Hop Lovers Unite!

[TheJollyRancher]

This thread is for true purveyors of the 'alpha' ("Hop-heads" know what that means)

That gnarly rhizome sure makes some fragrant flowers....

if you are a Pale Ale, IPA, Double IPA, or an Extra Pale Ale kind of person....chime in with your favs....

I wanted to quit the brewery tour at Anchor Steam in San Francisco when I hit the "hop room"....it was indescribable how amazing it smelled in there...Cascade and Centennial and I was in heaven!!!

My all-time favorite beer is Firestone Walker Pale Ale....utterly fantastic as far as aroma/flavor/drinkability....THE BEST HOP ALE! (be-it on the lighter side of the "flower's power")

as far as IPA im drinking some Pyramid Thunderhead right now to get the Hop fix...it tasted better on-tap in Berkeley but is nice from a bottle at home too!!

Other favs? Widmer's Broken Halo is right up there as top of the IPA heap..next to Stone Brewing, Sierra Nevada's Harvest Ale & Anniversary Ale, Lagunitas, Hollister Brewing, Anchor Steam, etc.....all favorites of mine...

too many to name though.....but the smell and taste is so inviting!

 

[bentalphanerd]

I heard 'alpha' & 'Ale' & 'Brewing' ..I'll even take 'Stone' as a typo But yeah - i'll stick to distilling.

Hey though if anyone wants to send me a home made something to put through the Dalek {thats what it looks like} & refine, let me know

 

[cheezydemon]

Hop bomber here! I home brew, so I am enjoying some of my own making currently. It is a very simple pale ale with 4 ounces of Cascade so that you can really taste the hops.

Commercially, Longhammer IPA has been my beer of choice lately. It always seems to be on sale for $6.99 a sixer, and is the only beer in that price range with real hoppy flavor.

Schlafley pale ale is pretty good. A lot of hop flavor but not much bite.

Since I would rather spend the $ on supplies to make my own, I don't buy more expensive beers unless it is a special occasion!

 

[imaguitargod]

I still am building up my hop tolerance but it's getting pritty up there now. Love Stone's stuff. I just can't take hop bitterness though.

 

[DevilDuck]

Santa Fe Brewing Company's Pale Ale. I've had none better. It's not extremely hoppy, it's just right.

 

[talas]

Deuchers I.P.A Has been my favorite this year

 

[chuk hell]

I'm a real hop fiend so I'll throw out some of my faves....

If you are ready for a truly intense hop experince then Green Flash's Imperial IPA is a must try. It's like nothing I've ever had. Their regular IPA and "Hop Head" are also must tries. See my thread here:

http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthread.php?t=6639

Other hop bombs:

Stone's RUINATION
Flying Dog's DOUBLE DOG
Victory's HOP WALLOP
Dogfish Head's 60 MINUTE IPA
Great Divide's TITAN IPA
La Chouffe's HOUBLON ( if you can find it, buy it!)

 

[fineexampl]

I still am building up my hop tolerance but it's getting pritty up there now. Love Stone's stuff. I just can't take hop bitterness though.

I'm a real hop fiend so I'll throw out some of my faves....

If you are ready for a truly intense hop experince then Green Flash's Imperial IPA is a must try. It's like nothing I've ever had. Their regular IPA and "Hop Head" are also must tries. See my thread here:

http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthread.php?t=6639

Other hop bombs:

Stone's RUINATION
Flying Dog's DOUBLE DOG
Victory's HOP WALLOP
Dogfish Head's 60 MINUTE IPA
Great Divide's TITAN IPA
La Chouffe's HOUBLON ( if you can find it, buy it!)

I have bought more than one sixer of Hop Wallop. It's fantastic stuff! It's good JUST short of ice cold. Just warm enough that the hop is released. It's awesome on really hot days or whenever your hard at work outdoors.

 

[xgrafcorex]

For me, the first names to come to mind are:

Bell's Two Hearted Ale
Stone Ruination
Lagunita's Sirius
Avery IPA

 

[imaguitargod]

I still am building up my hop tolerance but it's getting pritty up there now. Love Stone's stuff. I just can't take hop bitterness though.

It's from the Peyote (San Pedro), it's scarred me for life. It's the most bitter thing on the planet and after eating it 3 times, anything that is bitter reminds me of it and I almost gag.

 

[cheezydemon]

GOOD GOD MAN! GET HOLD OF YOURSELF!!YOU ARE A BEER REVIEWER!

That is like me being a chili judge who doesn't like beef.

With all due restpect, buck up and quit whining.

 

[imaguitargod]

GOOD GOD MAN! GET HOLD OF YOURSELF!!YOU ARE A BEER REVIEWER!

That is like me being a chili judge who doesn't like beef.

With all due restpect, buck up and quit whining.

I'm working on it....I'm working on it!

 

[cheezydemon]

Lol, OK! But I expect results!

The IPA is one of the most popular styles among real brewers and craft brewers.

The budweisers of the world are scrambling to catch up with bizarre new recipes, eating their words from the "bitter beer face" ads.

 

[JayT]

Victory HopDevil

 

[cheezydemon]

Hops are much more expensive with the world-wide shortage this year. Many IPA's have lowered the hop content or stopped offering high hop brews.

Sam Adams stopped a new IPA's production before it began due to the shortage.

They then bought a large quantity of hops at their deeply discounted price and offered them to homebrewers at their cost. Very cool!

 

[JayT]

Not just homebrewers, they had a sort of lottery and many breweries recieved allotments from them. very cool indeed.

 

[chuk hell]

The budweisers of the world are scrambling to catch up with bizarre new recipes, eating their words from the "bitter beer face" ads.

That's been amusing to watch. "The Great American Lager" ? Who are they trying to fool with that nonsense. Now they have launched an "Ale" ...WTF? The Craft Brew revolution must have really put the fear of God into them.... or maybe the new Belgian owners are trying to talk some sense into them.

Once they stop using rice then maybe I'll try Budweiser again.

 

[xgrafcorex]

I actually had a glass of that new Budweiser Ale either last night or the night before. Meh. Ha..kinda what I expected. Way better than their usual lager but nothing near good compared to so many other ales. Nothing that makes it stand out at all..and even amongst somewhat boring ales, it just wouldn't keep up. I give them credit for trying I guess..then again, perhaps Chuk is right about them coming to terms with a growing "problem".

 

[cheezydemon]

Heee Heee! On the homebrew website I belong to , there is sort of a "newton's Law".

It states that any thread in which Bud is mentioned, will have a comparison of budweiser and some kind of urine within 6 posts.

I think it is fear Chuck. SAM ADAMS HAS COME UP AND PUT THE FEAR INTO THEM.

If only people realized!

People I respect (like potowie) think that they want it cold and flavorless.

THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO VALUE FLAVOR SO HIGHLY IN THEIR PEPPERS, THEIR SAUSAGES, THEIR COOKING, THEIR EVERYTHING...EXCEPT THEIR BEER??????...WTF???????

 

[TXCG]

IPAs are by far my favorite style of beer. To say I love them is an understatement. One of the best things about IPAs is not many of my friends like them, so I don't have to guard my stash.

As far as cheap but good ipas go, I really like the Broken Halo IPA(click for beeradvocate.com review) by Widmer bros. It goes for about 7 bucks per six pack at HEB and you can always find it.

Lagunitas makes a really good IPA, Breckenridge 471 IPA is fantastic as well. Avery IPA is good too.

By far the best beer I've had in a long time is the Avery Maharaja double IPA It is just phenomenal, you MUST try this one. Had this one twice, once on tap at flying saucer, once in a 22oz bottle. At 10.21% ABV it's a pretty stout beverage, but the alcohol is well masked, in fact I've had much stronger tasting brews that were around 7%.

22oz of pure awesomeness