Archive for the 'Hopback' category
Hopback Brewery Pickled Santa
This is one of the seasonal/holiday offerings in our most recent BOMC pakage. I started a review for this beer a week or so ago but I was so taken aback by the taste that I chalked it up as a loss and decided to give it a go another day. Ben tried it and like myself, was overcome with weirdness. He then decided he would rather not review it. This is by far the strangest beer we’ve gotten from BOMC although as you will see I wouldn’t necessarily call it the worst.
It has a deep copper color in the glass with an off-white head that rises and falls to just a smidge. It’s at this point that the weirdness commences. The smell is heavy with citrus, orange to be more specific, with a spiciness that tickles the nares. This smell which on paper sounds great is so sweet and candy like that I think I might go into a diabetic coma at this very moment. I can’t figure out if it reminds me more of jolly ranchers or skittles but either way it smells too much like candy for my blood. The taste is more subdued. The spice and a thick mouthfeel cut the sweetness making this beer drinkable, which up to this point I was afraid would not be the case. The pepperiness and effervescence merge and culminate in the middle of the mouth while the citrus weaves itself over the entire tongue and then disperses at the back of the mouth. The aftertaste is fairly clean, a touch of orange and alcohol loiter for a brief moment. This isn’t a “big” beer, only 6%, but the abv is noticeable nonetheless. I was surprised by the complexity of the Pickled Santa and at times was quite impressed with its “architecture.” But each time I raise my glass I am attacked by the offsetting aroma, so my experience is a little tainted and I can’t quite get passed it. I think you will agree after tasting it the experience is a roller coaster, it’s up to you to decide how many times to ride.
Hopback Brewery Summer Lightning
This straw-flavored ale is fairly generic for me. It is very bitter, with a lack of appreciable carbonation and flavor. The redeeming factor of this beer is is bitter and dry finish, which apparently has won accolades for the brew on the british beer circuit. An interesting beer to taste, but not likely one that I will re-visit
