Hop Envy IPA
Barley's Brewing Company

On tap last night at the Brewery. Poured into a clean, clear glass.

A Somewhat cloudy, white yellow body under a slight head that stuck around for far too little time, about 30 seconds.

S Hops and nothing but the hops. The acidic, grapefruit bitterness really turned me off, but not as much as the taste.

T Way too hoppy. My eyeballs felt as if there were bathing in hops resin it was so bitter with grapefruit tangy flavor. It was difficult for me to detect any other tastes as I reached for my ice water to cut down the bitterness.

M Strong, biting hops dominate everything about this beer. The mouthfeel reflects that, then and is likely moderate to high.

D Not good. It was difficult to finish my beer.

Notes: It is true that I am not a fan of DIPA's but this one really had the bitterness dial turned way too far up. I could not imagine trying to eat anything paired with this stuff (except maybe an overripe grapefruit).

This beer was an orange shade of dark yellow and hazed, with a very thin head. The smell isn't as sweetly hopped as I'd prefer, more bitter hops with some light citrus character. The taste is mostly bitter, a little play from the malts but not enough sweetness or body to give substantial balanace. Overall I found this to be an easy drinking IPA more than a DIPA, worth a try either way.

Appearance: It pours a hazy orange/amber color. It's capped with a relatively modest, white head that's about a finger deep. It didn't stick around long, but left a nice sticky coat of lace on the glass.

Smell: It's initially earthy, grainy, and a little grassy. There's some light citrus grapefruit and mango notes (independent of the hops). A little sweet smelling. Hops are very citric in character, but possess some floral elements that attribute to its earthy/grainy smell. There's a nice underlying malt smell that lingers throughout.

Taste: The initial sweet citrus flavors are somewhat light. It's primarily a mix of grapefruit and orange. Hops are pretty aggressive and assault the palate with a pretty intense bitter flavor. The hops are mostly citric, but there's some floral qualities in there. It is earthy and grainy. Malts are sweet and balance it out a little. It remains very bitter, but they play their role pretty well. Finishes dry and bitter.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: It's medium bodied and pretty smooth. Carbonation is pretty active, but doesn't negate the smooth feel. Drinkability is really good. ABV is unknown to me, but doesn't seem too imposing. I'll polish off this growler tonight with little trouble.

Hop Envy's a solid DIPA (IPA?) from Barley's. Honestly, it's somewhere between an IPA and a DIPA. The bitter hop flavor certainly lingers in DIPA territory, but the malts and abv seem a little light for that department. Nonetheless, it's a good beer that's worth checking out.

This beer poured a murky orange yellow color and formed a small bubbly white head that left trace lace as it subsided. An aroma of hops, mostly citrus with grapefruit dominating. The flavor is heavy of citrus hops of grapefruit and some pine. The body is medium light and the finish is extremely astringent, almost causing you to pucker. A very good beer from this brewer.

Poured a small head, cloudy-orange in color, with oily lacing.

Nose consists of a toasty malt finished with sweet-hops; think citrus. Overall aroma was not overpowering - balanced.

Creamy malt on the palate and rounded out with a moderate hop-pine bitterness. Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy leaving a milt dry aftertaste.

Like most casks, an enjoyable creamy-smooth brew and a wonderful change of pace from the carbonation. Would recommend and surely enjoy again.

Appearance: Pours a hazy, pale orange body topped with a thin, white ring of bubbles.

Smell: Aromatic hop scent of citric-smelling citrus and pine needles.

Taste: Scant pale maltiness quickly turns to hops with flavors of grapefruit rinds and resinous pine along with a resounding bitterness. Dry finish with a long, lingering bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: A solid IPA with a sharp, snappy hop bitterness.

My 50th Barley’s beer! Firkin at Ale House #1. The beer is a hazy yellow-orange color with a medium thin and foamy off-white head that has decent retention. Thin rings of lacing on the glass. The aroma is grassy hops with touches of malt and citrus. Medium-bodied with a subdued and moderately bitter hops character. Some earthy malt and citrus flavors are evident as well. The finish is dry and somewhat hoppy with a lingering bitter hops aftertaste. Pretty darn good overall, and I am curious to try the tower version at some point.