and piney hops along with some malts in the background. This is a hop bomb.

M: Medium bodied with good carbonation.

O: This is a very good IPA. Super hoppy and easy to drink. I will be buying this one again.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 23:36:52 | More by nUgZ

babaracas

Florida

4.22/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear orange-amber with two finger creamy white head that fades to a half inch leaving a few thin rings of lace behind.

Smell: upfront some soft tropical fruit that is overcome by grapefruit peel and a raw, green resiny component. Mild biscuity malt way in the back. Unexpected somewhat melony yeast contribution.

Taste: juicy grapefruit and citrus peel dominate with resinous and spicy additions. Raw oiliness all over this one. Light caramel and biscuit are overwhelmed. Nice hop flavors and serious bitterness.

Light-medium bodied with soft carbonation and a tongue numbing bitter drying finish.

Best (D)IPA out of NC for me (so far).

Best by July 2011.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2011 03:03:29 | More by babaracas

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.22/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy orange with a finger of white creamy head. Spotty lacing down the glass.

Smells like a west coast IPA. Lots of good citrus and pine hops and the malt takes a backseat.

Starts out with just a tick of citrus/floral taste. Malt makes a brief appearance, but is very much overshadowed by the hops. Finishes very piney and a little floral with intense bitterness lingering on the tongue. Finishes very dry.

Pretty good carbonation and mouthfeel. Just enough malt to not be too thin.

Most brews with names like this don't live up to the name, but this one definitely does. It's an assault on the taste buds from sip one. I'll knock it down just a tick because the hops don't compliment each other as well as they could, but it's still a tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 23:59:51 | More by jmarsh123

inlimbo77

Delaware

4.22/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber bottle (thanks UNCCTdawg). Best by date 4/12. Poured into a small Victory tulip/snifter. Split between two.

A: Hazy cloudy orange color. On the first pour I got a faint quarter finger off white head (second pour a got more head). Dissapates quickly. Some carbo streaming off the bottom of glass. Not that much sticky lacing.

S: The nose is very nice. I get those West Coast hop notes of citrus fruits etc., but also get some piney notes. There is some breadiness actually sneaking through. It's actually labeled as a "DIPA" on the bottle even at 7% so maybe that is the hop balance I am smelling.

T: Wow. Been a while since I've had that strong piney atrigency from an IPA as opposed to the citrus fruit hop bombs of late. I like it. Little bit of bitterness on the tip of the tongue then a blast of pine notes in the middle of the mouth. Also some fruit but not the overly citrus based hops. The close is not mouth puckering but there is some piney bitterness. The piney notes linger for a while. It's unbalanced, but that is what I like in IPAs.

M: It's a medium bodied IPA. Nice coating of hop flavors but not overpowering.

O: I really enjoy this one. Maybe A minus or A on the grading scale. First offering from Olde Hickory didn't disappoint. I can't wait to dig into the stouts shortly here.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 14:08:10 | More by inlimbo77

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served from cask into a flared pilsner glass. Poured copper with a minimal white head. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, citrus hops, and bitter hops. The flavor was of sweet malt, big citrus hops, and slight bitter hops. It had a medium feel on the palate with low carbonation. Overall this was a pretty nice IIPA. The hops are definitely the star of the show on this one without doubt. The sweet malt aspect tries to balance it out but falls a little short. They definitely named this one appropriately. A MUST try for any hop-head out there.

Serving type: cask

11-01-2010 14:02:12 | More by thagr81us

bobhits

Kentucky

4.2/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Death By Hops Olde Hickory Brewery

Deep orange, high density (protein and perhaps yeast), tall shell colored head, and a mild amount of carbonation. Looks like a bit thick heavy double IPA and a good one at that.

Very citrus and fruity hops with a pine finish. They say 5 different hops and dry hopped twice on top of that…I believe it! The malt is rather sweet and certainly powerful. The pine aroma with the rest of this gives this beer an odd but very nice aroma.

There aren’t a lot of words to explain American IPAs. They all more or less are the same with radical differences in execution. This one executes wonderfully. Wonderful bitter bite backed by caramel malt. The beer leaves a lingering ripe fruity (almost like grape peels leave) flavor with some bitter dry hops. I would say there’s a touch more malt here than needed, but nit picking.

The one part of this beer that doesn’t work for me is the body. The beer feels double IPA thick, lacks carbonation in the tongue, and just seems out of line for an IPA and at the same time I can tell it isn’t really thick enough to be a double IPA. 7% abv does put this beer right on that IPA/Double IPA line.

A huge thanks for this extra, it blows every Kentucky IPA out of the water! This beer in my opinion could be placed up there with virtually any IPA out there and hold its own. A few flaws in the mouth feel keep this from having the resume to call itself exceptional, but it comes darn close.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 22:22:07 | More by bobhits

dmamiano

West Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured a hazy straw color with nice bilowing head and lacing as the foam slowly fades
strong hop bite in the nose..citric rinds of grapefruit and orange..perhaps tangering.
grainy malts also noted
Taste was real big on flavor. A well balanced beer with distinct hoppiness and caramel malt.
The hops slightly overpower the malts with orange/grapefruit flavor and even a hint of spicyness.
Very nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2011 11:15:16 | More by dmamiano

Hopsedge

Georgia

4.18/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer is all about the aroma and the aftertaste, both of which are really great. Initial taste is underwhelming, but this is more than made up for by the aftertaste, which is dry and lingers forever. This is not a sweet, malty beer. If is light enough to enjoy a lot of it without getting weighted down by sweetness. Definitely one I will return to.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 22:23:59 | More by Hopsedge

jsanford

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into a Pint Glass.

A - Pours a hazy orange with a 1-inch creamy white head that recedes to a craggy haze, leaving tons of soapy lacing behind.
S - Hops! Incredibly pungent hop aromas, very green and vegetal, with notes of pineapple, pine resin, and grapefruit.
T - Again, very hoppy, with lots of dank flavors of grapefruit, pineapple, and pineapple with a long-lasting bitter finish. Not as much up-front hop flavor as I'd expected, this is more on the bittering hops end of the spectrum. Still, for a "regular" IPA this is HUGE.
M - Smooth and slightly creamy, with a medium body and crisp carbonation. You can really feel the hop resins in here.
O - Excellent IPA, certainly an intense experience. Hop-heads rejoice!

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 14:54:00 | More by jsanford

TheKingofWichita

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a reddish orange color with a thick yellowish white head and a fair amount of lacing. Smells of piney hops and a little hint of citrus. Tastes of pine, hops, and some citrus, but mostly well rounded hop flavor such as the name would suggest. Mouthfeel is medium and it has a good carbonation. Drinkability is high.

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2011 13:45:35 | More by TheKingofWichita

oberon

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Wow there has been a little backlash against this beer,the name of the beer is Death By Hops!Its gonna be intense,actually its not that intense,for what this beer is supposed to be its pretty damn good.Poured into an imperial nonic a hazed burnt orange with a thinner but lacey white head atop.Aromas of overripe tangerine and orange oil,a bit of pine resin and a caramel sweetness also emerges.Flavors start out with a burst of citrus fruit,again that tangerine flavor stands out,the sugary sweetness begins to come into play than a bitter grapefruit rind note hits hard in the finish.Again this is a DIPA that is not for the pedestrian non hop loving beer folk,its for the in your face hophead and it works great for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 23:18:44 | More by oberon

koopa

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

22oz bomber received in a trade with a buddy.

Appearance: Pours an attractive and fairly transparent dirty orange to copper with a 1 finger white crown that displays good retention and lace.

Smell: A nice bouquet of candied orange, grapefruit, and a dominant floral hop note. Some underlying onion and cut grass notes are present.

Taste: The same ingredients as the nose but more vibrant and enjoyable. Finishes with a nice lasting herbal hop bitterness. Flawed but enjoyable.

Mouthfeel: A touch thin but not off putting in any way.

Drinkability: Exceptional.

This brew has flaws but I still enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2011 23:09:07 | More by koopa

Mississipping

Mississippi

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear goldenrod color witha small frothy off-white head that dissipates very quickly. Minimal lacing is left behind, as well as an extremely thin patch film and rocky collar.

S: The smell is a little subdued, considering the beer's name. There is definitely a presence of citrusy hops ... grapefruit, tangerine, and a touch of lemon ... as well as bit of piney resin. The usual suspects are there, but it's a little toned down in my opinion.

T: The flavor is a lot stronger and more complex than the smell suggests it would be. Loads of citrusy fruits immediately that mimic the fruit noticed in the smell. If you let it sit on your tongue, the fruit is really all that is noticeable; as soon as you swallow it, however, the hop bomb explodes and it becomes really quite bitter. If there was a tongue bruiser of an IPA, this would be it ... hoppy, bitter, and very dry at this finish.

M: Medium bodied and highly carbonated; a little too high for my taste. It's extremely lively, bubbly, and prickly. Although I think it's overly carbonated, it might actually be very appropriate for this beer. You feel it in your mouth immediately and it leaves an impression between sips.

D: This is really tasty, but it's a little difficult to drink due to the huge hop-bomb characteristics. Bitter, dry, prickly. Maybe it's just a bit too much for me. I really enjoyed this one, but it took a while to finish this bottle off.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 00:42:17 | More by Mississipping