Beer of the Weekend #474: Hop Happy
Forward!…to my Wisconsin haul!
The beer tonight is Hop Happy, brewed by the Milwaukee Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is cloudy amber with a lot of floating globules. A buttery, fine, light tan head settled slowly, leaving an uneven cap and lacing along the glass.
Smell: My first thoughts were of biscuits and caramel. It is very malty for an IPA, which I think is the point. Underneath aromas of bready pale malts, caramel, and toffee is a subtle splash of grapefruit, tangerine, pine, and gritty bitterness.
Taste: The hops deliver a nice, lingering bitterness that I was not expecting after the sweetness of the aroma. The mouthfeel is also superb: full and creamy — a sign the oatmeal is doing the trick. The citrus and hop spice slowly work on the palate. Grapefruit, tangerine, pine, and earthy spice really steal the show. Underneath is a solid malt foundation of caramel, toffee, and bready malts. It really is a delicious blend.
Drinkability: Tasty and easy drinking. Bombast is not the goal with this brew, but it does offer a nice dose of hops and flavor. Good stuff.
Fun facts about Hop Happy:
-Style: American IPA.
-Price: $1.69 at the Otto’s Elm Grove Liquor in Elm Grove, Wisconsin. I did not grab the receipt, but most of the other singles I bought have a $1.69 sticker on the cap.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 7.7 percent — which is pretty hefty for an IPA.
-IBU: 51.
-The carrier for Hop Happy features the face of George Walker. Here is some info on Walker from the brewery website:
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
The beer tonight is Hop Happy, brewed by the Milwaukee Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is cloudy amber with a lot of floating globules. A buttery, fine, light tan head settled slowly, leaving an uneven cap and lacing along the glass.
Smell: My first thoughts were of biscuits and caramel. It is very malty for an IPA, which I think is the point. Underneath aromas of bready pale malts, caramel, and toffee is a subtle splash of grapefruit, tangerine, pine, and gritty bitterness.
Taste: The hops deliver a nice, lingering bitterness that I was not expecting after the sweetness of the aroma. The mouthfeel is also superb: full and creamy — a sign the oatmeal is doing the trick. The citrus and hop spice slowly work on the palate. Grapefruit, tangerine, pine, and earthy spice really steal the show. Underneath is a solid malt foundation of caramel, toffee, and bready malts. It really is a delicious blend.
Drinkability: Tasty and easy drinking. Bombast is not the goal with this brew, but it does offer a nice dose of hops and flavor. Good stuff.
Fun facts about Hop Happy:
-Style: American IPA.
-Price: $1.69 at the Otto’s Elm Grove Liquor in Elm Grove, Wisconsin. I did not grab the receipt, but most of the other singles I bought have a $1.69 sticker on the cap.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 7.7 percent — which is pretty hefty for an IPA.
-IBU: 51.
-The carrier for Hop Happy features the face of George Walker. Here is some info on Walker from the brewery website:
George Walker is a one of the first settlers to southeastern Wisconsin, considered one of the three founders of Milwaukee and a twice elected mayor of Milwaukee. He arrived in the area in the spring of 1834 and settled on a peninsula jutting out into the lowlands which eventually took the name of Walker’s Point, establishing a trading post there.
Described as a laid-back, fat and happy fellow – George is someone you’d want to hang out with and have a beer. He tipped the scales at 350 pounds and a contemporary described him as “the very personification of jollity and good humor.” Despite his girth, Walker was said to be the finest dancer in the territory and a skater of unusual grace – when the ice was thick enough.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
