Hop-a-lot-amus - River Horse Brewing Co.

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.68/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed on 10/11/2009. Growler from Big Z Beverage. Pours a deep hazy orange/brown with a small white head. Aroma of caramel malt, floral hops, and a touch of citrus. Flavor is largely malty with some bitter hops in the finish. Pretty decent IIPA, although a little lacking in the citrus department.

Serving type: growler

12-19-2009 03:11:20 | More by LilBeerDoctor

jmunsters

Michigan

3.35/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Brought back to Michigan for me as a Christmas gift from my in-laws hometown. Still fresh enough to rate confidentially as a DIPA.

Poured a light amber with a finger head that clings hard to the snifter glass. Smell of hops and sweet, ripe North American summer fruits. Tastes of light pine, hints of citrus and strong strawberry jam. Decent carbonation, a bit of stinging alcohol and a clean finish for a DIPA.

Overall: There's a lot going on here. If I tasted this blind I would have labelled it a fruit beer. Malts are not profound enough to make the color what it is. I would bet strawberries of some sort lend to the color and flavor.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 02:33:27 | More by jmunsters

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Murky orange-amber with two-and-a-half-finger, white, creamy head that lasted a long time. Great lacing.

S: Caramel malt and floral.

T: Light to moderate sweetness and solid hop bitterness. Bitter and alcoholic.

M: Medium bodied with soft carbonation. Smooth and refreshing.

O: This beer looks phenomenal in the glass. The smell and taste were underwhelming though.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 03:46:39 | More by SolipsismalCat

BlurryVisi0n

New York

3.93/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a snifter glass.

Appearance: This looks borderline perfect. Cloudy deep amber held towards the light you see little bubbles on the body with the right size off-white head about 1/3" off the body.

Smell: Light hop smell but strong floral feel. It feels like smelling a forest but no poo.

Taste: Has a bitter taste that you will not forget. It isn't bad is definitively acquired. I love Double IPAs and this one is to remember. Floral, bitter, piney but still smooth. It might come off light to some but after a few sips it feels just right.

Mouth: Medium to heavy smooth and right. This is a crisp beer that comes off toasty in the end. Think your Vienna lager meeting an IPA.

Overall: Great brew, I was already drinking before taking a glance at the previous reviews and this beer has something more than potential. It's that good. Grab a movie and a glass and you're good to go....Salud!

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 06:19:22 | More by BlurryVisi0n

nimrod979

Maryland

3.6/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz brown bottle into a pint glass. Didn't feel like getting too fancy.

Appearance: Poured a murky opaque copper with a two finger light tan head. Retention holds up quite well and there there's a lot of sticky lacing all over. Definitely unfiltered.

Aroma: Nice big grapefruit citrus. Some pine/resin oil and caramel malts

Taste: Starts with that grapefruit citrusy hop, some hemp oil earthiness and a fairly prevalent caramel malty sweetness. It actually kind of reminds me of an English IPA with the flavor profile I'm getting. Just everything turned up a notch.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied. A little oily but chewy mouthfeel. Decent carbonation. Plenty of sweetness throughout with a decent bitter finish.

Nothing groundbreaking per the style but a decent enough beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 23:14:01 | More by nimrod979

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A lot of things on this one strike me as "different" for a dipa. First, it's very dark. And the flavor profile is very oily with a subdued pine tone. The nose is very much so pine influenced. It might be considered a bit misleading as it doesn't taste as interesting as the nose might lead one to believe. Overall though, it is an okay ale. This really doesn't strike me as a dipa. But as a beer, unrestricted by style parameters, it isn't too bad.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 04:54:06 | More by RblWthACoz

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Not the clearest looking DIPA (unfiltered?) with a 1/2 inch of tan colored head. Mild sediment and some lacing.

S - Smell is good citrus and grapefruit hops with a caramel like malt bite and a touch of sugar cookie like sweetness. Mild sweetness.

T - Not bad it does borderline on a "dirty" IPA with earthy like bitterness next to the regular citrus/grapefruit mending. The caramel like malts and sweetness help to block any detection of ABV so no alcohol in the flavor. Still I have had better.

M - Medium and kind of chewy. Not sure if a DIPA should be chewy.

Overall it wasn't the worst DIPA I ever had but it was worth the $1.75 for sure. Maybe they should filter it so it would look cleaner and balance some of those hops.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 00:48:10 | More by DrDemento456

gkatsoris

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Cloudy and murky; swampy. Thin head, but lots of lacing. The color is drab brown.

S: Wow! Floral hops and slight slight malts. Sugar cookies. Buttery.

T: Maybe not the freshest bottle. Pretty blah.

M: Thick and fluffy.

O: Sorry to say; meh.

I should note I have had this on tap and it was spectacular; unlike this pour.

thanks redliner8!

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 02:14:29 | More by gkatsoris

microbrewlover

Pennsylvania

1.95/5  rDev -45.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

This brew pours a nice deep copper color. There is a one finger head which takes a few minuets to disspate and lacing which stays on the glass till the end.

The smell is of floral hops, some grapefruit, I could not detect anything else.

The mouthfeel is light, mostly creamy, a bit bready.

The taste starts out with floral hops and grapefruit then that is it. This brew calls itself a double IPA but I did not detect enough hops for this beer to be a single IPA. No subtle flavors, no malts, fruits or spices, nothing but a slight grapefruit taste then the hop oils sit on the tounge leaving hop bitterness without the hop flavor.

I was very dissapointed by this beer. I had heard good things about River Horse and the Double IPA moniker had left me expecting a hop feast and instead I got a hop meh. I hate to say, this brew was just weak.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 01:58:36 | More by microbrewlover

mikeg67

New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle from a variety pack. Pours hazy-orange with a long lasting, off-white head and a lot of lacing. Aroma is of caramel malt, citrusy hops and some fruity esters. Body is full and smooth. A lot of piney, grapefruity hops balanced on the palate by large amount of caramel and biscuit malt. Finish is long lasting, dry, grapefruity. Solid brew. I think I will be buying more of River Horse brews.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 01:12:08 | More by mikeg67

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A - poured a mellow amber, slightly cloudy with very little head.

S - smells of fruits (peaches, pear), sweet caramel, piney hops, slight hint of a rubber smell

T - a very malt heavy ipa with a spice to it.. almost seems like they used belgian yeast for fermentation. taste of pepper, bready, banana, lemon peel, pine, earthy hops, caramel

M - pretty heavy for an ipa, nice and thick. pretty sweet as well so it goes down quite easy. good for a hot day like today :)

O - one of river horse's best beers, way different than hop hazard - lots more unidentifiable flavors! just gotta be careful because they are really tasty and "light" feeling, until you've drank the 4-pack and realize you're walking down the highway naked with a puppy cradled in your arms.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 17:37:34 | More by facundoCNB

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

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

A-golden color with a white head and some lacing

S-citrus fruit and yeasty bread aromas

T-fruit and yeasty bread flavors with some sweetness and moderate bitterness

F-medium body with moderate carbonation, a slight stickiness to it

O-a decent DIPA but nothing distinguishing about it

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 17:30:18 | More by MDDMD

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

2.98/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a brown orange with not much head but good lacing. It says its unfiltered but it doesn't look it. I was expecting it to be a bit more cloudy body.
Aroma is of malts. Smells like a macro trying to be micro.
Taste is malty up front but has a bitter hoppy sweet and fruity but lacks some real personality.
Slightly bitter but the alcohol is hidden nice.
Overall, its drinkable but not a great example of what a dipa should be. I wouldn't buy again.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 11:36:31 | More by DrinkSlurm

NoLeafClover44

Delaware

3.15/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a shaped dogfish pint.

A - This is an unfiltered DIPA and it looks like it. Very cloudy auburn. It is entirely opaque. A large white-ish head that sticks around. Leaves a beautiful lacing all the way down the glass.

S - Pine and citrus with a sweet malt backbone. Not much hops on the nose, very sweet.

T - Sweet malt followed by an overwhelming taste of pine and floral notes. Finishes with a stanky acidic hop character that coats the tongue. It isn't terribly unbalanced, but not perfect.

M - Decent carbonation, medium thickness. I think its a bit too syrupy for the style, although the cloudy look suggested it may be.

O - I picked it up in a mix-a-six because I like hippos and hops. Sometimes that's all it takes for a beer to end up in my six pack. It is not bad, but not worth the 11.99/4 pack regular price that it has at Wegmans.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 03:57:38 | More by NoLeafClover44

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a slightly hazed burnt amber with 3 fingers of foamy off-white head that dissipates slowly. Moderate carbonation.

N: Pine, navel orange, tangerine, lemon, rich caramel and light fruity esters.

T: Pine, lemon zest and tangerine upfront followed by pine needles and rich caramel that is bordering toffee. Finishes with lemon zest, orange cream and pine.

M: Medium-full bodied, chewy, creamy, sticky and dry.

O: Rich with hops and caramel but comes off a bit astringent and almost cloying. Tastes bigger than it is in a negative way. Just not balanced enough for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 16:10:25 | More by justintcoons

BuzzLitebier

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured this from a bottle into a snifter.

It was kind of a caramel brown and slightly cloudy with virtually no head. There was some non-persistent lacing.

Sweet and malty nose dominated the beer with some hops but not much.

Taste had some hops but lots of malt with kind of a bitter linger and a bit of astringency on the end.

The mouth feel was OK- but nothing to write home about. It wasn't terribly thick for a double, but it did have nice carbonation.

It's a solid offering, but I wouldn't go out of my way to seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 02:03:40 | More by BuzzLitebier

nickfl

Florida

3.2/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Pours with two fingers of white foam on top of a slightly hazy, dark copper colored body. The head settles slowly and leaves nice, thick lace on the glass.

S - Spicy hops with a hint of pine and caramel.

T - Caramel malt up front with some red apple. Pine and sweaty hop flavors come out in the middle and are pushed aside by thick, bready malt as the finish settles in. Lingering fruity yeast and soapy hop bitterness.

M - Medium-thick body, moderate bitterness, and a slightly sweet finish.

D - Thick, malty and kind of overbearing. The hops are excessively muddy and kind of get lost in the malt. I didn't really care for this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 04:35:26 | More by nickfl

avalon07

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a tulip glass. Had a dark brown-orange color and a hazy texture. There was a big, foamy, long-lasting head. OK lacing.

S: A very hoppy aroma, with traces of malt and pine as well.

T: Tasted of hops, pine, malt, caramel, and a hint of grain. A decent enough flavor, though surprisingly it wasn't as hoppy as most DIPAs out there.

M: A well-carbonated beer with a somewhat earthy finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This is a pretty good, generally well done beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 03:09:28 | More by avalon07

jtierney89

New Jersey

2/5  rDev -44.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours a dark amber/copper color with about a 1half finger head which seems to retain and stick well. Lots of floral hops on the nose. Medium to big body with lots of carbonation and graininess. Hops are the star of this show, very subtle malt sweetness up front but not much. The hops taste is nice but there isn't much else going on. Some herbal spiciness is also present. Bitterness is high for those that are into that type of thing. It builds slightly but not as bad as others I've had. Didn't live up to my expectations.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 01:42:35 | More by jtierney89

mrasskicktastic

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Deep copper brew with a little ruby tint, slightly hazy, medium sized head, a lot of lacing.

S - Grapefruit pith on the nose, a bit of caramel malt backbone, a hint of pepper.

T - A bit of caramel malt sweetness and biscuity flavors upfront, as well as grapefruit pith and a touch of white pepper. Aftertaste is lingering peppery flavor with a bit of pithy bitterness with a very, very slight hint of aspirin.

M - A little smooth, a little thick, a little refreshing.

D - Not bad. No trouble drinking it. The flavors don't wow or awe you, but they are pleasant enough. A solid DIPA, even if it isn't great.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 02:15:42 | More by mrasskicktastic

Krakistophales

Connecticut

3.45/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a light red with almost no head and just a bit of a white halo.

S: A touch of grassy hops, a bit of sweet malts, and some spice character, though it's all pretty mellow.

T: At first, you get a nice shot of grass hop bitterness, with the middle entering just a bit of sweet malts, maybe caramel, and the finish is just another bitter blast, but not in a refreshing or shocking way, rather dull.

O: This one is OK, but I expected more and there are far better IIPA options than this.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2011 02:20:38 | More by Krakistophales

BurpingtonDC

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Beautiful apricot/orange/amber It wasn't the best color with a creamy head. Didn't get a lot of sediment like others have reported, but was plenty cloudy.

S - Citrus, a little pine, and malt pretty much sums it up.

T - , Very malty and very hoppy. Nice balance, but not a lot of depth either. A touch of orange perhaps. If I sound underwhelmed, I wasn't really. I actually enjoyed Hop-a-lo... pretty well.

M - starts off with a sweet malty flavor then very quickly drops a hop bomb in your most which finishes long and dry.

O -Overall I liked Hop-a-lot...a lot. It's 8.5% ABV was nice and buzzy, but it wasn't boozy at all. Enjoyed the hop overload and the mellow sweetness of the malt. Three thumbs up! (I got a lot of thumbs)

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2011 22:51:27 | More by BurpingtonDC

metter98

New York

3.68/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is cloudy yellowish amber in color and has a light to moderate amount of carbonation with small particles visible floating in suspension. It poured with a finger high off white head that died down but never completely faded away and left thick lacing running down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light to moderately strong aromas of citrus hops along with some notes of pine resin in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of grapefruit from the hops. There are some hints of malty sweetness in the initial taste, but these are quickly replaced by a strong amount of bitterness that persists through the finish and aftertaste. There are also some hints of alcohol.
M: It feels medium-bodied and crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There are some hints of heat from the alcohol in the finish, which is also quite dry.
O: I’m not sure if I could drink more than one of these in an evening because the taste is dominated by the hops and is very bitter.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 00:22:32 | More by metter98

sulldaddy

Connecticut

3.93/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pouring a cellar temp bottle into a pint glass.
The beer pours a clean and clear copper hue with creamy eggshell white head foaming up and fading gradually to a sturdy thin yet dense surface layer. Aroma is herbal and floral hops, there is a little bit of pine sap to finish out the hop character. Some grainy biscuit malt background scent to give a bit of balance. the nose isnt overwhelming coming from the glass but is complex and appealing scent.
First sip reveals an average body and creamy textured brew with fine tingly carbonation that fizzes throughout the sampling.
Some stickyness resides on my lips after each sip.
Flavor is some sweet biscuit but then rolls to sappy hops with some general astringency on the finish. The hop bite lingers a bit after each sip and feels fairly resiny throughout.
The beer has no real hint of the ABV and is well crafted. I wasnt expecting the sticky hops that I found from the nose, but they are certainly present in the brew.
A pretty good double IPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 04:41:43 | More by sulldaddy

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.53/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Orange and murky-cloudy, one finger head had a little staying power and left ok lacing.

Smells of hops, biscuit and caramel malts, just a touch sweet.

The taste is a bit more pungently malty, with sweet caramel malts dominating, biscuit following, with a toasty character, hoppiness is plentiful as well, although not typical of a DIPA. It's a tasty beer tho, enjoyable despite being different than I expected.

Body is medium and pretty well carbonated, bittersweet aftertaste, well hidden alcohol.

Overall it's interesting tho not outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 22:18:29 | More by AlCaponeJunior