Fresh Hop 2011
Two Beers Brewing Co.

Old review, was that this was darker than average, produced a big fat head, but as impressive as that was, the dissipation thereof was just as disappointing as the pendulum swung back the other way. Aroma wasn't even hoppy, much less fresh hoppy.

Taste came with the same revelations, nothing wet/fresh hop vibe going on. Bomber formats have almost always sucked price wise. Run of the mill bitterness without imparting flavor.

 

 

22 oz. bottle poured into a straight pint glass. Reviewed from notes taken in October 2011.

A: The beer poured a deep orange color with of pure white foam with strong lacing.

S: There is very pungent floral hop aroma with a bit of funk hanging around in the back. There are some sweet malty notes floating around as well that bring a nice balance to the beer.

T: There are some strange bitter veggie notes in the front of this beer that I'm guessing shouldn't be present. Hops and malt are present but masked by the unwelcome houseguest.

M: The beer has a medium body and mouthfeel with a decent level of carbonation.

O: I'm a bit letdown by this fresh hop. I wasn't expecting greatness, but I also wasn't expecting odd vegetable flavors hanging around, either.

 

Light amber pour, 1" of pretty much white head, dissipates quickly leaving almost no lace clinging. Aroma was pretty subdued for a fresh hop. Bitter and sweet. Wanted more green vegetal and floral aspects.

Taste, decent, nothing mindblowing, really seems to miss the fresh hop edge though, just tastes like an ipa, and possibly one a little dated at that. Mouthfeel, standard ipa characteristics: bitter, slightly hoppy, warming alcohol, small amount of caramel. Nothing stood out, other than the price was ok for a bomber ($5.50). Lacks a concrete hop flavor direction along the lines of pine or citrus, this one has just a generic bitterness, grapefruit at best.

I had 3 'hoppy' beers from two beers, and they all tasted substantially similar, which is to say they are all around the average range. They're good enough to stick around, but they're far from must haves.

A: Poured a light copper color with good carbonation and a nice white cap

S: Citrus anf flowers mainly, pretty nice

T: A little bit of spice on the end. Upfront is citrus and floral notes being dominant. A little bit of bread

M: A silky, medium body with nice fresh hops, loads of taste

O: Very drinkable and tasty. Tyler, if you are reading this..well done :)

22oz bottle poured into a pint glass

Pours a nice clear amber with practically no head, small amount of active carbonation. Smell is not super strong, but it's nice and hoppy, very sweet and floral smelling.

Taste is quite nice -- lots of hops, balanced with a lot of malt. Grapefruit rind finish.

Mouthfeel is a little thick. Overall, I'm pretty impressed. I like it.

Poured from 22oz bomber into a pint glass.

Appearance: rich orange hue with two fingers of frothy ivory foam that has decent retention. Good stuff -- very IPA-like.

Smell: nice floral/funky hop aroma. Just enough sweet malt peeks through to make this a very nice, sweet smelling beer.

Taste: vegetal bitterness with some of the floral and funky content of the aroma. Frankly, it's got the same homebrew-hop characteristic of the other Two Beers IPAs I've tried. Not my favorite, but I feel like this recipe has potential.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent level of carbonation. Not spectacular either way.

Overall: this is a decent beer but it shares a certain homebrew-like quality with its stablemate IPAs. I could go with a different bittering hop, maybe.

Bottle date: earlier.

A: Pours a copper ale with a finger of creamy white head which falls to a sheet with a central cap over this excellently clarified beer. Rings for lace.

S: Hops a cascadian and centennial. Plenty of the beautiful citric hops. I like that there is a certain element to this which reminds me of flinstones vitamins. A sweet malt lies underneath and is obvious.

T: Bitter and spicy. Nice resin flavor with some grapefruit rind and some grassy flavors. A stong malt presence help balance out the hops here, but not too much. A little more diversity in the hops, and they've got a real winner here.

M: Medium bodied with a fine, lower carb and a semi slick finish.

O: As usual, I really like their beers. Glad to have a company in my neck making consistently delicious beer in cans and doing some odd stuff.

Poured into a tulip a darkish pale orange. Nice head. Fresh hop aroma fills the glass and surrounds the nostrils. Sort of an orange peel flavor. Strong citrus hops carry over to the taste making this qualify as a hop bomb.
Very enjoyable. Went down way too easy.
Price was $4 something at The Last Drop in Seattle. Decent price, decent beer.

Bottle from Brewforia for a stinging $6.50ish...

In my HotD goblet... there is a decent 1" off white head... doesn't really stick around... lacing is pretty spotty at best.... the brew is very clear lite amber.

Nose is surprisingly hop forward for a fresh hopped beer... bright citrus combines with defined grassy hay component.. a touch too much malt for my liking.. lite caramel and some toasty elements.

Flavor pretty much mirrors the nose with a good bitter bite up front that quickly moves into grassy hay hoppiness... I am actually a bit surprised that there is NOT more citrus notes... almost some spicy hoppiness.... really grassy... tastes very very fresh.... the finish drops from lite pale malt into a definite floral category...

Carbonation is a touch lite... and that makes the body seem a touch too heavy... but overall, this is a damn nice brew.

3/3.5/3.5/3/3.5

I will certainly pick this one up again... well done, but needs to be dried out to let the hops shine.