The Hemperor HPA
New Belgium Brewing Company

The Hemperor HPAThe Hemperor HPA
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From:
New Belgium Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
American IPA
ABV:
7%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.69 | pDev: 15.45%
Reviews:
147
Ratings:
449
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 07, 2023
Added:
Feb 09, 2018
Wants:
  9
Gots:
  124
Get ready: an exciting new offering that’ll change the way you think about hoppy beers is coming your way. The brewers at New Belgium have created a new style of IPA: The Hemperor HPA. With the popularity of hoppy beers, our brewers are always on the lookout for different hop varieties and the complexities and flavors new strains can bring. That’s where hemp comes into the picture. Without getting too nerdy, we found a unique way to recreate hemp terpene flavors in a beer, which complement the inclusion of hop flavors and hemp hearts (seeds) in a brand new, delicious way—not to mention this beer is extremely dank! The flavors and aromas are so unique that it’s a style unto itself, hence HPA.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by brewerang:
Photo of brewerang
Reviewed by brewerang from Florida

1.47/5  rDev -60.2%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.75
The first sip was an interesting experience, but I got tired of it very quick. The beer reeks of skunky cannabis from the moment you pop the cap, and the aroma overwhelms everything else about the beer. I wish I had not purchased a six pack, because this is not a beer you want to go back to. A one-time novelty, but that's about it.
Jun 30, 2018
More User Ratings:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Grunt fill from WinCo. I can see where this would be a love it or hate it kind of beer. Pours out a hazy dark golden, small silky head, little bits of lacing. Big whopping fat hempy, weed aroma. Taste just comes in a little bit funky, dank bitterness, some malts, doesn't follow up to the big aroma. A little bit of bitterness lingers on and some more of the funky dank taste lingers on the tongue. Definitely not for the newbs, this is a pretty robust, pungent beer.
Jun 07, 2023
Photo of LesDewitt4beer
Reviewed by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

3.41/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle into a tasting glass.
L: Cloudy lite amber.
S: A big fat roach of cartel weed with black seeds. Funky. It stinks up a small room.
T: Caramel, dank hops, pine and B grade pot. Drinkable earthy and funky. Good. Hemp taste is there, probably hoppy, sweet, smooth, oily. Hemp seed oil. Hops lie on the tongue like an alligator in the sun. Long resinous grassy hemp taste. It is sweet and a bit cloying.
F: Med-heavy mouthfeel with a moderately dry finish.
O: Very full flavored IPA. Extra heavy on the hemp for sure. It's was good in it's style.
Oct 12, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by Chipwells from Georgia

Feb 02, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by pidus from Massachusetts

Oct 24, 2020
Photo of IPAs_for_days_13
Reviewed by IPAs_for_days_13 from Texas

4.06/5  rDev +10%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours a super cloudy amber/gold with little to no head. Smells of pine, earth, some floral notes & of course... dank like some green. Taste certainly follows the nose, the hop bite & malts are pretty much perfectly balanced. Medium-bodied with a crisp finish to it. This beer is interesting to say at the least, straight up smells like you opened up your weed jar when you crack one of these open. It is nonetheless refreshing, I will be buying more of these in the future.
Sep 27, 2020
 
Rated: 4.81 by Heutzenroeder from Colorado

Aug 16, 2020
 
Rated: 3 by zzane from Ohio

Jul 26, 2020
 
Rated: 3.76 by B-rett from Wisconsin

Jul 13, 2020
 
Rated: 4.04 by SirHopsHoppington from Arkansas

Jul 06, 2020
Photo of Ernald_Elbertson
Reviewed by Ernald_Elbertson from Delaware

4.03/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Wanted to try this one for a while, and it actually didn't disappoint (I was pretty skeptical about it).

Look: Probably the weakest aspect, as it doesn't look particularly appetizing. Kind of a muddy light brown, translucent, with off-white head. Lacing is present, but many, it just doesn't look like an IPA should. On the other hand, I'm sure this is sort of a sacrifice to make the smell and taste of the beer the way it is, so no hard feelings towards it.

Smell: There isn't anything to say other than "it smells like weed." It smells like someone just opened up their grinder! I was actually very surprised at how forward the smell is, and had expected it to be somewhat vague. But if you know and love the smell of weed, this will trigger that happy chemical in your brain.

Taste: Fortunately, it doesn't actually taste like cannabis too much. This was something else I was skeptical of; weed doesn't taste good, so why make a beer that tastes like it? Well simply put, it doesn't. It's mostly malt and hops (though a bit too malt forward for an IPA in my opinion), with a slight aftertaste of bud. Kinda like eating a really well made edible where the cannabis taste is just barely present at the end.

Feel: Kinda thick and syrupy, which isn't really desirable for the style, but again, I'd guess this has to do with the process of making the beer smell so much like weed.

Overall: A really unique beer that I think helps to demonstrate all the different things beer can be. I'm not sure if I'd buy it very often for myself, but it's a beer I'd love to drink with a group of friends and show them how cool it is.
Jun 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.49 by JustinTheJuice from Wisconsin

Jun 25, 2020
Photo of hozersr
Rated by hozersr from Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
The help smacks in the face both with the smell and taste, a little overwhelming.
May 15, 2020
Photo of Singlefinpin
Reviewed by Singlefinpin from North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.
Appears orangish, with a nice foamy white head that lasted.
It's 4/19/2020 so a little hemp warm-up for tomorrow.
Smells initially dank, grassy, floral
Taste a little dank, hemp not at all overpowering, hoppy bitterness that I like.
Mouth feel is medium for an IPA.
Overall pretty tasty and I would definitely order again.
Apr 19, 2020
 
Rated: 3.07 by JasonLWest from Georgia

Apr 16, 2020
 
Rated: 4.21 by KensWorld from Florida

Mar 29, 2020
Photo of gestyr
Reviewed by gestyr from Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 12 oz bottle.
Pours a nice clear orange-gold with a tight white head.
Smells of hops and hemp. Very much hemp.
Tastes of hops and has a subtle malty sweetness.
Light bodied and refreshing. A good warm weather beer
Overall, i liked it. I will buy again.
Mar 23, 2020
 
Rated: 2.66 by ahuey333 from Wisconsin

Mar 11, 2020
 
Rated: 3.5 by d5001986 from Wisconsin

Mar 08, 2020
Photo of ZagZagg
Reviewed by ZagZagg from New Jersey

3.64/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25
12oz bottle into globe

A: Moderate pour yields a frothy single finger head with mild retention and some visible collaring. The beer has a honey-like hue that has opacity, leading me to believe this is not filtered. Carbonation is not apparent.

S: Somewhat dry and resinous, heavy terpene and herbal notes, subtle citrus, floral, bit of a cannabis aroma, light touches of a simple sugar sweetness. There’s also the presence of an iced tea fragrance. The dominating elements of the nose vanish shortly after the initial pour.

T: Hop forward, but without the piquant zest found in your traditional APA/IPA offerings. Mellow touches of dry wood, earth light coriander and lemony elements fade in and out about the middle mouth. Anonymous malt backbone is bready, although without much to balance. Finish is dry, and shy of refreshing. Not too much depth, somewhat one dimensional.

M: Crisp, light carbonation plays on the tongue, medium bodied with a certain dryness. After taste is dry and hangs around.

O: Eh, I appreciate the innovative style and exploratory brewing, but I think this brew lacks the complexity I’m looking for in the genre. It’s a decent beer, but nothing to write home about. It has an okay drinkability, which is a plus. I think if they could capture more of the terpene essence that presented in the initial nose and infuse it into the taste profile it would be much more interesting.
Mar 06, 2020
The Hemperor HPA from New Belgium Brewing Company
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 449 ratings