Hop Attack
G.G. Brewers

Hop Attack

Just tapped and I got the fist pint.
A- Hazy dark caramle orange with a good frothy white head.
S- English fuggles and caramel dominate, slight touch of light grainy malt.
T- Smooth english bitter with creamy caramel/ toffee with nice sweet juicy hops.
M- Velvety smooth with a nice balance of malt and hops.

Overall- a smooth blend of and English Bitter and IPA. Delicious.

The bartender promoted them as the smallest brewpub in the US. I'm not sure if that is for the size of the place (I'ts probably 20' X 12'), or has to do with the quantity of beer produced, but either they are doing a pretty good job. Talked with the ownerbrewer Gerry and he is a very cool guy with a passion for brewing. He makes some good quality beers that you can tell are produced out of love, and it's a friendly environment that attracts people who like to talkexperience good brews. Non smoking too, which is nice for a change (they have no yet passed the non-smoking law outside of Philadelphia yet.)

The Hop Attack is an English type ale, served at room temperature. It reminds me of an English Bitter, only it definitely has more hops. Not as hoppy as alot of the IPAs out in the US currently. This one is more balanced with the malt.

The appearance is a light browndark orange colour. It has a somewhat thick creamy consistancy. Very drinkable. I started and ended my night with this one, and tried some of their other beers in between. All were good but the Hop Attack was my favorite. I will definitely return to try more soon!

This is a makeshift growler of Hop Attack, a clean wine bottle filled with the beer, capped and wax-sealed by Gerry himself. Presentation points alone here...

A: The ale is deep red color, darker the amber color on tap that I recall. The head is nonexistent, as is carbonation. This is fairly consistent with other brews from G.G.

S: The aroma is big and malty, sweet with an undertone of alcohol.

T: I just got off the phone with Gerry to confirm that this was in fact Hop Attack. The body of the ale has changed since last I had it (when it was new and technically still lagering). The malts take the forefront here, crowding out the hops and creating a sweet mouthfeel that borders on an American Barleywine. The hops are there, just hidden below the surface. They are citrusy, maybe a hint of medicinal amarillo as well. It seems that the lack of carbonation makes them hide just a little more.

M: The mouthfeel is a big chewy malt body with a strong underlying hop presence.

D: The ale's composition has changed but its drinkability hasn't. The strong malt body and underlying hops push this to the edge of an IPA.