Hoppy Lager
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Hoppy LagerHoppy Lager
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From:
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
American Lager
ABV:
7%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.84 | pDev: 7.81%
Reviews:
50
Ratings:
171
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 03, 2023
Added:
Jun 06, 2016
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  51
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by plaid75:
Photo of plaid75
Rated by plaid75 from New York

3.53/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Jul 24, 2016
More User Ratings:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
On tap at PreFunk. Some honey sweetness right off the bat, clear orange golden with slight skin of an off white head. Malt also shines through, nice slick mouth feel. Lots of emphasis on the sweet grains, masking the elevated ABV.
Jun 03, 2023
 
Rated: 3.75 by Winzlow from Florida

Nov 27, 2021
 
Rated: 3.44 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Aug 06, 2021
 
Rated: 3.56 by Urk1127 from New Jersey

Dec 01, 2020
 
Rated: 3.91 by DigitGrowler from Kentucky

May 23, 2018
 
Rated: 3.85 by BEER88 from North Carolina

Apr 27, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by tbone1384 from Wyoming

Apr 14, 2018
 
Rated: 3.79 by mltobin from Connecticut

Mar 30, 2018
 
Rated: 3.85 by _ascags from North Carolina

Nov 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by NOLANDMAN from Massachusetts

Nov 23, 2017
Photo of joedvegas
Reviewed by joedvegas from Nevada

3.79/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Hazy, amber color. Thick off-white head that lasts a long time. Nice looking beer. Pleasant aromas of grapefruit, pineapple and violet on the nose. Strong grapefruit and floral notes on the front palate, pleasant foresty finish. Medium feel, nice coating of the palate on the finish.
Oct 19, 2017
Photo of Misanthropy_Sipping
Reviewed by Misanthropy_Sipping from Nebraska

4.91/5  rDev +27.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Can't remember if I did a review of the original release through their Beer Camp series. If I did, that would be cool because I remember loving it then and would like to see my scoring differences. Anyway. When I saw the party pack box, in the back of my head when i saw hoppy lager I was dreaming it might be the same deal, redone. Didn't think it would be, but low and behold, it was... the label says so! Very excited. It's like having nostalgia and having it satisfied and brought back to life for a while.

Down to business...
Look: A rich orange/gold hue, honey-like. The head is level at the top, sticks around a bit but remains as a slowly and ever retreating thin sheath on the top as you drink.
Smell: Ripe citrus, orange foremost, a fair amount of lemon, and then a pinch of bitter grapefruit. Has bready and floral notes going on behind this. Not incredibly intense smell. But it is quite nice.
Taste: Really great bitter orange and grapefruit that is not to intense at all. A warm, wet stone kind of scent. A bit of a minerally sort of thing happening as well. Lightly bready, maybe a touch of caramel on the end. Has a floral presence. Ends in a bitterness that hangs about the mouth,
Mouthfeel is fantastic. Perfectly creamy, light to medium body. Has a juiciness in the front but then ends a bit sticky and dry. Has a bit of warmth from the higher abv for a lager.
Overall: I really like this beer and would totally be buying this in six packs if they made it a regular. I feel pretty fortunate to have enjoyed two sixers when it was released for Beer Camp. There are rarely beers you have that you taste and styles and types go right out the door. When you can say, it doesn't matter what kind of beer this is, doesn't matter the brewer, it's just a well done beer. This is one of those for me.
Sep 24, 2017
 
Rated: 3.89 by Branlott42 from Missouri

Sep 17, 2017
Photo of daliandragon
Reviewed by daliandragon from Maryland

4.22/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
For a lager, this has great head retention, and an oily, hoppy nose. Not overpowering, but manages to be mellow but still deliver the citrus and medicinal hops. Very solid, IPA like lace on the goblet after the head retreats as well.

The hops are fresh and juicy throughout and face crystal cereals for balance at the crest of the sip. Great complexity for a lager and lighter in texture than most ales. I always like SN, but this is pretty impressive.
Sep 09, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by km02600 from Michigan

Sep 07, 2017
Photo of McStagger
Reviewed by McStagger from California

4.14/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4/14/17

A: Slightly orange straw color. Vigorous carbonation with tiny bubbles racing to the surface. Finger or so off white head. Moderate dissipation.

S: Cracker like malt. Hops are decidedly new world. Big citrus, slight tropical.

T: Again, new world hoppiness dominates. Forward of delicate malt with light cereal tones. Mid palate is enveloped by big new world hoppiness. Dank tropical fruits, bursting citrus. Mango, pineapple, orange, starfruit and hints of grapefruit. Not much in the way of pine. Finish takes on a more bitter pith aspect of said fruits.

M: Beautiful. Clocks in at 7% which really helps to coat the mouth. However, it's not unctuous. Amble carbonation does a great job of scrubbing the palate between sips.

O: Damn good. Even at a skosh over four months old the hoppiness is lively. Great flavor and killer mouthfeel.
Aug 27, 2017
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.34/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
For my next trick, a bottle, courtesy of my local, in-person trader, tone77. His drop-offs are legendary & I am always excited to set something up.

From the bottle: "Purest Ingredients [-] Finest Quality"; "Crisp and Hoppy"; "This hop-forward beer combines the intense aromatics of an American IPA with the crisp drinkability of a German-inspired lager. Originally brewed as part of our first Beer Camp Across America pack, this beer features bold grapefruit and floral hop notes accentuated by the light body of a classic blonde lager."; "We brew in Chico, CA and Mills River, NC, to bring you the finest quality beer."

I Pop!ped the cap & began a moderately heavy-handed pour since it was a nice, fresh bottle. I wound up with just over two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with decent retention. Color was Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7) with NE-quality clarity, prompting an impromptu visit from The Gelt Gang of Croesus, Midas & Mammon. Nose had a citrusiness accompanied by the clean, sweet, malty smell of a lager. This should be interesting! Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but definitely big for a lager. The taste was like Baby Bear's beer - not too hoppy for a lager, not so malty as to be cloying, but just right! Jeez-O, man, but it was f**king smooth! I sucked down half of it before I glanced down & was reminded that it was 7.0% ABV! Wowee kazowee! Let them put this bad boy in a CAN & see what happens ... I would be a whole lot curious to know what hops were employed here. It was mildly citrusy with a tanginess, but unlike anything that I was used to from my fellow Americans. The malt gave it a slightly smoky nuttiness which was also unusual. I could not stop drinking in in great draughts. Finish was semi-dry, but I won't argue with their assessment of "Crisp". It was a really easy-drinking lager that really blew me away.
Aug 26, 2017
Photo of CTHomer
Reviewed by CTHomer from Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A: slight haze; deep gold in color; 1 finger ivory head that receded to a wispy cap; nice lacing;

S: grapefruit with a bit of floral;

T: not very intense up front; what's there follows the nose; grapefruit gets stronger just before the middle and increases through the finish;

M: light to medium bodied; moderate carbonation; lightly dry finish;

O: easy drinking;
Aug 15, 2017
Photo of Czequershuus
Reviewed by Czequershuus from Minnesota

4.46/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
This beer pours a bright gold with a large head. The aroma is bright and citrusy, with lemon peel, nectarine, clove, cantaloupe, and toasty malts. The flavor starts with the slightly sweet toasted malts, then some caramel, sweet orange peel, lemon peel, basil, sweet corn, pineapple, apricot, it is a host of subtle but beautiful intermingling characteristics. The mouthfeel is medium to full with fluffy carbonation. Overall I was surprised by just how good this is - I should not be, coming from masters like Sierra Nevada, but this is an incredibly well done beer.
Aug 11, 2017
Hoppy Lager from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 171 ratings