Hoplanta - Red Brick Brewing Company

Immortale25

Florida

3.49/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Green Flash cask-style glass. No freshness date.

A- Pours a very murky dark copper color with a 1/2 inch off-white head that retains a bit before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a full sheet of surface foam. Sticky threads of lacing.

S- More of an herbal hop aroma with a scent of sweet malt in the tail. Slight alcohol fume.

T- Bitterness that doesn't have much of a flavor accompanying it; just bite and a vegetable flavor. Tastes slightly astringent and now the booze shows its full presence. IBUs are certainly in the 70+ range. The malts kind of get lost in the heavy hoppage and aren't as prevalent as in the aroma.

M- Bitey with a dryness that lingers. Also has a considerable alcohol sting. Medium carbonation and a solid body.

O- I'm glad I only bought a single bottle as this is a bit of a disappointing IPA. Not very much fun to drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 02:52:58 | More by Immortale25

GJ40

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Sampled from a 12oz bottle purchased at The Beer Dispensary in Apex, NC.

A - A deep gold with a moderate white head. As a homebrewer that bottle conditions, I always pour carefully and watch for sediment yet this one got me big time. I left a good ounce in the bottle yet I had big chunks of yeast sediment throughout the glass. Not exactly what I expect from an IPA in a 12oz bottle. Good clarity otherwise.

S - Mostly piney hops with some bready malts.

T - Piny hop flavor. A nice bitterness up front but it doesn't linger long enough. Some toasted malts throughout.

M - Slightly slick with a moderate carbonation of fine bubbles. Flows down nicely.

O - A decent beer other than the massive sediment. But I can't really separate the two.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 10:19:37 | More by GJ40

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.68/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On Tap at Summit's Wayside Tavern in Snellville January 7, 2012. 16 Ounce Pour.

(Appearance) pours a hazy deep gold copper tone with a small head that subsides quickly. White spotty lacing is left behind. the appearance is pretty much spot on and a bit hazier than many other ipas. Good. 3.5

(Smell) A little malt character and an even more mild hop aroma. Very mild in potency. 3

(Taste) spicy hop balanced with a touch of pale malt and mildly roasted caramel. The balance is pretty nice, not too hoppy and not too malt heavy either, but has substance in each one. Theres a lingering malt finish, nothing alarming in intensity nor cloying flavors making this a quaffable beer, and Overall a pretty good beer. Certainly the best year round by the brewery available. 4

(Mouthfeel) very light crispness, good to highlight the small hop presence in this beer. Light/medium body, very low alcohol presence. Good compliment to the taste. 4

(Overall) A very good quality IPA. Malt heavier than most but worth trying. Get some. 3.5

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 00:24:17 | More by Jadjunk

BeerDawgs

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - A copper redish coor, with 1 finger of head, but not much sticky lace left on the glass. But what is kick ass is the LOADS of sediment floating around in the brew. Unbelievably unfiltered!

S - Citrusy sweet hops

T - wow, huge malt backbone, with a bittering flavor at the end.

M - Medium bodied and well carbonated.

O - An average IPA. The appearance and the sediment in the beer is the best part for me. The taste is below average for an IPA. Cool name though...

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 02:33:35 | More by BeerDawgs

ThickNStout

Georgia

4.15/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Growler from Moondog Growlers (Marietta, GA). Served in a Southern Tier snifter. 

Pours a clear amber orange with 2.5 fingers of pillowy off white head. Nice consistant lacing the whole way down. 

Smells of citris and piney hops. Quite nice. 

Great smooth grapefruity hops hit up front. Bitter but not abrasively so. Sweet biscuit-like flavors in the middle. The aftertaste is mildly bitter piney hops. Very enjoyable flavors rest on the tongue for quite a while. 

Medium bodied with good carbonation. Very mildly resinous. 

This is a really nice IPA. Smooth and very drinkable. It's taken me too long to give it a try. Red Brick has really been stepping up their game over the past year or so. If you're a fan of the Sweetwater IPA, you should check out Hoplanta.

Serving type: growler

02-18-2012 03:12:32 | More by ThickNStout

lnashsig

Texas

3.8/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Many thanks to ahlthe3rd (Hugh) for the chance to taste this one. Always down to taste something new and hoppy! "Hoppier than a bullfrog with a stubbed toe". Awesome. Poured from bottle into my Victory tulip. Pours a super cloudy yellow/orange color. Lacing on this is phenomenal- all over the glass. Smell- citrus grassy hops, nice blood orange and grapefruit aroma, tropical mango/papaya. Really nice aroma here and great appearance. Taste- not what I was expecting from the aroma at all. A blast of bitterness is there, but it almost is mingled with a peppery/smoke flavor? A bit of astringency and possibly some plastic flavors on the end, but not a huge detractor to the beer. Super grassy hops here, it really dominates the flavor. This is a pretty interesting and unique beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 02:13:19 | More by lnashsig

TrappistJohnMD

Mississippi

3.53/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours golden with off white head that dissipates pretty quickly.

Smell is floral hops with mild hints of citrus. Not a hop bomb at all.

Taste is sweet malts up front with mild citrus and bitterness in the finish. Seems more plain pale ale than IPA, but good.

Mouthfeel is light bodied and very drinkable. Medium to heavy carbonation.

Overall this was good. I like a little more hop punch, but I would drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 11:35:01 | More by TrappistJohnMD

Thur123

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A new locally brewed IPA, picked up at FPBS in Athens. Bottle states: "Hoppier than a bullfrog with a stubbed toe."

The smell is piney and bitter fruit hop aromas. The malt is not too present in the nose. The yeast floats around in tiny clusters evenly throughout the body of this brew.

The flavor is better than expected given Red Bricks 16 year history, but they have made a bunch of changes in the right direction lately (IMO). This tastes like a much dryer and more pine bitter IPA than say Sweetwater or Terrapin offerings. It finishes crisp and only slightly bitter compared to it's up front resin and sharp grapefruit flavor due to a clean and somewhat sweet malt base.

The mouthfeel is fine, neither too thick or heavy.

Overall I'm happy this offering is around. A locally made fresh IPA that offers a different take on the style is needed in GA and I believe it would hold up elsewhere as well. It's a bit on the bitter side when I think IPA, but it's also a nice change.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 07:55:55 | More by Thur123

Mojo

Alabama

3.73/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours up a deep hazy gold with a massive head, unbelievable retention, and some of the modt elaborate lacing I have ever seen. Smell is pine, resin, and biscuit. Mouthfeel is pretty mild. Taste is some sweet malt followed by citrus and hops. Overall not bad, but not the greatest either.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 02:50:36 | More by Mojo

weonfire

Kentucky

3.85/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A - Wow. Lotta off white colored head. 2+ inches worth. Slowly starts to fade. nice mixture of big fluffy bubbles and small tiny ones. Also a large amount of sediment. usually don't see this is an IPA. color is a organgish/red.

S - really awesome citra hops. apricot. citrus. grapefruit. orange. lemon.

T - Milder then i expected. Scent is better than the taste. That being said- it is still very pleasant. hops present a mellow bitter flavor. some orange and lemon. and not much of an alcohol taste.

M- viscosity is medium. can taste a bit of earthy bitterness for 30-60 seconds after swallow.

O- Good IPA. I like that we taste the hops not the alcohol. I would buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 14:45:31 | More by weonfire

godlessape

Georgia

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured this one into my Palm snifter glass. No date on the bottle can be seen with the naked eye--but I picked up a six-pack anyway because I've had it before and loved it and I also like to support local breweries.

Appearance: The finger head dissipates to an acceptable skim leaving a decent amount of lacing. The body is a cloudy, murky, brassy affair that looks unfiltered and that's something I really appreciate.

Smell: I notice a pleasant earthiness to this. We have a touch of caramel here, along with a hint of citrus hops, but nothing like your average West Coast style IPA, aroma. This smells more like an English IPA.

Taste: Rich, and well balanced, with the caramel malt up front and then slapped back with a lemon peppery bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied.

Overall: This is decent brew, that I will come back to from time to time. Hopefully I"ll be able to find it on tap somewhere around town.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 05:45:52 | More by godlessape

busterwhite

Georgia

3.45/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark orange with a 1 finger head and slight lacing. Hazy with some sediment.

Smells of pine and bitter citrus.

Taste of sharp bitterness up front, pine and grapefruit rind. No real balance from the malt, bitter finish and aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is a little thin.

Overall this is bitter start to finish. Like chewing on grapefruit rind. Not balanced and not very complex.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 02:02:52 | More by busterwhite

2378GCGTG

Texas

3.28/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Unfiltered golden yellow 1 in white head with great lacing

Nose: Golden raisin with some light hops and some caramel

Taste: Light fruits and a clean malt, could be more here, with a spicey hop finish

Mouthfeel: Crisp and clean, definitely sessionable.

Overall: This is a good IPA, very drinkable

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 02:05:50 | More by 2378GCGTG

TheSeeker61

Georgia

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

Poured a half inch head and was an orange brown in appearance. The nose was hoppy with a slight malt. The tongue is hoppy citrussy with a slight malt backbone. The mouthfeel is mild. Overall it's a decent IPA, certainly not a favorite but could have again.

Serving type: growler

10-26-2012 19:45:33 | More by TheSeeker61

circus_cat

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Hazy, opaque body that is amber in color. Sea foamy light beige head, a half inch of which is really sticking around. It's also leaving some nice lacing on my glass.

S: Floral perfume, bitter grapefruit citrus. Fermented apple juice. Subtle grape juice and dare I say communion wine? A little breadiness at the end. It's growing more and more complex as it sits in my glass. Let's see if the taste matches.

T: The taste just isn't as good as the smell. It's bitter without much else. A little maltiness and yeastiness up front and I'm getting a little grapefruit and supermarket grape juice across the middle but it mainly just spreads bitterness around the sides of the tongue and it sits on the back of the tongue. I know that it's "hoppier than a bullfrog with a stubbed toe," but I've had beers that I would imagine have higher IBUs than this one (they don't list what the IBUs in this are) that manage to balance more effectively.

M: Sticky. It really hangs around on the tongue. Medium bodied.

O: Stick your nose in the glass and smell this beer and you'll instantly be in a good mood. The taste leaves some to be desired but it's a decent IPA...just needs some serious balancing.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 16:24:32 | More by circus_cat

hopoilcrazy

Tennessee

3.49/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A - Hazy goldish amber. Nice lacy foam with large pockets.

S - Clove, allspice, bready, wine-y. Good amount of grapefruit on the fruity side.

T - Resinous hop character: muted bitterness, grainy flatness, grassy, very faint roasted malt

M - Smooth and crisp, very clean and dry

Shows some signs of age, I would like to try it on draft fresh and see what is up after that.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 23:36:57 | More by hopoilcrazy

ackleydg

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Really nice aromas of caramel malt, floral/fruity hops notes, a nice blend. 4

Very strong, off-white head, great lacing, color is good, but it's very hazy - practically opaque -- makes it hard to give it better than a 3 for appearance.

Flavor is very good - rich, lots of caramel malt - great hops presence

Mouthfeel is a bit heavy -- I don't mind it being full-bodied, but doesn't seem right -- a generous 3

Has some good things going for it. I'm enjoying it, so I switched to 3.5 overall at last minute, but stylistically it seems a little off. Filter this sucker and it would be an easy 4.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 01:53:37 | More by ackleydg

StoutishDan

Georgia

3.45/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Homebrew day beer. Picked it up for 8.99 at Kriger. Never had this local brew out of Atlanta.

A - The first thing I noticed after the glass was poured was the junk floating all in the beer. I've had beers - that I later found out were spoiled - that had floating things in it. Definitely not something you would look for in a beer. Other than that the head is just big enough to appear creamy and the lacing is all up the glass as I'm sipping it. Sticky sticky beer. Let's hope the floaties are normal for this brew.

S - Swett malts up front with slight frutiness following. Right now I don't get much hop on the nose. Smells really sweet and creamy. The anticipation!

T - The taste is sweet as well...particularly the aftertaste. The hops are less floral and grapefruity and more spicy. It leaves your mouth with a tiny little burn that you'd get from eating something on the spicy side but not meant to actually be spicy. First thing you notice when you drink this beer is the bitterness (obviously), but there's a really nice sweet malty finish that glides in there while the bitterness lingers...it's that ever-present battle between the grains and hops. They want your palate! It's really good, although I generally prefer the more grapefruit-tasting IPAs. West Coast IPAs, right? It's good...all those floaties are probably unfiltered goodness from the mash/wort, the brewers left in there cause they FREAKING CAN.

O - I like it. It's not my favorite, but it's not going to be the last time I drink this brew. If it's available at a local restaurant/pub/bar here in ATL you might find me sipping on one of these...you might. BUT, I have had better. Those "betters" will go unnamed - being that I have not yet reviewed them on BA. I will.

Out of 100 total "goodness" point I rate Red Brick Hoplanta a solid 89.

Stoutish

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 04:15:46 | More by StoutishDan

ccarney2

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Deep orange color that pours about a finger of an off white head. Kind of a hazy/mildly cloudy body, but has a beautiful almost "glow" when held up to a light. There are lots of small carbonation bubbles rising to the surface that maintains a decent head all the way to the bottom of the glass. Moderate lacing.

Smell - The hops are definitely showcased here, and it works. I didn't expect too much from this in state offering, but as soon as I took the first smell that all changed. This beer has a wonderful hop aroma that compliments the malt character rather than overpowering it. Sweet citrus smell up front that kind of fades to more of a piney funky nose.

Taste - Short window of sweet malts mixed with orange up front, but quickly fades into a more bitter but kind of mellow flavor. I really wished the great citrus shined for a little longer, because towards the end of the flavor it just sort of drops off and turns to nothing but bitter. Still good in my opinion though.

Mouthfeel - Fairly highly carbonated for the style, not to the extent of being excessive though. Nice mouthfeel, sticks around your tongue for a while.

Overall - I was definitely happy to have picked this up in a mixed 6-pack. It is a beer that I haven't really heard any hype about, but it impressed me a good bit. Very nice IPA with a good blend of fruity citrus and a nice bitter finish.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 05:43:03 | More by ccarney2

AlCzerik

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Living in GA I try anything that Red Brick or Sweetwater comes out with, this is a solid IPA that I would order again.

Appearance- Pours a copper color, I had this on draft and it had a decent head on it.

Taste- I tasted more hops that I did citrus which is always a plus for me.

Overall- Worth the try.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2012 21:10:23 | More by AlCzerik

drakkath

Alabama

3.4/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into my 32oz mug

A - big fluffy head, lots of lacing, it appears to be unfiltered, which to most would be a turn off, but appreciate a beer that can be crafted without filtering, being a home brewer myself.

S - not much going on on the nose, some faint herbal hops and citrus

M - light to medium body, mildly carbonated

O - despite being unfiltered this beer is tasty, easy on the palette and very drinkable. However, as an IPA I don't think it quite fits into the style with the big contenders, but I still enjoyed drinking this brew. I don't think I'll ever actively seek it out, but I would be delighted if I saw it on the shelf.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 13:00:56 | More by drakkath

SavvyStudent

Texas

3.79/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Had the chance to try a couple of Georgia breweries recently and I would put this IPA in the top third from what I have tried. I have found a common taste thread in a lot of these beers that I think can be attributed to the water utilized. This one is worth a try if on tap but nothing worth going out of your way for.

A: Nice color with some legs to it; lighter than I would've originally thought.
S: Nothing special
T: This is where it distinguishes itself from some of the other breweries (e.g. Sweetwater). I was looking for some more hops and really found this flavor profile more muddy than most other IPAs.
M: this sits a little full and heavy for my liking.
O: As far as GA IPAs go this one is pretty good but nothing to look out for.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 01:23:25 | More by SavvyStudent

mmmmmbeeer

Georgia

4.22/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle -- No bottling date but, being this was just released, this can't be more than a couple weeks old.

A -- Honey amber color..a bit cloudy. 2 finger head with decent head residue floating after it sits. Moderate lacing

S -- Very sweet citrus...grapefruit...smells like a solid IPA

T -- Not near as sweet as the smell. This beer is full of hoppy bitterness! Very much on the piney side. I'm not sensing a whole lot of malt...I think they were aiming for an unbalanced hop bomb and they succeeded.

M -- Resinous

O -- I typically don't review beers that I drink but I thought giving a local brew a little bit of love for something that was surprisingly good was in order. While Terrapin and Sweetwater put out quality IPAs, I think that Red Brick has upped the ante a bit by releasing something that, to me, is much more in the West Coast vein of IPAs....in-your-face hops with little regard for balance.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 01:00:00 | More by mmmmmbeeer

08Deltadawn8

4.7/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

this beer is very good in my opinion. i had it on tap at a restaurant, Ive also had it from a growler, both have been very enjoyable experiences. first the appearance, it is a almost walnut brown color with a light tan frothy head that dissipates rather quickly. the smell is ofcourse hoppy with hints of smoke and maybe vanilla, the taste is hoppie and very good, almost spicy. the mouthfeel is very good and light. you can definitely tell you are drinking a beer in this case. i would suggest this beer to anyone who likes hoppy beers.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2012 20:37:42 | More by 08Deltadawn8

GoblueMS

Mississippi

2.41/5  rDev -36.1%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.25

So I bought a case of this as it was one of the few IPAS available in beer deprived (depraved) MS. We still do not have enough quality offerings via distribution here, as presumably most quality breweries have enough distribution already. Hopefully we will continue to gain in assortment.

On to this beer: I bought a whole case from my vendor without trying it first. Big mistake. The product pours so foamy that it will run out of a 24 oz. mug, just by decanting it (properly, as I am so very well versed). Next it is very malty, rather than hoppy in any sense of the word. Mouthfeel is of heft without redeeming taste qualities. Smell is not like Ruination or West Coast IPA--it is more like, well just a malt-bomb. Can't describe it better, sorry. Overall it is something I will never buy again, though it remains better than the macro-brews. I still have 5-6 left from a case I bought almost 6 months ago, and that is saying something.

Red Brick, you should go to school and fix this offering. In the words of Chevy Chase, "you're really not that good..."

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 02:43:57 | More by GoblueMS