Beer of the Weekend #103: Hop Ottin' IPA
The beer this weekend is Hop Ottin’ IPA brewed by the Anderson Valley Brewing Company of Boonville, California.
Hop Ottin’ IPA is BotW’s first India Pale Ale. (Technically, it’s an American IPA.) It’s a little shameful I’ve waited this long to try an IPA. It’s a very popular style among us beer connoisseurs, especially out here on the west coast. But, the fact is I’m not a hophead. Heavily hopped brews are not my thing, and IPA is heavily hopped. True to my German and Irish heritage, I like my beers malty (and wheaty), with a well-balanced hop presence for a bite at the end.
Hop Ottin’ promises to be hoppy. The beer’s webpage says,
“Generous additions of high-alpha Pacific Northwest hops added during a vigorous boil, plus traditional dry hopping, with whole hop cones, give this ale a delicious citrus aroma, and an intense hoppy bite. This IPA is a hop lover’s dream.”
Shit. I’m a little scared.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured a rusty copper, which had an orange tint to it. Two fingers of billowy head developed and dissipated to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the outside.
Smell: Warning — hops ahead. Grapefruit and orange citrus dominates, but there is a light and sweet caramel malt presence. A little bit of pine makes itself known, too.
Taste: Hoppy. Oh, yeah. The citrus from the smell comes through immediately, and is followed by the strong hop bitterness. It evens nicely after a couple sips and the hops are not so intense, allowing a citrus and caramel malts to come through.
Drinkability: Yeah, it’s not my thing. It’s too hoppy, but that doesn’t mean someone else wouldn’t like it.
Fun facts about Hop Ottin’ IPA:
-Price: I can’t remember for sure, but I think the sixer was $6.99 at Trader Joe’s.
-Serving temperature: Both BA and the AVBC website recommend 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 7 percent ABV. Yowza.
-Food pairings: BA recommends curried cuisine (like Thai); peppery cheeses like Monterey and Pepper Jack; sharp cheeses like Blue and Cheddar; pungent cheeses like Gorgonzola and Limburger; and poultry, fish, shellfish, and Salmon.
-As you may recall from other AVBC BotWs, the Boonville area is home to the slang-heavy English of Boontling. According to the brewery website, “hop ottin’” translates to “hard working hops.”
-Speaking of Boontling, the underside of each cap features part of a story told in the odd, regional language. It’s Friday night and there’s a beer in front of me. I’m not interested or motivated enough to look up all the words on the AVBC website to decipher the story. Fuck it.
-The Hop Ottin’ carrier and labels, as you can see, feature bears with antlers. Why? The fuck if I know. I can’t find any information about the symbolism or reasoning behind it.
-AVBC is, according to the carrier, “One of the World’s 10 Best Breweries.” When you’ve won as many awards as they have, I suppose they can gloat a little. (I don’t think I’ve ever seen another brewer with a separate webpage just for awards.)
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
Hop Ottin’ IPA is BotW’s first India Pale Ale. (Technically, it’s an American IPA.) It’s a little shameful I’ve waited this long to try an IPA. It’s a very popular style among us beer connoisseurs, especially out here on the west coast. But, the fact is I’m not a hophead. Heavily hopped brews are not my thing, and IPA is heavily hopped. True to my German and Irish heritage, I like my beers malty (and wheaty), with a well-balanced hop presence for a bite at the end.
Hop Ottin’ promises to be hoppy. The beer’s webpage says,
“Generous additions of high-alpha Pacific Northwest hops added during a vigorous boil, plus traditional dry hopping, with whole hop cones, give this ale a delicious citrus aroma, and an intense hoppy bite. This IPA is a hop lover’s dream.”
Shit. I’m a little scared.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured a rusty copper, which had an orange tint to it. Two fingers of billowy head developed and dissipated to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the outside.
Smell: Warning — hops ahead. Grapefruit and orange citrus dominates, but there is a light and sweet caramel malt presence. A little bit of pine makes itself known, too.
Taste: Hoppy. Oh, yeah. The citrus from the smell comes through immediately, and is followed by the strong hop bitterness. It evens nicely after a couple sips and the hops are not so intense, allowing a citrus and caramel malts to come through.
Drinkability: Yeah, it’s not my thing. It’s too hoppy, but that doesn’t mean someone else wouldn’t like it.
Fun facts about Hop Ottin’ IPA:
-Price: I can’t remember for sure, but I think the sixer was $6.99 at Trader Joe’s.
-Serving temperature: Both BA and the AVBC website recommend 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 7 percent ABV. Yowza.
-Food pairings: BA recommends curried cuisine (like Thai); peppery cheeses like Monterey and Pepper Jack; sharp cheeses like Blue and Cheddar; pungent cheeses like Gorgonzola and Limburger; and poultry, fish, shellfish, and Salmon.
-As you may recall from other AVBC BotWs, the Boonville area is home to the slang-heavy English of Boontling. According to the brewery website, “hop ottin’” translates to “hard working hops.”
-Speaking of Boontling, the underside of each cap features part of a story told in the odd, regional language. It’s Friday night and there’s a beer in front of me. I’m not interested or motivated enough to look up all the words on the AVBC website to decipher the story. Fuck it.
-The Hop Ottin’ carrier and labels, as you can see, feature bears with antlers. Why? The fuck if I know. I can’t find any information about the symbolism or reasoning behind it.
-AVBC is, according to the carrier, “One of the World’s 10 Best Breweries.” When you’ve won as many awards as they have, I suppose they can gloat a little. (I don’t think I’ve ever seen another brewer with a separate webpage just for awards.)
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
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