Spo-Hop Fresh Hop IPA
Iron Goat Brewing Co.

a neat project here, if i have the story right. as i understand it, all the folks growing hops around the community can bring whatever they have at harvest time and throw it in this beer, so its a collaboration with all the locals, and the hops are numerous in variety. the beer is excellent, actually seemed for flavorful than their own they had on when i was in, although i loved this at the brewery but didnt care for it in the crowler nearly as much the next day, not likely to have faded much at that time, so maybe set and setting were everything here. either way, its a cool idea. its a light orange brew thats almost clear and holds an average white head. it smelled like peaches and apricots and good hash when i had it at the brewery, more grassy and onion-esque from the crowler, so suffice it to say there are some of both elements in play here. a light sweetness from the grain carries the wet hop oils, and this is undeniably done with fresh hops, as obvious from a texture standpoint as anything else. some competing notes in here from the different hops, some spiciness against some lime, some floral character against big citrus, but it all comes together pretty well, and the beer is mellow and easy to drink. the beer is tasty, but the idea is what makes this awesome, i love this sort of thing, and am liking iron goat for new reasons every time i go to spokane! had fun drinking this one!

2015 vintage.

32oz grunt purchased at Iron Goat’s taproom for $5-6. Spo-Hop is a “community fresh hop ale.” Iron Goat puts out a call for friends and neighbors to bring whatever hops they grow at home. They’re all pitched in regardless of hop variety and the results are then tapped. This year, it’s become enough of a thing that they actually had enough of the beer to let people take home growlers. Suffice it to say, this is a one-off that will be impossible to duplicate. According to the chalkboard at the brewery, this is 4.8% alcohol by volume, with no listed IBUs because no one knows.

Poured a clear, golden amber color, with a good sized bone-white head that took it’s time dropping and left lots of lace.

The nose is dominated by – you guessed it – hops. Different hop aromas vie for attention: piney, citrusy, herbal, pungent, dank they’re all there, and in about equal amounts of amplitude, with the citrus having a tiny bit of a lead.

The taste starts off with a grapefruity bitter citrus flavor, with a green, herbal thing in the background that increases as the taste goes on, along with a bit of a tea-like thing. The finish is actually softer than I expected, though still fairly dry.

Medium bodied, with a creamy, slightly oily mouthfeel.

Very drinkable, and extremely balanced for such a hodgepodge of an IPA. Just throw a bunch of random hops at the folks at Iron Goat, and that beer will be just fine.