Hop Nookie
Kern River Brewing Company

 

 

From the 22oz bomber bottle - Firestone-Walker snifter glass

This is one of those shelf turd TIPA's that really delivers. Very under the radar here...can hold it's own with PtY, Expo Hop, and others.
Big in your face west coast style with an abrasive palate scrubbing hop bitterness. Lighlty hazed pale amber body yields a nice 2 fingers worth of khaki tan suds. Huge apricot/orange and floral evergreen presence in the nose with waves of citrus fruit flavors. Sweet pale malt bread/cracker groundwork. The Amarillo really shines through here. Orange/tangerine/grapefruit, and some lesser notes of tropical dank flower. Extreme balance given the higher ABV's here. Nice drying finish with a long lasting hop resin linger.

Kern River hardly dissapoints with their hoppy ales and this one is no exception. Worth checking out, no lottery required.

 

 

 

 

Softly hazy copper with lots of fast rising bubbles. Topped with a creamy, slightly yellow, 2 finger head.

Smells of canned pineapple, black pepper, cayenne, and creme brulee.

Tastes of canned pineapple, caramelised sugar, big and dull bitter hops, and alcohol.

Medium body, with foamy carbonation.

Got this in Sacramento at BevMo, drinking in Redding, Sept 22nd, 2018.

 

 

Strong triple IPA, this beer delivers a west coast vibe upfront with a big resinous character, citrus and melon are present too. Some pale malts do the trick well but this boozy beer is all about the hops. Some tropical fruits are noted too

Pours a golden orange, a bit hazy. Thick cap of foam.

Smell is massive, piney resin and citrus just invade your nostrils and refuse to leave.

Taste equals the nose in massiveness. Powerful bitterness intertwines with sap and pine, and bit of citrus.

Mouthfeel is medium and sticky, well carbonated.

Overall, a great west coast DIPA, a real punch in the mouth...

Hazy yellow-gold body. Nice three fingers of bubbly white head, dies down to a nice cap that leaves solid lacing behind.

It smells like fresh hop pellets. Like when you go to the home brew shop and open the hop pellets from the fridge and give em a sniff, yeah, it's that hoppy. There's an alcohol driven sweetness and some one dimensional sweet malt presnce. Hope translate to nectarines, some pine, a little clove like spice, and even some ginger. Nectarines and a tropical fruitiness take center stage though.

Taste follows suit. Kind of a candy like sweetness followed by nectarines, oranges, tangerines. There's a touch of the clove/ginger spice note and pine as well. Kinda surprising how sweet it is, but it balances nicely with the dank hoppy bitterness.

Mouthfeel is smooth, and full bodied. Carbonation is on the lower side, some heat in the belly from the alcohol. Nice roundness on the tongue.

This is pretty good. Triple IPAs are kinda over the top in general, but this does a great job in this category.

 

 

Pours a hazed amber with 3 fingers of ivory colored head. Stellar lacing, slightty better than average head retention, stays hazed

S: Bready, piney, dank

T: Follows the nose, a little pineapple & cakeyness, plenty of dryness up front. Catty, dry, piney as this warms, some breadyness /doughyness too along with grapefruit & pineapple. Finishes dry, with mango, pineapple, grapefruit & a little green melon & a nice cakeyness with a little booze warmth

MF: Medium/chewy body, slight carbonation, great balance

Pretty good not great example of the style. Well worth a try...

22oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Golden/amber color. Moderate haze. Bone white head retains at two fingers. Chunky webs of lacing clings to the glass.

S: Zested orange, pulpy mango and apricot, lemon peel, hint of melon rind, earthy, herbal, and dank. Dough and shortbread malt base. A broad spectrum of hop aromas congregate easily.

T: Follows the nose. A veritable fruit cup: orange slices, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon rind, etc. After the fruit onslaught there are earthy hop undertones to experience as well. Herbal, soft pine, bark. Oily and spicy. Doughy malt base with the slightest toasty edge. Bitterness is actually quite modest. Easy hop finish of mashed mango, apricot, and pine.

M: Hefty medium body. Soft as a pillow, round, and chewy. Ample carbonation is so fine you barely realize the lift it provides not notice the slight prickle at the tongue. Mild astringency.

O: Amazing that this beer clocks in at 11% abv. I'd have guessed it at a well-hidden 8 percent at best. The alcohol is not noticeable at all. The hop profile is complex and wide in scope. There's a good spectrum of flavor teased out of the strains used, and it feels harmonious and never busy all the while. An easy and tropical treat. Forget all the hysteria surrounding the New England IPA 'style.' This is the most memorable IPA I've had this year, and it tastes all the better because of its focus, cleanness, and ease of drinkability. Fantastic. I will seek out more whenever I'm in CA.