Hophorn
Hornbeer

 

500ml bottle - don't really understand the garden pest imagery on the label.

This beer pours a clear (I believe) very dark orange-brick brown colour, with three fat-ass fingers of puffy, loosely foamy, and bubbly beige head, which leaves some natural land bridge profile lace around the glass as it lazily recedes.

It smells of bittersweet cocoa, watery cafe-au-lait, muddled dark orchard fruit, some mild free-range char, a subtle generic citrus rind acerbity, and some laid-back bready caramel malt sweetness. The taste is an emboldened grainy and doughy caramel malt, medium dark chocolate, zingy Italian coffee, some complex red berry, citrus, and Mediterranean (figs and dates) fruitiness, a still tame ashiness, and a growing leafy, piney, and perfumed floral green hoppiness.

The carbonation is fairly pleasant in its easy-going frothiness, the body a decent medium-heavy weight, and actually quite smooth, as the bitterness of both hop and ash seem to lay off of the gas right about here, which is a neat trick if you can pull it off! It finishes well off-dry, the lightly roasted caramel, cocoa, and big fruitiness carrying the day.

Overall, I'm rather impressed by this version of the style, as they've kept the acrid blackened nature to a minimum, while at the same time ramping up the hoppy fruitiness, which makes for a duly enjoyable quaff. Not to mention the almost perfectly obfuscated 18+ proof wowee sauce contingent, which will help keep this sports fan warm on a surprisingly cold late summer day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On-tap. Tumbler glass. Enjoyed on feb´13. Deep black in color. Beige froth & creamy crown. Copious collars & rings. Cocoa & fresh hop aromas rounded by roasted malt & floral fragrances. Sweet burnt coffee & sharp bitterness defines the flavor profile. Ligth to medium body. Soft carbonation. Bitterness lingers into a long finish. Coffee & fudge chocolate on the aftertaste. ABV well hidden.

 

500ml Bottle - Thanks to Phyl21ca for this

Appearance - Brown colour with a huge size dark beige coloured head. I can't see much carbonation due the darkness of the beer and there is some really nice lacing. The head lasted for over 5 minutes.

Smell - Chocolate, malts, hops, grains

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an above average amount of carbonation and I can taste chocolate mixed with malts and hops. There is also a touch of grapefruit and some pine. It ends with a chocolate and bitter hop aftertaste.

Overall – A very drinkable and interesting tasting beer. The alcohol is well hidden and it has a fantastic appearance in the glass. I'd like a little more of a citrus flavour but the beer does deliver a nice dose of hops regardless. Worth trying.

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color ale with a large light brown foamy head with good retention and some nice lacing. Aroma of green fresh hops is quite powerful with some light resin and piney notes. Taste is a mix between green hops with piney and resin notes mix in with some quite dry roasted malt. Body is average with light oily texture with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Very well brewed with more hops then I had anticipated. The only thing I could see improving in this beer is a fuller body.

On draft at Delerium Tremens Brussels, Belgium

A: Pour is a dark brown with a tan head, healthy lacing

S: Aroma of dark fruit, espresso, pungent hop presence which I had not expected, most likely because I had not heard of Hornbeer before seeing 5 draft lines on the top floor of Delerium on tap.

T: Wow, this is good stuff. Strong hop presence, again which I had not expected as I have never been blown away by any Black IPA. Strong grapefruit, strong floral notes and a great roasted presence. Dark chocolate and roasted malts are underneath the strong hop presence.

M: Light mouthfeel for a high abv which is fitting for the style, light carbonation.

O: my best Black IPA to date. Very well done and would buy this in a heartbeat if it were available here in the States

Bottled. Pours deep brown with a red glow and with a large, creamy, tan head. Execellent lacing. Nose of roasted malt citrus, pine and chocolate notes. Sweet flavour with roast, citrus, caramel and chocolate + light cofee notes. Medium to full bodied, creamy to oily texture and soft carbonation. Nice and markedly bitter finish. A well composed Black IPA - Well done Hornbeer.

Quite dark look, witch symbols pretty well the chocolate smell and taste so i guess its legit.
No the most roasty feeling ever but it hangs in pretty good in the mouthfell. As previous reviewers are saying, its almost to smooth for this kind of "non-dark IPA". Its all in all a good beer but i wouldent say its the most bang for the bucks.

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A: Dark brownish with a huge creamy head and lots of lacing.

S: Citric notes, Hay, Caramel and Chocolate.

T: Caramel, Chocolate, Citric notes, Hops, Hint of alcohol, Hint of ashes.

M: Smooth and balanced with a pleasant bitterness at the end. Almost a bit too drinkable.

This is more like a darker dipa because it lacks the roasty character that usually defines this style. A bit dull perhaps but i could drink several pints of this without growing tired of it. Nice.

The color is dark brown, rather clear. There is a tan head, that settles slowly and leaves an uneven lid, however there also is good lacing.

The smell is sweet, dried fruits, coffee beans and some grape-fruit peel nuances.

Tasting initially sweet, dark sugar, brown bread, dried fruits, figs, raisins, dark chocolate and ground coffee, bitter grape-fruit zest.

Low carbonation, a smooth and thick body, a dry finish.

Interesting, rather well balanced, much taste.