Hop Cakes
NoDa Brewing Company

Hop CakesHop Cakes
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From:
NoDa Brewing Company
 
North Carolina, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #883
ABV:
10.2%
Score:
92
Ranked #4,266
Avg:
4.16 | pDev: 9.13%
Reviews:
40
Ratings:
232
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 19, 2024
Added:
Mar 03, 2013
Wants:
  61
Gots:
  46
Imperial IPA brewed using maple syrup to give additional ferementable sugar as well as color and a small additional flavor notes under the heavy payload of citrusy and resiny hops.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by LeeWill:
Photo of LeeWill
Rated by LeeWill from North Carolina

4.68/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Hopped up Hop Drop, but the smoothness is the star of this 10% IPA. The maple syrup is subtle.
Feb 28, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.8 by beerrat from Virginia

Feb 19, 2024
Photo of eddingsaur
Reviewed by eddingsaur from North Carolina

3.81/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
It's 6:30 in the evening, and I'm craving pancakes. Nope, I'm too lazy to head to an IHOP, or a Denny's, let alone make myself a batch. I guess this'll do. Not that that's in any way a bad thing - and honestly, it's quite magical.

TL;DR: This is a pancake in a can. With pine. And lip smacking glory. Drinks a LOT better than it smells. Try it once at least. I don't think there's anything else like it.

Bought from a Total Wine & More in Raleigh, NC. Support your local breweries. Drink local. Poured from can into glass mug.

L: Poured heavy into the glass with a gorgeous foamy head that lingers for a luscious amount of time. Thick, creamy, frothy - this is like an amazing glass of milk-foam boba. Fizzy red copper boba. Red copper in a Julianne-Hough-after-she-dyed-her-hair way, and less Scarlett-Johansson-in-Black-Widow kind of way. Yes. I had to google those references too.

S: Not much to go here. It says there's maple syrup in here, but I'm struggling to smell it. Maybe if I close my eyes hard enough I can get faint whiffs of maple - it's very faintly there. Instead I'm getting ripe fruit - banana, apple peel, it's all so faint, though. Surprised I can't get a whiff of any alcohol - this IS a 10.2% abv beverage. This is going to be a dangerous beer.

T: Here's where it gets interesting. If you're looking for a hard, piney, citrusy IIPA, look elsewhere. This is not that. But what it is is fantastic. Yes, you do get some amazing piney notes in the back of your throat, but that's not the draw. I'm sitting here with my fingers on my keyboard and it's hard to explain. It's like someone took a Sunday morning stack of pancakes, distilled them with hops and malt, poured in some maple syrup, and canned the whole shebang. It's unnerving. You'd never imagine it from just giving it a whiff. Yes, you do have to wait a bit before all the flavors and aftertastes linger in your mouth, but when they do it's magic. There's a hint of maple syrup on the front, a little cakey sweetness in the middle, the pine in the back, and some banana buttery esters all throughout. It's sweet, sumptuous, confusing, glorious. I can't seem to get enough. I am pulling every fibred of self control to not chug this, it's so delicious.

There it is again - butter, banana, maple syrup, pancakes, pine. It's unnerving. It's tasty. I love it.

F: And when you thought the taste was good, my gosh, it carries on to the mouthfeel. I've drank maple syrup. Poured myself tiny shots of different brands once to compare which ones were the best. That sticky sweet lip-smacking feeling I got from that experiment is right here. Glorious sweet syrupy goodness all the way down the throat. It's 10.2% and nothing about this would let you guess that it was. Chewy like a nice stack. This is so weird. Goodly weird.

O: Glorious. Tasty. Unbelievable. It's a pancake in a can with pine. Nuff' said. Go buy one now if you can just to try. I love the creativity in the modern beer world. And support your local breweries. I did when I was in Singapore. Now I'm doing it in NC. Cheers!
Jan 31, 2023
 
Rated: 3.67 by BucBasil from Rwanda

Jul 03, 2021
 
Rated: 3.84 by Budlum from Maryland

May 30, 2021
 
Rated: 4.48 by Wiffler27 from South Carolina

May 15, 2021
 
Rated: 3.72 by user785335 from Florida

Apr 28, 2019
Photo of drdiesel9483
Reviewed by drdiesel9483 from Ohio

4.04/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Look - slightly dark copper color with a good lasting head
Smell - deep citrus malty scent
Taste - earthy less sugar caramel slight citrus
Feel - medium full body with a light carb
Overall - pretty tasty
Apr 20, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by wvsabbath from West Virginia

Apr 13, 2019
 
Rated: 4.06 by SFNC from North Carolina

Apr 12, 2019
Photo of Unclevince
Reviewed by Unclevince from West Virginia

3.48/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
This one was a bit over my head. There were not a ton of hops in the aroma or flavor. Strong sweetness from the maple syrup but I kept getting this salty potato thing on the palate. The flavor kind of reminds me of stale ipa. I like the idea but not one I will visit again.
Apr 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.01 by BeardedWalrus from North Carolina

Mar 18, 2019
Photo of BoodahMoogle
Reviewed by BoodahMoogle from Arkansas

4.81/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
An ipa with the distinct sweetness of maple syrup. Not exactly a combination I knew I needed. Like having a glass of orange juice with a stack of fresh pancakes. This is an excellent wake up call... if the 10.2% ABV doesn’t put you to bed!
Mar 16, 2019
 
Rated: 4.13 by jak from North Carolina

Mar 02, 2019
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Reviewed by TheRougeBastard from North Carolina

4.16/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Amazing brew...first smell/ taste reveals the maple syrup but the taste is quickly surrendered to a hop-pine smash which is to be expected of a DIPA. Poured into a Sam Adams beer glass a golden hue typical of the style w/ a slight head. The 10% abv. is well-hidden, making HopCakes extremely drinkable! Well done NoDa!!
Feb 25, 2019
 
Rated: 3.92 by woodchip from North Carolina

Feb 23, 2019
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Rated by aprilnkc from North Carolina

5/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Amazing seasonal brew... always look forward to the release. Smoothness unseen by any other higher ABV beer.
Feb 16, 2019
Photo of EMV
Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a tallboy can into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Slightly hazed golden pour with 2 fingers of fluffy white head. Solid ring of lacing.

T/F: Light grains... pine forward hops with light citrus. Honey and maple syrup sweetness mingles well with the bitter hops. Medium bodied... sticky on the tongue... booze present but hidden. The finish is bittersweet citrus.

O: A big bittersweet IPA. Reminds me of a poor man's 'Hopslam' and that's not really an insult. Quality beer and one to be careful with given the ABV.
Sep 29, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by KevinFinneran226 from Massachusetts

Aug 24, 2018
 
Rated: 5 by Kwright from North Carolina

Jun 23, 2018
Hop Cakes from NoDa Brewing Company
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 232 ratings