Trafalgar Hop Nouveau 2009
All or Nothing Brewhouse

Trafalgar Hop Nouveau 2009Trafalgar Hop Nouveau 2009
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From:
All or Nothing Brewhouse
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
5%
Score:
81
Avg:
3.41 | pDev: 11.14%
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
20
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 13, 2012
Added:
Oct 06, 2009
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
Trafalgar has sourced local hop growers to produce this very special ale. Fresh hops are picked, rushed to the brewery and added to the beer all in the same day in a process called ‘wet hopping’. Freshly harvested hops impart much different flavour and aroma qualities to beer.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by WeedKing4:
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Reviewed by WeedKing4 from Canada (ON)

2.5/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Sep 30, 2009
22oz bomber. Pours the slightest haze of orange. Its pretty bland to be honest. Its not horrible and its easy to drink, but its got no personality. Just your typical bland beer, but it doesn't taste shitty. Well, maybe it does. It just doesn't really taste like anything. Its a servicable fall back beer if you have no better choice. The definition of average. Ok, a little less.
Oct 16, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.25 by Molson2000 from Canada (ON)

Sep 13, 2012
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Reviewed by TerryW from Canada (ON)

3.54/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
This brew is a bit of a shocker, because it is a very rare beast to have a drinkable beer come out of Trafalgar. This one is actually worth a try as it doesn't have the traditional Trafalgar funk happening.

Full points for being a beautiful looking beer. Hazy rich gold with a large firm head that settles to a solid cap and leaves great lace.

Appropriately hoppy, fruity nose. Subtle, but quite appetizing.

Hoppy to taste, distinct grapefruit rind flavour.Slightly pritzy and sour upfront, but finishes mildly bitter. Some lingering bitterness. Nice drinking beer.

Grab it while you can, because this is a rare effort.
Aug 30, 2010
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Reviewed by pootz from Canada (ON)

4.22/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
650ml bomber less than 2 weeks old.

Pours a partially filtered hazed straw color. A hard pour puts a 2 finger rocky cap on it that reduces to a surface cap that lasts and gives good lacing.

Aroma is subtle but pleasing. Light tones of succulent fruits and citrus peel-grassiness over sweet cereal undertones with a faint muskiness.

Pale maltose meets fresh hop oils, like exotic fruit with a light grapefruit rind bite, over a dulcet biscuit dough tone... quenching demure character. Wet, light citrus-bitter finish.

Very fresh tasting, approachable and quenching....a tasty mild pale. Not a trace of this btrewer's signature nasty yeast taste. I would actually seek out and buy a case of this but the price is too restrictive.

The best effort from this brewer in living memory. Re price it and make it more available and you can pint money with this brew.
Jun 15, 2010
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Reviewed by seand from California

3.42/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The bottle says it was delivered September 25, so this beer may be different when very fresh.

A: Pours a cloudy straw color, with a small amount of white head. The head mostly dissipates after a couple minutes, but a small amount remains, leaving at least minimal lacing.

S: Light floral hops with a slight earthiness.

T: Relatively mild, the most noticeable flavor is the hoppy bitterness towards the finish.

M: Medium to light body, smooth carbonation.

D: Drinks easily enough, which isn't surprising given that it doesn't really have any strong flavors.

This beer is OK. I might buy it again if it were cheap, but there are better pale ales for cheaper.
Dec 22, 2009
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Reviewed by ecoastman from Canada (ON)

3.98/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Great for when you need a hop fix and it's reasonably available in Ontario when great over the hop beers are not around in the LCBO (Liquor "Communist" Board of Ontario).

Kudos for going local with the hops and labelling the harvest, brewing, bottling and delivery dates.

Who originally classified this as an APA? Isn't this an American IPA? Then again, what do I know...I still don't have a glass symbol beside my name...

I see some of our Canadian Advocates were a little reserved with their rankings - I think sometimes we can be tougher on our own and may hold some history against Trafalger who have perhaps sold one too many mediocre beers. We might also be sensitive to the high price for a local beer... I'll grab another if I'm feeling rich and I look forward to sampling next year's batch.

Overall, I say that this beer has flavour and is worth a try:

It pours with a big head that is well retained after it settles and comes with generous lacing - all expected with high hopping. It also has a nice warm hazy orange glow.

The aroma is clean and, as expected, complexly hoppy (floral,herbal and citric). There's also some candy-like bubblegum in the background. There's something a bit funky and corny in the first second but that quickly moves away to make room for the other aromas. Very nice.

I'm glad that the flavour isn't over the top and it delivers the hop style that I like which is much like the aroma. While there is some complexity it also seems a bit thin on flavour compared to some of the greats in this category (perhaps from lower malt). Midway has a little corn but it finishes dry and the aftertaste is citric grapefruit. In the long lingering aftertaste there's a touch of diactyl along with cardboard-like character but it's not enough to hold against the beer. All-in-all a very good (and local) high hop beer.
Nov 19, 2009
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Reviewed by SingleCell from Canada (ON)

3.3/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Poured into a mug after warming out of the fridge for 10 mins.

A: Poured a slightly cloudy very pale orange colour with a half inch white head that vanished as soon as I stopped pouring (an aggressive pour too). A paper thin tiny wisp of soapy head is left post pour.

S: Grainy, light caramel, white toast and a hint of citric hops up front with a slight metallic scent behind.

T: As soon as it hits my palate I'm greeted with a small burst of citric hops (think grapefruit) and that caramel/toasty malt backbone which is really great. But things change very quickly and I'm left with a bitter grainy finish which... isn't so great.

M: Light body, medium carbonation and a bitter finish. Decent mouthfeel.

D: Since you want that initial taste to come back you need to keep taking sips. So I guess you could say it's almost like I'm being forced to go back for more every few second. Meh, I'm not a fan in that respect.

Overall an alright APA interpretation. I'm glad i tried it but I won't be buying any more bottles of this.
Nov 10, 2009
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Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle: Poured a murky dirty beige color ale with a medium foamy head with OK retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of light earthy hops is mildly satisfying. Taste is dominated by light grainy malt notes with floral and earthy hops notes - I would wish hops presence would have been more dominant. Body is fuller then average with good carbonation. Not bad considering some of the crap brewed by this brewer but again not really good compared to some other harvest ale out there.
Nov 07, 2009
Photo of Mit
Reviewed by Mit from Canada (ON)

3.4/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
a-Pours a nice cloudy golden colour. Minimal to not head but really could have been the result of glass as I forgot to rinse it when I took it out of the cupboard.

s-light citrusy hop aroma with some earthy notes...

t-Some hop bitterness with more of the earthiness coming through. Spicey aftertaste that leaves you kinda rolling it over your tongue.

m-Light...even for 5%. Doesn't have a thick feel like many of the hoppier beers.

d-Honestly this is the first offering from Trafalgar that I didn't find fault with. I found this very drinkable but very pale in comparison to other hoppier beers on the market. It is nice to see another available Canadian brewer getting into the hops.
Nov 05, 2009
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Reviewed by allergictomacros from Canada (ON)

3.18/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a clear gold with an inch of moderate foam on a hard pour. Decent lacing. Nose is soft and bready with a hint of pine. Some caramel flavour and resinous, but light pine and leaf hop. Sweet, husky/bready grain center and a coarse bitter finish. Has a rough, "green" flavour I find appropriate for the "fresh hop"ness, but this lacks the volume of hop flavour and aroma to really capitalize on it. I would drink this again, but not buy it again.
Oct 27, 2009
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Reviewed by EatsTacos from Canada (YT)

3.02/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Pours golden yellow with a creamy head that seems to last and good lacing. I had this from a wine glass with the beer at cellar temp

Aroma of sour green apple, piney, citrusy hops with light spices, ginger, pine needles

Not a whole lot of balance in the flavour, this beer shows off the hops. Citrus ripe grapefruit and lemon rind with no real solid malt backbone for any depth of flavour.

Hard to ignore how light bodied this beer is. Really quite watery
Oct 17, 2009
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.63/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Fresh bottle from the LCBO. As a pale ale, it hits the style with a mild hoppy aroma that also gives orange and malt. Good sized white head that later yields thick lace. Drinkable though a pint is much. about average mouthfeel although somewhat drying and overcarbonated. Had again two months later and just as good or better hoppiness.
Oct 16, 2009
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Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.42/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A tarnished, turbid yellowy colour that still maintains an auroral, golden shine even despite the consummate haze. Initial signs would indicate the beer is indeed unfiltered. The tone is flush and without any highlighting; my guess is nothing darker than pale malt was used in this recipe. Its head is soapy but both incomplete and nonadhesive.

Granted, this is more hoppiness than is customary in most Ontario pale ales but it still doesn't hold a candle to what most average American ones smell like (let alone the dry-hopped ones). It's nice but it's a little too delicate and isn't exactly the budding, fragrant, fiery bouquet you'd expect to find from a fresh-hopped ale.

And the character doesn't depart all that much from the typically meek persona of most Ontarian (and this brewery's own) beers either. It is best summed up as being majorly floral with faint hints of grass and grapefruit. There is also a considerable ganja-like must. Funny the brewery should neglect to mention what variety of hops was picked...

My guess would have been some kind of aroma hop but this isn't all that aromatic. I'd suggest a bittering hop except this fails to be all that bitter. In fact, this is thin enough that there is virtually no taste of malts (less a bit of grain) and the fruity hoppiness, trace as it is, is all that is tasted. It's hoppy - but only by virtue of it being nothing else.

I think it's fantastic the brewery decided to brew a fresh-hopped ale, I just wished they used more hops (and malt)! This can pass as a mediocre, bland English pale ale but you'd be hard pressed to guess this was wet-hopped - especially considering the hops were still on the vine a month ago! But hey, at least for once a Trafalgar beer is free of infection!

When this brewery released a wet-hopped pale ale it was pretty easy to read the tea (err, maybe that's hop) leaves. Given their track record the only expectation I had was that it would be bad. It wasn't. In fact, this was a step in the right direction and arguably Trafalgar's best effort to date - but neither of those things is saying very much. There's nothing all that new about Hop Nouveau - it's still bland, underwhelming beer.
Oct 14, 2009
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Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)

3.6/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
650ml bottle from the LCBO, purchased on the day it was released. Great concept with the freshly-picked, Ontario-grown hops and instant delivery. Decent labelling for once. Let's give it a try...

Pours a cloudy golden mango colour with very little head. Bright white lacing is sporadic; a thin film sits on top of the beer. Smell: grapefruit, sweet malt, nectarines, and piney, cedar-like hops. Taste: juicy crystal and pale malts, white grapefruit, some peach and apricot flavours, and a prolonged hop bitterness. The taste could be a bit 'bolder,' but this is still flavourful. Mouthfeel is on the light side, slightly watery with some tang from the hops. Overall a very drinkable pale, more in the West Coast tradition than other Ontario APA's (Tankhouse, Black Oak, Durham). Trafalgar has done a good job of applying an original concept - unfiltered, wet-hopped pale ale - to fill a void in the Ontario market. Keep brewing beers like this one!
Oct 14, 2009
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Reviewed by CAMRAhardliner from Canada (ON)

3.47/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a hazy amber orange color with lots of visible sediment particles. The head is nothing more than a spotty ring, leaving barely any lace on the glass. The aroma is a mix of pleasant, perfumey hops and light, mildly abrasive bitterness. The taste is hop forward with plenty of fruity character, grapefruit, apricot and melon notes come to the fore. Hop bitterness is moderate and almost salty in a way. Malt is restrained and on the syrupy sweet side. Some green apple is also noticeable. the moufeel is quite full bodied for a Pale Ale and lightly carbonated. The floral, fruity somewhat bitter finish lasts quite a long time.

This is my favorite beer from my least favorite Ontario brewery. It has more balance and hop presence then I was expecting, and is definitely on the hoppy end of the Pala Ale scale IMO. The hop profile could be fuller and more complex though, perhaps its a drawback of Ontario grown hops? Also I think they need a more neutral tasting yeast for this style. All in all, a decent West Coast style Pale Ale, worth a try.
Oct 13, 2009
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Reviewed by Derek from Canada (BC)

3.95/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Hop Nouveau 2009 Wet Hopped Pale Ale. 5% abv.

Hops picked in Tillsonburg on Sept 6, 2009; brewed the same day; bottled Sept 21; delivered Sept 25th.

I'm not sure what's more impressive, the fact that an Ontario brewer picked fresh, wet hops and brewed with them on the same day (on a large scale), or the fact that it went through the LCBO testing and was on the shelf by the end of the month!

A: Hazy, brownish-straw with a white head, thin ring of retention, slight lacing.

S: Peppery spice, grass & floral hops with hints of grainy biscuit from the malt. Could use a little more late hop additions for some more aroma.

T: Nice grassy spicing, some floral & citrus, underlying toffee & grainy biscuits, good bitterness. Some good hop flavour.

M: The body is on the low side of moderate, light hop acidity, off-dry finish.

D: A really good drinker.

It's not a big IPA like the Sierra Nevada or some of the pacific northwest wet-hopped brews, but it's got some great hop flavour and it's seriously drinkable. The hop heads might expect a little more flavour, but this could be appealing to a larger audience (a gateway to wet-hopped brews?). With the vintage on the bottle, I'm hopeful that they'll continue brewing this for years to come.

This is a great addition to the local brewing scene. Cheers to Trafalgar for being the first in Ontario to use locally grown hops in a wet-hopped ale (on a commercial scale).

Think Global, Drink Local.
Oct 07, 2009
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Reviewed by mrmanning from Canada (ON)

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle from the LCBO- A slightly hazed gold with one finger of white froth. Leaves a bit of lace. Spicy nose contains fresh hoppy saaz? anise, clove, and floral notes, and follows with a marked malty fruitiness, but it is just really hoppy. Tastes of slightly sweet malts, but then the hops take over. Really nice bitter and fresh hops. I am surprised at how hoppy and flavourful this is. Very floral and anise like, lots of rose petal too. A bit of lemony sweetness closes the finish. Excellent stuff. Would have been great for summer. Trafalgar, keep this up, it is am impressive effort.
Oct 06, 2009
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Reviewed by bobsy from Canada (ON)

2.98/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Viggo brought this bottle over - a stain on his otherwise impeccable record.

For those who don't know, Trafalgar is far from the best brewery in our province. They have had trouble with infected beers, and even when they are in good shape they're pretty bad examples of what they are supposed to be. Hop Nouveau continues that trend.

Pours a clear gold with a thin white head that had reasonable retention and laid down some fingers of lace. The aroma still manages to smell crap despite including creamy malt, mango, flowers and earthy citrus hops. There's just something run of the mill to it. Likewise, the flavour suffers from a lack of a solid malt base. What there is seems too weak and almost corny. The hops come through with herbal tones and some pine, but the bitterness is more or less AWOL compared to other fresh hopped beers. Its a bit mediocre, but good for this brewery. Mouthfeel is too light and watery.

Another fail.
Oct 06, 2009
Photo of Viggo
Reviewed by Viggo from Canada (ON)

3.28/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
650ml bottle picked up at the LCBO, give Trafalgar credit for trying this one.

Pours a clear amber, medium sized white head forms, settles to a medium sized ring around the glass rather quickly, few lace spots stick around. Smell is nice, floral, clovers, honey, caramel, a bit sugary, grapefruit, tangerine, some oranges, a bit herbal and fruity. Taste is similar, sweet and malty but the base is pretty weak, grapefruit and some floral, fruit, decent hoppiness but needs more malt and more bitterness. Mouthfeel is meidum bodied with low to medium carbonation. Doesn't feel as thin in the body as most Trafalgar, but the malt could use some work. All in all pretty decent considering who made it.
Oct 06, 2009
Photo of MeisterBurger
Reviewed by MeisterBurger from Canada (ON)

3/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
According to the label:

Hops picked: Sept 6, 2009
Brewed: Sept 6. 2009
Bottled: Sept 21, 2009 (unfiltered)
Delivered: Sept 25, 2009

This is no mean feat, especially in Ontario, and I applaud Trafalgar for their efforts and for jumping on the fresh/wet hopped trend...but beyond the novelty factor, what's the point of going to all that trouble if it's only going to lead to a really mediocre beer?

It pours an orangey yellow, with a so-so head and minimal head retention.

The aroma is grassy and grainy. Slight cooked corn.

The taste is grassy and herbal with a weak biscuity grainy malt. Really, it tastes very raw. Very green, like leaves or uncooked green beans with a hint of lemon rind. All sorts of really raw hops are going on, but there's a decided lack of malt to really make it taste like anything but liquid stems.

The mouthfeel was thin and watery.

Overall not a horrible beer but not good enough to get at half the price. Hopefully if there is a Hop Nouveau 2010, having worked out how to brew a wet hopped beer and get it on shelves quickly, they'll change the recipe and produce a beer that is worth the effort.

Oh, and here's yet another label from Trafalgar that looks like it was designed by their receptionist in Microsoft Word over the course of a lunch break.
Oct 06, 2009
Trafalgar Hop Nouveau 2009 from All or Nothing Brewhouse
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 20 ratings