Redhopulous
HopDog BeerWorks

At the moment my fridge is filled with various delights to be reviewed (it’s been stacking up a tad due to my recent flu): Enter HopDog, aka Doc’s favourite new Aussie craft brewer, and Redhopulous, which I’m sure will impress me, but will it beat their AWiB (American Werewolf in Belgium) or their Chai Fighter? It is for starters missing a clever pun (yes, I know the name is a play on ‘ridiculous’ I said a clever pun).

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a Duvel tulip.

A: Deep ruby red body with a 1cm tan cappuccino foam head. Not bad, not bad at all. 7/10.

S: Big floral/earthy hops, toasted biscuit malts (lots of malt in fact) and sweet caramel. What a nice, chunky and malt heavy Red Ale you are Mr Redhopulous! 8/10.

T: I feel like I could be eating this Red Ale with a spoon it’s so chunky! The malt base smashes away almost any vestige of hops, yes, yes there are some citric hops in the finish, but that hearty toasted biscuit base is bigger than a slice of grandma’s apple pie. Did I mention there was oodles of malt in this brew? Yes? Damn straight! 8/10.

M: Medium bodied with a fairly dense carbonation. 7/10.

D: I’m starting to wonder if HopDog even know how to make a bad beer, because so far I only have seen evidence to the contrary. Crap, I think I may have just jinxed their next release. Oh well, I don’t care because this Red Ale is the s**t and I’m glugging it down like the beer fiend I am. Bravo again HopDog! 8/10.

Food match: If it’s big, meaty and chargrilled it will definitely work with this.

 

 

 

From Beer Cartel. Bottled Sep 12.

Pours a deep deep dark rich red. Beige dense head.

Aromas of toffee malts.

Taste is big and balanced, do the hops or malts win, I don't really care. It's big and earthy and full. Warm taste which you migh attribute to alcohol but it is only 5%. Some brown sugar taste but not the sweetness.

Medium to full bodied and well carbonated.

One of the better Hop Dog beers I have had, and that is against some stiff competition. Well done Tim!

Cloudy red-brown colour with a massive, foaming, light tan head. Good head retention.

Very, very sweet. Lots of strawberry and yoghurt. Not all that appealing at all.

Sweet malt with a strange phenolic bitterness. Strawberry yoghurt again. Yuck.

Medium-light body with moderately-high carbonation. Fine.

This is just not a good beer. It's strangely fruity with odd yoghurt notes and completely lacking the hop flavour it promises. Not good.

Pours dark brown with a large, lasting head.
Nose shows lots of tropical fruit and rich malt. Very syrupy smelling, incredibly tempting.
Similar flavours, with lots of crystal malt sweetness but also showing lots of tropical fruity hops. Big papaya, lychee and resinous hop notes. Amazing malt character too.
Nice syrupy body, could use a little more carbonation though.