Special Hoperations (Barley Brown's)
Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon

 

It may all be starting to gel at this point. I just finished up with a couple of 3 Floyds bottles (gasp!) as part of my concerted effort to perhaps eradicate the bottle portion of my backlog. I did this with an eye to my next segue into yet another brewery horizontal. This will be the second of three Fat Head's bottles.

From the Bottle: "Fat Head's/Barley Brown's Special Hoperations Collaboration Brew India Pale Ale"; "We're in this together!"; "65 IBU"; "We put our heads together with our friends at Barley Brown's and collaborated on this great IPA. We hope you enjoy this hoppy tribute to American veterans everywhere."; "Partial Proceeds Benefit: Honor Flight Network"; "Chill out man, have a beer! [undersigned] Matt * Chris * Glenn"; "Proudly sharing proceeds with U.S. military vets thru HonorFlight.org".

As a U.S. Navy veteran (retiree), I was proud to Pop! the cap on this bottle & begin a slow, gentle C-Line pour into my awaiting Fat Head's glass. It foamed beautifully to form two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with very good retention. Color was Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7) with NE-quality clarity, causing The Gelt Gang of Midas, Mammon & Croesus to rouse themselves from my sofa & stumble in for a taste. They have been camping out these past few days as my focus has been mainly on IPAs of some stripe. Nose had a big citrus & pine presence, evocative of the PNW AIPAs of ~ 20 years ago that really set me off & running (often running, like from the constabulary). Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but on the approach. The intense citrusy bitterness was only slightly tempered by a light tropical fruitiness & I swear that the naughty kitten, Simcoe, was also doing her catty business in there somewhere. Phew! This had a real hop bite to it, which was fine for me as a self-described, self-avowed hophead, but it might not be for everyone. Finish was gaspingly dry, causing me to reach for my asthma inhaler. Phew! A very nice way to start the day. YMMV.

 

 

 

 

A: Bright tangerine coloring, has a slight haze with a ton of active effervesce. Eggshell white colored head has a cotton ball structure.

S: Freshly sliced oranges, warm pine hops and some funky tropical scents. Clean yeastiness, not much malt contributions with a short lived duration.

T: Tart orange citrus is warming and spicy, warm floral bittering hops. Nice dosage of hop resins, some stickiness and grapefruit kick. Flowery-orchard dry hop fade, pine-citrus, with a sticky, dank hop bite that parches the tongue upon the swallow with a lasting effect.

M: Medium body, very sticky hop resins. Spicy, dry alcohol warmth, feeling much bigger then advertised abv.

O: After a weak, perhaps disappointing nose, the sticky hop resins and flavor kicks into high gear redeeming my interest. Big spicy citrus-pine hops bring a sticky, warming floral flavor, and old school feel, finishing with a dry flowery hop lace. outstanding.

Fat Head's / Barley Brown's - Special Hoperations brewed by Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon, with an ABV of 6.50% This American IPA pours out of a 12oz glass bottle into a pint beer glass a nice golden amber color with a nice white head. There is also a nice amount of lacing to this brew, it sticks to the side of the glass well. The smell is rich with hop bitterness, mixed with earthy grains and malts. Lots of barley notes to this brew, it is to be expected from the name. So far Fat Head's / Barley Brown's - Special Hoperations is a nice inviting brew. Now for the taste, it is Bold with flavors. You first pick up on a rich, hop bitterness mixed with barley. Then a lot of smooth earthy grains and malts at the end. This is a super nice well rounded American IPA. I can't get over how smooth this brew goes down. It is really hard to pick up on the the 6.50% ABV in this new , it is just that smooth. The body of Fat Head's / Barley Brown's - Special Hoperations is a solid medium. There is nothing overpowering about this brew, it has a super nice balance to it. This brew would go nice with dinner or a cool day or night. The mouth feel is Bold, Rich, Hoppy, Clean, Smooth, and Refreshing. Overall I am going to give this American IPA a solid 4 out of 5. I would definitely look this brew up again giving the opportunity to.Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon, did a super nice job with this brew .

Had this on 2019-05-23 in Columbia, PA from a 12oz bottle

A - Clear gold with a 1-finger white head and nice lace

S - Melon, grapefruit, tangerine, light pine, hop floral, mild bread, slightly dank. Very nice.

T - Pine, gooey hop bud, bread with citrus marmalade, pepper and earthy spice. Solid bitter finish.

M - Medium body and carbonation. Resinous, moderately prickly, full. Really, really good.

O - This was a collaboration with Barley Brown's; and an excellent one.

 

 

 

 

Amber colored body; coarse carbonation rising het the head is thick, creamy, and dense; lacy strings of foam stick to the glass. Fine aromatics, crisp and piney; strong floral notes. Bold hop bitterness defines the core character of this beer; biscuit malt base flavor. Medium-heavy body; crisp and prickly on the tongue; sticky; mainly dry mouthfeel throughout.

This is a fine collaboration brew, definitely hop forward with its sharp and intense bitterness. The beer is classic west coast IPA in essence.

 

 

Drinking one bottled a little over three months ago (which is ancient in IPA years; just ask the beardo next to you) and I'll be damned if this isn't still tasty as fuck. Packs a big 'ol hop kick that I wasn't expecting and makes one think it may be a little harsh when fresh. That's just conjecture, though. This rules.

 

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 1/2/2019. Pours slightly hazy medium golden amber color with a 2 finger fairly dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, onion, peppercorn, pine, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, onion, peppercorn, pine, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Moderate pine, citrus peel.rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, onion, peppercorn, pine, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the the finish for a good bit. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no lingering hop astringency after the finish. Moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, sticky/resinous/rindy, and fairy crisp balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 6.5%. Overall this is a fantastic IPA. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate bready malt flavors; very smooth and fairly crisp to drink, with the moderately bitter/resinous/drying finish, not overly aggressive. Amazing Warrior, Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic profile. Extremely juicy, vibrant, dank, and earthy hop complexity; with a great balancing clean pale malt backbone. Minimal residual sweetness with crisp resin dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding West Coast style example as expected.