Jolly Hopper Imperial IPA
Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & Guesthouse

Jolly Hopper Imperial IPAJolly Hopper Imperial IPA
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From:
Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & Guesthouse
 
British Columbia, Canada
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #1,972
ABV:
8%
Score:
85
Ranked #20,348
Avg:
3.75 | pDev: 14.67%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
24
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 06, 2023
Added:
Apr 19, 2014
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
Ahoy matey! While the Jolly Roger is flown to identify that pirates are about to attack, our Jolly Hopper, signifies an imminent attack on your tastebuds. Featuring a motherload of experimental hops, this beauty is not for the faint of palate. Surrender or walk the plank!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by LampertLand:
Photo of LampertLand
Reviewed by LampertLand from Canada (BC)

3.9/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Spinnaker's Brewpub 'Jolly Hopper Imperial IPA' @ 8.0% , served from a growler purchased for $11 , a squealer for $5.50 & the 650 ml bottle $6 , (haven't tried the 473 ml cans)
A-pour is a light gold from the growler/squealer/bottle to clear dark amber in the glass with a decent size off-white head leaving a sticky lace along the pint
S-a good mix of floral & citrus hops to the nose
T-big bold tasting imperial IPA , nice blend of pine & citrus , with a slight dry finish
MF-ok/good carbonation , full bodied , a definate dryness lingers on the palate
Ov-ok beer , decent imperial IPA , best enjoyed at Spinnakers
prost LampertLand
May 23, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of TooManyGlasses
Reviewed by TooManyGlasses from Canada (AB)

3.67/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
650 ml bomber (yes still a few kicking around) split two ways.
Pours a slightly less than clear bronze - amber colour with half finger of slightly tawny coloured head.
Aroma somewhat muted but as warmed notes of pine resin, burnt citrus, caramel malt and earthy herbal hops.
Taste is definitely hop dominant though sweet caramel malt at outset is overwhelmed by an herbal bitterness - earthy with pine resin and a burnt citrus note. Initially a bit off putting but as warmed did grow on me a bit.
Medium full mouthfeel - bittersweet - decent carbonation - hop flavours not my absolute favourite but not too bad just not necessarily for me.
Mar 06, 2023
Photo of altstadt
Reviewed by altstadt from Canada (BC)

2.64/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Hazy light orange-brown color. Poured a short head that collapsed to a patchy skiff in half a minute. Not light enough or clear enough to see the carbonation level. Left a few dots of lacing.

Smells of mild, dark roasted malt with just a hint of barnyard. Some light yeast and a touch of ground white pepper. Swirling the glass kicked up a stronger barnyard.

Medium-strong bitters with the mild malt. A vegetal hop flavor shows up a few seconds later. Very light nut flavor. The aftertaste is a stronger bitter for a couple of seconds that gives way to a medium barnyard.

Very light fizz that didn't grow into much of a foam; mostly a few medium sized bubbles.

The bitters are surprisingly harsh. When coupled with the excessive barnyard, the flavor was not as nice as implied by the smell.
Jun 11, 2021
 
Rated: 3.3 by Rivarol from Washington

Aug 18, 2018
 
Rated: 3.7 by Sludgeman from District of Columbia

Apr 24, 2018
Photo of cbutova
Reviewed by cbutova from Massachusetts

2.46/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.25
British Columbia review dump.

A- Dark caramel amber tallboy to mini pint glass pour. A fluffy off white tannish head forms to a finger with decent retention. A little ring leaves almost no lace.

S- Hard to get much out of the aroma. With intense inspection a strange mix of generic pine hops, syrupy caramelized grains, butter and popcorn shows up.

T- All hopes that the flavor would improve on the aroma are dashed. The malts are strong and stuck between an amber and a brown while being too assertive to jive with hops. The buttery popcorn off flavor rears its head between notes of pine, orange and floral hops. Toasty, caramelized and nutty almost English Mild grain profile.

MF- Thick and rich body that has one big flaw: massively undercarbonated for a hoppy brew, the hops become dull because of this. Slick and lacking texture, not watery but lacks that creaminess one would desire.

Hmm... something just didn't work out for this brew or can. Buttery popcorn and way too much malts interfere with the hops causing a great clash of flavor worlds. Good flavors were pirated here.
Sep 13, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by goalie35 from Canada (AB)

Aug 12, 2017
Photo of StJamesGate
Reviewed by StJamesGate from New York

3.99/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Cloudy dark amber with loose ivory film. 3.75
Cherry, lemon peel, and oily leaf. 4
Caramel hit, then lemon rind, light pine, and grass. Lingering lime sorbet. 4
Medium, chewy, sticky. 4

Old school; 2005 for real with all that toffee. Not getting the 100 IBUs, but also not flawed: that’s not a given with B.C. beers. Solid but not special. 4
Mar 21, 2017
 
Rated: 4.07 by BcCraft710 from Canada (BC)

Mar 13, 2017
Photo of dillybarrrrr
Reviewed by dillybarrrrr from Canada (BC)

2.74/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
Jolly Hopper out of a 650mL at 8% purchased for 5.95 +tax bottled 09/16 if read correctly
Displayed as super hoppy and wanted to try something new so thats why I picked it up
L:Dark opaque orange color barely any head at all and I didn't pour timidly
S: Honestly not picking up much of a smell, what is there seems slightly sweet, sorry I can't give more detail
T: Where is the 100 IBU??? Honestly don't catch 100 IBU at all, maybe somewhat more like 40-50 seems very plain actually quite lackluster
F: Not much here either, doesn't hit extremely bitter or any hints of sweet at all... hmmm...
OV: Disappointing, not sure what more to say, It is a dollar cheaper than most 650mL around here so that's a bonus I guess, would only recommend if you want to try a new beer at a store where you have tried all the rest
Jan 30, 2017
 
Rated: 4.24 by Mack from Canada (QC)

Dec 19, 2016
Photo of JonCorbett
Reviewed by JonCorbett from Canada (BC)

4.15/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: A beautiful nearly clear pour, has a coppery cast to its golden appearance, and completes itself with a marshmallow cap of foamy and fluffy topping. There is the start of a really nice looking lace as well, but this does dissipate too over time as it glacierly sinks back into the brew.

Aromatics: Grapefruit and tangy orange zest with a green pine syrup. Some mellow sweet malts kind of creep in from the floorboards with some raisony bread pudding.

Taste: A very nicely balanced but moderately strong intense flavour ride. Its very bold, but with character - it just doesn't run amok across the palate. My first impression is a dark roasted coffee with a double espresso shot and dark chocolate. All the hoppy bitters combining in numerous ways to really work the tastebuds without tasting like earth (i.e. dirt) or burnt pine bark.

Mouth: A really good carbonation and a heavier medium body. Finishes dry and fairly clean - the linger is moderate, but doesn't really hinder the overall enjoyment.

Overall: I actually had this after having a Ballast Point Sculpin IPA - and I found the Jolly Hopper to be far more enjoyable. Where I struggled to get past the lengthy bitter and lingering warm throat in the Sculpin, I did not encounter those experiences with Jolly. I was also quite amazed that I did not detect any of the 8% and it went down fairly swiftly. Not as swift of couse as an Alchemist Heady Topper, but still very nice none-the-less.

Pairing: I like the bitter and sweet balance in this beer, and I think it would match really nicely with a licorice-style flavour. So I'm going to suggest trying something like a roasted fennel salad with roasted fennel, green beans sauteed with garlic, basil, soy sauce and a splash of balsamic, and then all tossed together with some coarse pink himalayan salt and pepper and feta cheese crumbles.
Oct 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.24 by ovaltine from Indiana

May 15, 2016
 
Rated: 3.47 by smekermann from Canada (BC)

Mar 04, 2016
Photo of Ghrymm
Reviewed by Ghrymm from Canada (BC)

3.57/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 650ml bottle
A: pours a Med Copper with a very thin white head no lacing.
S: A sweet caramel nose with some hop there.
T: Good bitter with the hops but a bit to much caramel for me over malty.
F: light carbonation
O: A ok Imperial IPA but better ones out there i bought one bottle to try.
The 2017 Version is out and i not as malty ,better for sure
Dec 02, 2015
 
Rated: 3.94 by Kenmac19 from Canada (BC)

Nov 30, 2015
Photo of leaddog
Reviewed by leaddog from Canada (AB)

4.1/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance - Pours a light copper with two fingers of foamy white head.

Smell - Citrus and piney hops, bready caramel malts, plum and fig.

Taste - Citrus and piney hops are nicely balanced by the bready caramel malts. The plum and fig come in at the end.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes with a balance of lingering bitterness from the hops and sweetness from the malts.

Overall - A balanced DIPA that showcases the malt backbone and hop bitterness to a tee. A refreshing and enticing brew.
Aug 02, 2015
 
Rated: 4.27 by FadetoBock from Canada (AB)

Apr 14, 2015
 
Rated: 3.07 by bumchilly25 from Canada (BC)

Apr 12, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by KalanM from Canada (BC)

Sep 11, 2014
Jolly Hopper Imperial IPA from Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & Guesthouse
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 24 ratings