Hop Hog - Feral Brewing Co.

eddocron

Minnesota

4.56/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

As a dark stout lover, I was a little leary of most ales. Feral hit Hop Hog just right.

This starts as a clean pour with a great white head, about 1 inch in the pint glass.
The head lasts a little while but gradually fades,
But the smell is hops, hops and more hops. Damn, this smells good! And it tastes just as good. Crisp, sharp, yet surprisingly rich for such a golden ale (I know, it is an IPA). Great hops taste matches its smell. my tongue had a difficult time picking up other flavors, some citrus, mild and just enough to add a little sweetness to the brew.

The mouth feel makes this an easy to drink beer, and little after taste.

I have had this brew on tap several times as well as in their 4-pack bottled (purchased at Freo Doctor). The bottle was just as good as the tap except the citrus seemed a bit subdued.
A fantastic IPA. Would love to take some back home with me.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2013 13:48:55 | More by eddocron

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer was sent fresh from MrKennedy, major thanks on this one! The beer poured out as a nice looking orange gold color that had an average sized head. The lacing is sticky and has a good solid retention as well. The smell is awesome, I pick up aromas of Orange, Grapefruits and Peach... it's such a fresh smelling beer. The taste of the beer is good but not as powerful as the nose. There is some piney flavors with a hint of lemon in there mixed with a subtle malt backbone. The mouthfeel was a little too thin I thought but it's nicely carbonated and rather refreshing. Overall, Very good beer in my opinion, would drink this one again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 00:31:02 | More by Knapp85

SmashPants

Australia

3.9/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: standard 330mL brown bottle, pretty rubbish label. At least it's different though.

Appearance: pours a hazy orange amber with a thick off-white head. Good retention and decent, patchy lacing. Enticing to say the least.

Aroma: up-front strong aromas of tropical fruit hops - lychee, mangoes and peaches. A hint of bread malts rounds out the aroma.

Taste: follows the nose, with an expected whack of citrus hops. Again, the bread malts back up the big hop flavours somewhat.

Aftertaste: astringency starts to cut across, but the American IPA levels of hops sorts it out.

Mouth feel: medium carbonation, with a thicker body.

Overall: quite a decent IPA, not quite as overdone as a lot of the American IPAs. Quite expensive though, at AU$80 a case. Take it or leave it, I suppose :)

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 00:08:48 | More by SmashPants

danieelol

Australia

3.65/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Belated upload. Thanks to MordeciaFunk for sending this through to me in the Australian BIF (along with heaps of other cool stuff).

Pours a nice mango colour. Good head/lacing.

Smell presents a lot of mango character, almost Tripel-like although it does come from hops.

Taste presents a dry hoppy character which is nevertheless well balanced and drinkable.

Mouthfeel is fine, not a whole lot of carb but ok bitterness.

Overall an enjoyable beer. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 13:59:18 | More by danieelol

dansmcd

Australia

4.63/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a cloudy mid orange with a thick, creamy white head that lasts the distance. One unbroken sheet of lacing encases the glass.

S - Gorgeous tropical fruit hop pungency, mango, passionfruit, pine. Slight bready malt in the back.

T - Follows the nose, big citrusy hops dominate a lesser malt profile, which is overshadowed to a degree but not forgotten. The hops are what I'm after though and this bastard delivers the good stuff.

M - Beautiful full creamy body, moderate carbonation.

O - I thank the world that I have year round access to this sweet nectar and am able to call it my go-to regular.

Serving type: on-tap

05-21-2012 06:41:13 | More by dansmcd

MrKennedy

Australia

3.78/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

330ml bottle thanks to sinkas. Poured into a Lost Abbey tulip.

Deep orange colour with some clarity and off-white foam sits on top. Ok foam retention and sporadic lacing.

Really nice mango and passionfruit aroma backed up with some pine and grapefruit.

Taste is more about the grapefruit and the odd bit of dank pine in the background.

Decent body and consistent bitterness throughout could have you believe it is a bigger brew than 5.8%. Still it is decently drinkable.

A nice Aussie IPA, probably second to Rocks in my estimation. Really nice aroma, a little one dimensional taste, but still quite good. My only wish is for a bottle date or best before date to give some idea of freshness. Hopefully this happens with the new brewery. Otherwise I'd only get from Perth as there really is no idea how old the stock on shelves is out here.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 11:53:03 | More by MrKennedy

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pint at Young and Jacksons. From notes.

A - Poured a hazy/cloudy golden colour. One finger of fluffy eggshell head. Good carbonation and pretty decent lace drapes and a half finger of retention.

S - Citrus, grapefruit, grass. Hop forward with lot's of fresh smelling hops. More grass as it warms.

T - Fantastic hop flavours. Really hop forward with tropical fruit, grapefruit, citrus, some grassiness and lot's of passionfruit. Really hop forward but with enough malt character to provide a degree of balance.

M - Good tingly carbonation and a medium body and good bitterness. The carbonation might be a bit strong, but it's alright.

O/D - Another run in with a top class IPA. Lovely and easy to down fast. Probably Australia's best IPA. Great.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2012 10:09:19 | More by tbeckett

joecast

Australia

4.6/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Wow! Lives up to the hype for sure.

Middle of the road appearance where others come up a bit too dark.

Great citrus hoppy aroma which is absolutely backed up with bitterness. A very good example of the style and very well add.

Stoked that the New Sydney was able to score a few kegs and no surprise that is the place I get to have my first Hop Hog. Excellent.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2012 21:38:13 | More by joecast

4.1/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a pale golden orange with a small bright white head. This beer is very clear with a little lacing.

On the nose it's all about the passionfruit, in fact it reminds me of the soft drink 'passiona'. When you delve deeper into the beer pineapple, resin and biscuit becomes apparent.

The beer is really 'juicy', almost like punch. There's citrus, some pine bitterness, more passionfruit - it's really delicious. Perhaps a little sweet, I would prefer a little more dryness.

Overall I really enjoyed this beer, and have enjoyed it many times before. Easily the best ipa made in Australia

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 09:09:52 | More by

PolarBear3

Australia

4.05/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Also drank from my Duvel tulip

A - Poured an orange/amber colour with two fingered frothy white head that laced fairly well.

S - Orange, pineapple aromas that are well pronounced

T - Nice hoppy & sweet citrusy, pineapple flavour straight up but then you get a sort of tangy bitterness at the end that is very impressive.

M - Light to medium body with medium carbonation

O - Very nice well balanced IPA. Love the tangy bitterness it gives at the end.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 11:21:57 | More by PolarBear3

eric5bellies

Australia

4.05/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Drank from my Duvel Tulip.

A - Pours a cloudy Orange Amber colour with a persistent White head that retains and laces.

S - Nice balance of tropical aromas and piney hops.

T - Quite powerfull hops and pine flavours with a nice citrus zing on the bitter finish. The tripical flavours also present in the backgound.

M - Medium to light body and medium carbonation.

O - The best IPA brewed in Australia, hands down.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2011 12:45:44 | More by eric5bellies

vancurly

Australia

4.4/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Good to see money spent wisely. One label only, no neck or back labels with the usual indulgent spiel.

a) Heavy set, off-white sudsy head. Mostly clear, slight bubbling, pale amber to dark gold.

s) Passionfruit seed / guava, pale & crystal malts. Rich & promising.

t) Passionfruit & pawpaw, pine resin and 'soap shop' esters. Long tropical fruit flavours, big bitterness. Later hints of grapefruit & lemon.

m) Rich, almost slick. Effervesces in the mouth like moonrocks. Rich, long mouth coating. The hops give a tingly numbness to the lips and tip of the tongue.

o) Best of its class in this country, stacking up well against benchmarsk such as Torpedo. Outstanding balance, complexity, integration, and persistance.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2011 23:16:27 | More by vancurly

heygeebee

Australia

4.05/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewing from bottle - have had before on tap.

Won't add much except to say a great head / lacing, seriously amazing aroma of citrus, pine, all very American, and a balanced bitterness. Great drinking with the aromas taking the prize over the taste.

Good beer!

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 09:03:41 | More by heygeebee

brewymcgee

British Columbia (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Slightly hazy golden orange with a creamy head lingering around the edges of the glass after it settles

Aroma: Citrus hops supported by a bouquette of tropical fruit. "Soapy" but not in a bad way.

Taste: Grapefruit and pine hop flavours balanced nicely by sweet malt and a hint of apricot. A bitter aftertaste keeping the finish nice and crisp.

Mouthfeel: Medium body and smooth, just the right amount of carbonation.

Drinkability: It's good for sure but having been spoiled by the superb selection of IPAs available on the north american west coast, I find it doesn't have the same depth as some of those offerings. Perhaps the simpler profile lends it more to having a few at a time though!

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 09:24:49 | More by brewymcgee

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Single bottle courtesy of a trans-Pacific trade with dgilks - cheers David!

Poured into the handy hotel room tumbler glass, which served its purpose admirably. An amber-russet brew, slightly hazy, with a lively head, great retention and lovely icicles of lacing. First rate appearance.

The nose is solid American citrus hops, brown sugar, pale malt. Some orange, lemon and other tropical fruits kicking around.

A maltier American IPA, with the hops coming to my attention only later in the sip. The hops have a nice earthy character with the citrus only mildly poking its head above the surface. Quite flavorful, although the hops lack that juicy punch I come to expect from any brew with "Hop" in the name. Still, quite tasty and enjoyable.

Effervescent carbonation, medium feel.

With a bit of tweaking, this IPA could hold its own quite nicely against other brews of the style. Nevertheless, this was a highly drinkable IPA and is well-worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2011 05:34:40 | More by JohnnyBarman

Stew41

Australia

3.3/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Fairly straight forward new world IPA that would appear a bit over-rated in this part of the world. Lots of aromatic and fruity hops across the nose and palate, and quite well done, but feels just a bit one-dimensional. That is, not enought élse’ to back to good hop profile. Still, a good Australian example.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 21:52:27 | More by Stew41

jonno79

Japan

3.83/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

My only problem with this beer is that the flavours in the mouth never live up to the promise delivered from the aroma.

Nose is lovely pine needle and citur rind.

On first swallow the bitterness is brisk and strong, never really presenting much past the citrus rind. It's all a little muddled.

Still enjoyable, but just not nuanced enough to really push it in to the upper echelon. A good second division IPA (relative to international standards).

Should be closer to a B but gets a little extra as it's one of only a handful of decent hoppy beers brewed in Australia.

Serving type: on-tap

03-24-2011 09:00:54 | More by jonno79

foles

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

While I think the tap version of this beer is fantastic, something is missing in the bottle. Pours a dark copper, with a small head, minimal carbonation. Not too much on the nose. Slghtly harsh mouthfeel, very bitter, piney, dry hop flavours make their way through the bitterness.

Doesnt have the potency of the tap version, still a decent drop though.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2011 00:18:22 | More by foles

THECPJ

Delaware

4.18/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

reviewed from notes:
thanks goes out to brendan13 for sending this one half way across the globe.

appearance: golden orange with a 2 finger white head

smell: citrus, pine, hops, sweet malts,

taste: hops, grass, bitter, but clean crisp finish

mouthfeel: mild carbonation, medium body, nicely balanced

drinkability: If I wouldn't know better I would of thought this IPA was brewed right here in the US. This is a very nice IPA.

Cheers,
The CPJ

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 18:47:42 | More by THECPJ

dgilks

Australia

4.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Fairly clear, golden colour with a big, creamy, off-white head. Great head retention.

Nice, big orange, lemon and mango aroma. Slightly soapy. Really good.

Soapy hop flavour up front with moderately-strong bitterness following through. The malt is nicely in the background. My only qualm is that the hop flavour could be juicier and slightly less soapy.

Medium-light body with high carbonation is a little off for this beer. Toning down the carbonation would be good.

A solid American IPA and the best made in Australia.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2011 01:44:51 | More by dgilks

burnheartsMKE

Wisconsin

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

Thanks to jonno79 for the trade!

Bright candy orange color, nice dense head.

Big citrusy nose. My wife said, "Smells like dish soap". Yes, nice.

Full tropical hop notes with a distinct pineapple-weed flavor. Loads of candied fruits (but not too sweet) with bitter-kisses. Not sappy, but the fruitiness lingers into a clean finish. A really great hop-forward beer that was quite session-able at 5.8% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 05:11:04 | More by burnheartsMKE

spicelab

Australia

3.75/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nicely translucent copper pour. One finger head, falls quickly.

Equal parts tropical and piney hops. Peaches, apricots, honeydew, pine and citrus.

Lemon, Pine and grapefruit much more prominent, fruity notes fairly muted. Malt offsets the bitterness quite nicely. Perhaps a bit harsh to call it one-dimensional, but every mouthful is much the same.

Unlike most previous reviewers I found the carbonation quite high, moderately dry and tart finish but quite agreeable.

Yep I could drink many more of these. One of the best Australian IPAs going around.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2010 03:07:43 | More by spicelab

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.65/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours orange/amber with a small head.
Nose shows loads of citrus fruits: tangerine and kumquat at the forefront. Also shows some lychee and apple. Very summery. Underneath is a fair helping of clean sweet malt.
Flavours are quite different, with very little fruit. Instead the hops contribute piney resin. Once again there's a lot of sweet malt underneath. The bitterness is quite sharp, not all that pleasant.
Carbonation is a little high.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 10:10:39 | More by CrazyDavros

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.33/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A very well-respected Australian IPA I had not had the opportunity to sample until here at the Local Taphouse.

Pours a very light, and slightly hazed golden colour. Light in colour for an IPA, but still within style, I'd say. Head is creamy and rich as hell, a slightly yellow-sheened white. Body very light, but the lacing is superb despite this. Very good looking brew all up.

Citric notes on the nose, almost tending towards coriander with the hop character. The hops are prominent throughout, but mixed with a butterscotch sweetness which drags it down a bit. It's a bit one-dimensional in the hop character - ok, but I've had far better.

Taste is similar. Sharp citric characters form the hop character, over a toffeed butterscotch that runs the length. Some jammy characters late, with a cleansing bitterness that doesn't quite clear up enough of the sweetness. Feel is good for the style, and fair given the lightness on the body.

Didn't grip me. The sweetness, especially on the palate is too distinct, and the hops don't match or complement it nearly enough. Nice enough, but I've had better IPAs from Australia and elsewhere. I think it's fair to say I found this a disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 05:05:05 | More by lacqueredmouse

LittleCreature

Australia

4.35/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - 4.5
Pours an inch of of dense foam head the colour of light cream. The body is somewhere between deep gold and light amber and has great clarity.

Smell - 4.5
Perhaps not quite so pungent as the draught version, yet still an outstandingly hoppy aroma of passionfruit, flowers, citrus and pine needles.

Taste - 4.5
Plenty of malt provides the backbone of this beer, quite sweet at first with a little caramel, but this is promptly overrun by an avalanche of hops. Flavours of pine, passionfruit, citrus, honey and a little mint late on the palate. Finishes dry, bitterness is substantial, though noticeably less than the draught version.

Mouthfeel - 4.0
Medium bodied with moderate to lively carbonation, becoming sticky with warmth.

Drinkability - 4.0
No session beer, but an outstanding IPA and definitely a regular buy for me.

OVERALL - 4.4
Although brewed in Australia I have always thought Hop Hog to be a textbook American style IPA. Interestingly, I think the bottled version is a little less impressive than on-draught, yet possibly a little more drinkable. I have scored it higher on this day, yet that is not necessarily an indication that I prefer it. A damn good beer, whatever the serving method.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2010 09:38:32 | More by LittleCreature