Hop Rising - Squatter's Pub Brewery

Vitals:

Name: Hop Rising

Style: American IIPA

IBU: 75

ABV: 9.0%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Riley's Wines of the World

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a bright translucent copper color with about a finger of off-white head. Great lacing in the wake of decent retention, with a nice thin cap as well. Seems to be a small amount of carbonation that is visible after the pour.

Smell: Fruity/citrusy hops on the nose with some other citrus notes (seems to be orange and perhaps grapefruit). You get a small whiff of caramel malt as well, but the hops rule the day here; smells delicious, but not quite unique in any noticeable way...

Taste: HUGE pine note up front, which was unexpected and very tasty. The citrus hops and orange/grapefruit from the nose really build up with a strong bitterness. The experience is smooth as you start out with the hops, so you don't get a big, sharp bite, but the building bitterness is very pleasant. The malt backbone is a touch light for the style, which is fine by me, and it mostly just flirts in the background...unallowed to come through the aggressive hops. This is a very good, unique taste and I like it a good deal. Hides the ABV VERY well.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with much more carbonation than I expected from the appearance. Slightly astringent but it's such a smooth drink and not grating at all. Drinks very well for a big IIPA.

Overall Grade: A-

Comments: I loved this beer and would definitely drink it again. You get a nice, unique flavor that is better than many IIPAs that I've had. It's not hop-forward, it's hop-total. You get hops from the very start to the very finish of the drink, which is nirvana for me. Try it out you hop heads!

Cheers,

Hurls