Hop Hunter
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

3.22/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- This one pours a chill hazed yellow/gold color, with amber, and orange hues throughout. There is a ton of aggressive carbonation rising to the top in ginger ale like fashion. The head is white and soapy in nature, with good retention, starting about one and a half fingers thick before gradually settling down to a thick film of foam over the brew. The lacing is fairly sticky, with an entire coating of bubbly goodness clinging to the inside of my glass, and most of it sliding back into the liquid, but it does leave behind a framework of art. Nice looking overall.

S- Not quite what I expected, with distilled hop oil being used here, but rather am greeted with orange/citrus zest, along with leafy bitterness, yeast/biscuit and a refined malt sweetness. Maybe there is some piney resin blended in as well, as this seems to be the lingering aroma....nice!

T- Huge hopped bitterness!!!! After the initial shock to the palate, I get lots of piney resin, citrus peel (grapefruit, pomello), and not much else. The finish mellows out slightly, where I can appreciate the malt profile....almost becomes slightly sweet. The oily bitterness lingers in the back of the palate long after the taste.

M/O- Oil slick smoothness when going down, and lots of zippy carbonation compliments the light body. As for drinkability, I will get this one down but move onto something more palatable.....poor drinkability factor. I got this from my wife as part of a coundown to Christmas group she put together for me....love her for that and the thought :) I don't understand the love affair for this style....its all too much and I for one cant enjoy tasting nothing but bitterness. And the burps.....not pleasant.

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3.87/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

look: gee it looks great, rich orange to amber in colour, bubbles flying within, big bubbly head on top which retains throughout with good bit of lacing.

smell: orange colour is matched by a decent bit of orange citrus smells coming out at first, lot of hoppy spice there too, some musty scents too, tiny bit of banana, perhaps a tad soapy.

taste: the citrus fruits are the first taste to come through, but there’s a good bit of caramel in there, and the finish is only lightly bitter for a beer with such a prevalent hop character, good bit of spice on the finish too. again maybe a tad soapy. it’s a curious beer alright.

feel: real full bodied mouthfeel, high carbonation, crisp enough. oily.

overall: it’s a unique beer alright, and a good one at that.

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4.18/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

I was looking forward to try this one. Will it be as good as the Hazy Little Thing?

Comes in a 12 fl.oz. bottle, the sticker is a real classic design, I like it. Hisses when opened, seems to be carbonated well.

Top: after pouring it forms a nice, medium lasting, clear white head, without irregularities. So far we're golden.

Colour: clear gold, looks promising with the clear white head.

Smell: apparently, when SN puts its beers into bottles, they all smell iron after pouring. It's rather disappointing. It needs to be decanted. After 5 minutes of decanting comes a mild earthy smell mixed with some hops and a very low level of undefined fruity freshness. Surprisingly low intensity. Maybe a slight soapy smell too.

Taste: Ooohh, halle-f**kin-lujah. Now this is, what I'm talking about. The state of the absolute balance. Well carbonated, no dominant flavours, just a mixture of pure awesomeness. A bit of malts, a bit of hops, a bit of a complete fruit basket. Moderated natural bitterness, very fresh mouthfeel, alcohol is well hidden despite being 6.2%. It's rather dangerous. Extremely easy to drink, very smooth leaving a semi-dry finish.

Summary: it looks like I have just found my new affordable favourite. It's just as great as Hazy Little Thing, but in a completely different way.

Definitely will have this again. It didn't smell much, looked alright but the taste... amazing. Well done, Sierra Nevada!

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3.93/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Drinking this from a bottle poured into a pint glass.
Appears dark golden with a nice foamy head and lacing that dropped quickly.
Smells citrusy, grapefruit, piney.
Taste follows the nose.
Mouth feel is medium for the style and helps balance the hoppiness.
Overall a nice IPA that I might order again.

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3.99/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Six pack of bottles picked up at Total Wine in Lynnwood, Washington.
Served in a pint glass.

Look- Clear golden amber color. Nice fluffy white head that recedes rather quickly to a thin cap, spotty lacing. Moderate carbonation streams visible.

Smell- Citrus (grapefruit and lemon), resinous pine, caramel malt, light tropical fruit, stone fruit and floral/spicy notes.

Taste- Much like the nose, pithy citrus, a bit of pineapple, light stone fruit with a piney and malty follow through, nicely balanced.

Feel- Medium bodied, dry and crisp with a moderately bitter finish. Medium carbonation on the tongue.

O- Another nice offering from SN, there are better in their lineup but it's good.

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4.17/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Nice looking IPA with much carbonation, nice head and lacing. A nice hop aroma. Great Smooth taste. Overall a pleasant beer. Not too hoppy in taste. Try some when you find it. On draft at Sierra-Nevada, Asheville, NC.

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3.93/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured amber with a bright white one finger head leaving a nice film. Moderate lacing present. A bit of dank citrus and pine nose. Taste is grainy malt, grass, citrus and pine finish and well balanced. Mouthfeel has a moderate body and carbonation with a wonderful smooth finish. This is not super hopped so those who want the high bitterness will be disappointed. I on the other hand find this very refreshing and drinkable with just enough hop kick.

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2.75/5  rDev -32.3%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

Kind of vaguely has some dank hop notes, but like it relative "Sidecar", this just doesn't do quite enough to push it over the line from meh, to good.

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3.69/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

The bottle is 3 months old. The pour is dark yellow. The aroma is dank with mild citrus & the taste is the same along with some mild pine bitterness on the finish. Cheers! B

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3.34/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Bottled 2/14/15; drank 3/10/15 @ the Yachives.

Clear dandelion appearance.

HUGE fluffy white head; a curtain of lace.

Pine needle, grapefruit & mild caramel notes in the nose.

Medium thin mouthfeel.

Pine needle & mild grapefruit flavors up front; a dry, mildly bitter finish. Fresh soap notes emerged as this warmed.

Drinkable but boring.

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3.75/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a clear golden amber coloration with a small, fluffy head. Smells of light biscuity malt and floral, citrus hop notes, reminiscent of orange blossoms. Taste follows the nose, with some biscuity, slightly grainy malt and quite a floral hop character backed up by citrus/stone fruit notes of peach, orange and tangerine, as well as a light grassy note. Finishes quite crisp, with a medium bitterness and some floral, citrus notes lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

This is a bit too grainy and floral for my personal taste, but nevertheless has some nice citrus and peach notes to it, with a nice, crisp bitterness.

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3.39/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Quickly disappearing head. Pale yellowish, slightly cloudy.
Aroma of citrus. Mouth feel, slightly oily, but not “coating”.
Taste is too citrusy for me.
Not a big fan of this offering from SN, prefer their Torpedo.
Tastes are subjective, Hop Hunter is not bad, I can appreciate this brew, it’s just not for me.

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3.83/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

[Original rating 2015-10-31] Pours clear gold with a thick white head. Aroma of tropical fruit - pina colada, grass, a hint of earth. Taste is similar with a nice bitter finish. ice palate, steady fine carbonation .

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3.88/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Clear, copper filtered with lots of carbonation, and 2 fingers of whitish head.

Aroma of hops fills the air upon opening the bottle. Pine, citrus, and lemon zest. A closer look reveals pineapple, mangos and yellow jello.

The taste is predominately yellow jello, pineapple, and big grapefruit pith like bitterness.

Medium body with medium carbonation. A little light for what I was expecting.

Got this at the brewery in Chico, drinking it here in Chico CA, August 13th, 2018.

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3.88/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Liked it but lacked the crispness I really enjoy in an IPA- kind of a strange smoothness from the hop oil- oil in beer- not a winner for me, but better than a lot out there

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4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottled 6/12/18 (31 days ago) poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 6.2% ABV 60 IBU. The beer pours bright golden yellow with off white head. The head recedes to a thin cap and leaves some lacing. The aroma is ripe stone fruit, pine and citrus. The taste is semisweet caramel up front that slowly transforms to an earthy, dank bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, adequately carbonated and dry in the finish. Overall, very good. The aroma is really the star here although it tastes good as well. Nearly unbeatable at it's price point.

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2.63/5  rDev -35.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

Looks like Miller High life got a foam upgrade. An almost artificial, green tinted wheat color. This beer boasts a pungent sweet odor. Completely overwhelming. The taste has grown on me if only for this beer's toasty malt balanced finish, but on first taste this beer tastes completely weak and far too bitter. Also it goes down oily. I'm very disappointed by this beer.

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3.96/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Look: It pours golden and clear. It has a slightly off wheat head. Head retention is moderate.

Smell: There are strong aromas from stone fruit. The stone fruit is more apricot, but there is a bit of a peach element. There is a very low background not from spices. There is also a low background note of bread.

Taste: It has heavy flavors of stone fruit with a low spicy background note. The is a very low grassy note as well. It has a low bread taste, but that is towards the end more noticeable in the finish.

Feel: It has a moderate body that is slight slick. It has moderate bitterness that is long lasting.

Overall, a decent IPA that is not overly bitterly strong with a good blend of flavors.

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4.59/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is one of my favorite, everyday, go-to beers. It's goes down easy and I've never grown tired of it. This is just a darn good IPA and, when I can find it, usually comes at a comfortable price.

My only complaint is that it's hard to find - not many outlets carry it, even the big ones. That's disappointing considering how ubiquitous Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Torpedo are.

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2.22/5  rDev -45.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 1 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Had a 12 oz. bottle decanted into a pint glass. Firm rock white head that dissolced in 3 or 4 minutes. Really had to work for the aroma so I am suspecting a stale bottle. Mouthfeel was remarkably smooth and easy drinking, so props for that. Carbonation level wasnt light, but apptopriate, not bonkers. As for the flavor, I was severely underwhelmed. I couldn't make out any specific hop flavor or aromatics. It was a very flat tasting, but hoppy, beer. In fact it seemed like the caramel malt came out ahead of the hops. I will try it again in the future but if this is it, I have to say damn, I'm a little confused.

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3.85/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bought a 6-pack $8.29 Don Quiojte
Clear golden color
Citrus smell
High carbonation
Medium-light mouthfeel
Citrus upfront followed by bitter aftertaste, but still clean tasting for an IPA. Well made, but not exciting.
Overall a good, fairly easy drinking IPA.

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4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a glass, a good 2-3 inches of foam, solid hoppy scent and flavor, detect a bit of honey under there too.
Enjoying it. Gonna have another one

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3.77/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a clear dark yellow with fine, firm foam.

Smell is citrusy with hints of chamomile and some pine.

Taste is fruity with a nice, mellow bitterness. Hints of citrus, pine and something slightly perfumey.

Mouthfeel is medium, well carbonated.

Overall, a nice IPA, that may not be anything overly special, but good and balanced.

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5/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is my favorite beer. You know how most folks can’t tell you their favorite movie or food or band? Yes, because it’s too difficult. There are too many good ones. Beer is like that. But, me for one can tell you that Hop Hunter is my favorite beer!

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4.45/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

From 12oz bottle. Pours amber orange with nice thick white head. Got kicked with great floral and citrusy hop aroma. Medium body, not too bitter. Great IPA.

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