Hop Bullet
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Hop BulletHop Bullet
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From:
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #1,736
ABV:
8%
Score:
89
Ranked #11,498
Avg:
3.98 | pDev: 7.79%
Reviews:
374
Ratings:
1,114
Status:
Active
Rated:
Friday at 09:07 PM
Added:
Jul 12, 2017
Wants:
  10
Gots:
  284
Brewed with a double-barreled blast of Magnum hops and lupulin dust.

Hops are the name of the game with a Double IPA, but we knew we had to take it one step further. With Hop Bullet, we’re using a new technique, hitting the beer with a double-barreled blast of Magnum hops and lupulin dust—pure, concentrated hop flavor—directly into the tank to emphasize the intense pine and citrus flavors of classic West Coast hops.

BEGINNING GRAVITY: 17.6° plato
ENDING GRAVITY: 2.4° plato
BITTERNESS UNITS: 60
YEAST: Ale yeast
BITTERING HOPS: Magnum
FINISHING HOPS: Centennial, Cascade, Chinook, Magnum, Crystal
MALTS: Two-row Pale, Wheat, Dextrine, Chocolate, Acidulated
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Genx:
Photo of Genx
Rated by Genx from Georgia

3.89/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Apr 03, 2018
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.35 by hopley from Massachusetts

Friday at 09:07 PM
 
Rated: 4 by ryancl from Minnesota

Mar 16, 2024
Photo of Saluki
Reviewed by Saluki from Florida

3.09/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Looks and pours nice. For me, way too much malt liquor taste that seems to highlight and accentuate the higher abv. Really wanted to like it based on my preference of other SN IPAs and other Imperials.
Mar 06, 2024
 
Rated: 3.86 by Mickeyharris from Alabama

Mar 03, 2024
Photo of NevadaBill
Reviewed by NevadaBill from Nevada

4.14/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Purchased from a Costco (high gravity) mix-pack of all places. Odd that it's been around for 7 years and I've never run in to it, because I am at the brewery in Chico at least twice a year going way back and thought I knew their line well. Poured in to a regular pint beer glass, thin head, little lacing, and a good light amber color. Strange nose, which has a bit of a 'nut brown' ale in my opinion (hops). Taste front end is hoppy; Very Magnum hoppy in my opinion, and they went a bit foreward with those hops and the bitterness sticks around for a while, you will be still tasting this one for a while after you put it down. If you are a Magnum fan, then you will love this. It has the solid Pine/Grapefruit base going, and the Sierra Nevada trademark trademark taste. It is a bit refreshing. If you are new to IPA's then this will not likely be your choice, because the bitterness could ruin your face. It's a bit malty without being chewy, and it does a nice job of hiding the ABV. But the hops that SN put in here are premium. If you are a fan of the Magnum hop, and can get this fresh, then jump on it. Very nice.
Mar 02, 2024
Photo of MadMadMike
Reviewed by MadMadMike from France

3.73/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
12 oh-ze can poured into a 33cL glass. Canned on 1/12/24, drank on 2/17/24.
A fluffy foam makes a momentary presence, but leaves for parts unknown, quickly. Spongy lacing hovers on the top quarter of the glass.,
Nose is dank, sure, but lots of malt pokes through.
Taste is all 8% ABV alcohol forward, eliminating any fine nuances the sud has to offer. This Frankenbeer has an O.D. of bittering hops and more ‘dust’ than needed. The brewer is trying too hard to blow me away, IMO., Patience allows my palate to pick up what’s being laid down., and it feels forced. Alchemy.,.
Mouth is thin, low end of medium carbonation.
Overall, despite its throwback branding, this is no better than any New Belgium gas station beer.
I certainly hoped for lots more.,.
Feb 18, 2024
Photo of ryan1788a5
Reviewed by ryan1788a5 from Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12oz can poured into a snifter.

A: Golden-amber color with great clarity. Rocky off-white head initially rises to a three finger height before settling to a very respectable one after good time has passed. Lacing clings in chunky sheets.

S: Dank AF. Green and herbal/earthy with a big dose of catty lemon. Freshly broken spruce needles. Big oily pine resin. Maybe some orange gummy wedges and candied grapefruit in the background. Some background toast and caramel and a faint graininess from the malt. It basically smells like sticking your face into a mixed bag of pac northwest hop pellets.

T: Spruce tips open things, with a quick backing of lemon peel and candied grapefruit. The pine and resin loop back and double down with a bitterness that slowly and steadily clamps down on the palate until you're considering a tap-out. Herbal, catty, spicy, oily. All the most challenging and in-your-face west coast hop flavor is unapologetically here. Malt base is caramel, toast, and raw honey. Spicy alcohol and black pepper. Lingering caramel malt sweetness and a fat wallop of pine sol (in the best way) on the finish.

M: Thick and round with a real sense of heft in the mouth. The weight is there, but not at all oppressive. Gritty and enamel-raking hop astringency. Spicy alcohol. Ample carbonation adds a bit of lift and bite.

O: Holy shit. This is a throwback to the golden ages of west coast IPA dominance. I feel like I'm drinking the Arnold/Billy Dee Williams bicep-bulging hand clasp scene from The Predator. There is such a ridiculous amount of raw hop flavor here that I really don't think the modern NEIPA drinker will be able to last a single sip. More than anything, it feels like a love letter to a bygone era, when dryness and piney/citrusy bitterness were the norm in the IPA world. Personally I miss that era and love these trips down memory lane, but then again I am very much the target audience for this beer. All the kids should at least try it, because in my day we had to walk to school even when there was three feet of snow on the ground, and they should know how delicious that experience was.
Jan 27, 2024
 
Rated: 3.88 by Sparty1965 from Michigan

Jan 24, 2024
Photo of whitro17
Reviewed by whitro17 from Florida

4.15/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Look - clear golden, bubbly white head, lacing was decent
Smell - citrusy, a little menthol, apple, piney
Taste - citrus, apple, pine resin
Feel - medium body, moderate carbonation, dry finish
Overall - Has an apple, citrusy flavor with a pine resin finish. This brew is pretty good and really does go down easy at 8%. I'd never guess it was that high. Another solid brew from Sierra Nevada. Just like F#9 by the BulletBoys. Pair it, sip it and enjoy it.
Jul 29, 2023
 
Rated: 3.83 by gooddaydiablo from Texas

Apr 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Jcal2023 from Pennsylvania

Mar 01, 2023
Photo of BloodSoakedAleMug
Reviewed by BloodSoakedAleMug from New York

3.94/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look: Pours a golden yellow hue with a two finger, dense head of eggshell colored foam that laces the glass well. Very little carbonation visible through the glass.

Aroma: Cream of wheat with a very light toasted peanut note and a hint of sweet orange / savory mango in the background.

Taste: Light bittersweet tropical flavor - with an underlying creaminess. Upfront, the flavor is reminiscent of peaches and cream. It transitions quickly into flavors of bitter orange rind midpalate, before ending on floral notes of raw honeycomb. Alcohol profile is non existent.

Feel: Medium bodied with low carbonation. For lack of a better term "slick" due to the low of effervescence on the palate.

Overall: A soothing, creamy but not overtly thick - sort of night cap style double IPA that will lull you into comfort. Not boozy or punchy. Pine and citrus peel flavors compliment the peach / mango flavors very well.
Jan 31, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by carolinabeerguy from North Carolina

Jan 06, 2023
 
Rated: 4.2 by USAF-Mike from California

Jun 11, 2022
Photo of ivanbrew
Rated by ivanbrew

5/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Very nice double IPA awesome pine character and lots of malty flavors love it!
May 05, 2022
Photo of lwillitz
Reviewed by lwillitz from Wisconsin

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12-oz bottle into New Belgium globe

A - cloudy body of golden copper under a finger of white

S - pine and grapefruit with a touch of malty sweetness

T - juicy and tart with strong notes of pine and pink grapefruit; touch of caramel sweetness; floral and earthy notes

M - chewy medium/full body, average carbonation

O - a very nice dipa
Apr 16, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by Bkeeb from Texas

Feb 28, 2022
Photo of Dutchcraftbeergeek
Rated by Dutchcraftbeergeek from Netherlands

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Very bitter.
Feb 17, 2022
Photo of NiceTaps
Reviewed by NiceTaps from New Jersey

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 ounce bottle in a stemless wine glass.

Pours a burnt orange color, a bit hazed, with a 1f clean white cap. Good retention and lacing.

Interestingly enough, it smells very hoppy. Lots of grapefruit, citrus, and pine. Light caramel malt, too.

Taste mirrors the aromas and adds some spices. There’s a mineral like quality.

Medium body and goes down easily at its 8% abv. There’s a touch of sweet alcohol but it finishes bitter and resinous.

Hoppy and drinkable, so that’s good.
Jan 12, 2022
Hop Bullet from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 1114 ratings