King Of Hop
AleBrowar
- From:
- AleBrowar
- Poland
- Style:
- American Pale Ale
- ABV:
- 5%
- Score:
- 84
- Avg:
- 3.58 | pDev: 9.5%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 2
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Sep 26, 2025
- Added:
- Jul 22, 2014
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 3
SCORE
84
Good
84
Good
No description / notes.
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Reviewed by DraftMonger from Denmark
3.45/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.75
3.45/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.75
Międzywodzie 29/7 2019. 50 cl bottle from Auchan near Gdańsk City centre. Pink label with cartoonish Drawing of miniscule Elvis look-alike riding the shoulders of a bodyguard type.
Pours unclear golden yellow with a very big white head. Stable. Settles as thin but lumpy layer of foam unable to cover the surface of the beer. Substantial Lacing.
Aroma is rather intense, fruity and citric. Sweet Peach and Mango. A little perfumed. Citric odor of Lemon and Grape fruit.
Light carbonation. Thin, watery and almost flat texture.
Flavor is medium sweet followed by a slightly stronger citric bitterness. Aftertaste is a bit thin. Bitter. Lingers shortly.
Looks and smells fantastic - but a little thin and flat. But overall a good APA.
Sep 26, 2025Pours unclear golden yellow with a very big white head. Stable. Settles as thin but lumpy layer of foam unable to cover the surface of the beer. Substantial Lacing.
Aroma is rather intense, fruity and citric. Sweet Peach and Mango. A little perfumed. Citric odor of Lemon and Grape fruit.
Light carbonation. Thin, watery and almost flat texture.
Flavor is medium sweet followed by a slightly stronger citric bitterness. Aftertaste is a bit thin. Bitter. Lingers shortly.
Looks and smells fantastic - but a little thin and flat. But overall a good APA.
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Texas
3.5/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Alebrowar (Poland) "King of Hop". 45 IBUs. 50cl brown glass bottle with pink label and appealing art acquired at House of Beer in Krakow and served into a pilsner glass there. Cost was 10 zloty. 12 degrees EKST. 5.0% ABV. Label calls it an American Pale Ale. Best before: 10.VIII.14.
Served straight from their fridge.
No bubble show forms as it's poured.
HEAD: One finger wide. White in colour. Nice thickness and creaminess. Good even complexion and nice smooth consistency. Leaves consistent even lacing on the sides of the glass as it recedes. Retention is above average - about 3 minutes.
BODY: Hazy orange of good vibrance. Translucent. Nontransparent. Looks refreshing and inviting. I'm really looking forward to trying this one.
Appears well-carbonated.
AROMA: Citrusy fruity esters abound. Orange citrus hop character, floral hops, fresh orange peel, a kiss of light grapefruit with no accompanying bitterness, orange zest, and a hint of tropical fruit character. Pale malts. Clean barley. A hint of onion.
Looking at the label, I notice it's brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, and Mosaic. No onion or garlic emerges from the amarillo, and the citrusy notes lead me to believe the centennial dominates here. I'm not competent enough to pick out the mosaic.
No yeast character, alcohol, or off-notes are detectable. Overall, this is a very inviting aroma of mild strength. I love the choices of hop character based on the aromatics, and I'm looking forward to a citrusy pale ale with good balance.
TASTE: It's citrus-dominated, definitely, with some nice orange citrus notes including zest, some juiciness, and a hint of peel. But it's muddled by the presence of tropical fruit and a bit of grapefruit, neither of which work as well as the orange, and neither of which feel quite well as well integrated or welcome. It's lightly floral, sure, but the estery citrus hop character absolutely dominates this flavour profile.
Pale malts provide the complementary foundation, and their sweetness balances any hop bitterness quite well. I don't notice any onion or garlic from the amarillo.
Overall, it's fairy well balanced, but not impeccably so like the best beers in the style. I quite like it, and it's built cohesively and carefully, but it's not gestalt. Fairly intricate for a pale ale. Has some nice subtlety. Above average depth of flavour. Average duration, amplitude, and intensity of flavour.
There's definite inspiration here. It's not just another standard pale ale; they selected the hops well.
TEXTURE: Smooth, wet, refreshing, medium, bodied, and of apt thickness. This texture supports the depth of flavour well and feels well tailored to the taste. Good overall presence on the palate. Constructively, it could be softer and gentler, and its a bit overcarbonated. It's just a bit overbearing on the palate, which prevents it from reaching the upper echelons of drinkability.
Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, rough, or scratchy.
OVERALL: Very drinkable and enjoyable. It's a surprisingly tasty American Pale Ale considering its Polish origins, and I'd probably buy it regularly if I lived in Krakow. Certainly worth trying, and one of the better Polish beers I've tried. Another good brew from Ale Browar, who by my understanding may well be the best brewers in the country.
High B-
Jul 22, 2014Served straight from their fridge.
No bubble show forms as it's poured.
HEAD: One finger wide. White in colour. Nice thickness and creaminess. Good even complexion and nice smooth consistency. Leaves consistent even lacing on the sides of the glass as it recedes. Retention is above average - about 3 minutes.
BODY: Hazy orange of good vibrance. Translucent. Nontransparent. Looks refreshing and inviting. I'm really looking forward to trying this one.
Appears well-carbonated.
AROMA: Citrusy fruity esters abound. Orange citrus hop character, floral hops, fresh orange peel, a kiss of light grapefruit with no accompanying bitterness, orange zest, and a hint of tropical fruit character. Pale malts. Clean barley. A hint of onion.
Looking at the label, I notice it's brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, and Mosaic. No onion or garlic emerges from the amarillo, and the citrusy notes lead me to believe the centennial dominates here. I'm not competent enough to pick out the mosaic.
No yeast character, alcohol, or off-notes are detectable. Overall, this is a very inviting aroma of mild strength. I love the choices of hop character based on the aromatics, and I'm looking forward to a citrusy pale ale with good balance.
TASTE: It's citrus-dominated, definitely, with some nice orange citrus notes including zest, some juiciness, and a hint of peel. But it's muddled by the presence of tropical fruit and a bit of grapefruit, neither of which work as well as the orange, and neither of which feel quite well as well integrated or welcome. It's lightly floral, sure, but the estery citrus hop character absolutely dominates this flavour profile.
Pale malts provide the complementary foundation, and their sweetness balances any hop bitterness quite well. I don't notice any onion or garlic from the amarillo.
Overall, it's fairy well balanced, but not impeccably so like the best beers in the style. I quite like it, and it's built cohesively and carefully, but it's not gestalt. Fairly intricate for a pale ale. Has some nice subtlety. Above average depth of flavour. Average duration, amplitude, and intensity of flavour.
There's definite inspiration here. It's not just another standard pale ale; they selected the hops well.
TEXTURE: Smooth, wet, refreshing, medium, bodied, and of apt thickness. This texture supports the depth of flavour well and feels well tailored to the taste. Good overall presence on the palate. Constructively, it could be softer and gentler, and its a bit overcarbonated. It's just a bit overbearing on the palate, which prevents it from reaching the upper echelons of drinkability.
Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, rough, or scratchy.
OVERALL: Very drinkable and enjoyable. It's a surprisingly tasty American Pale Ale considering its Polish origins, and I'd probably buy it regularly if I lived in Krakow. Certainly worth trying, and one of the better Polish beers I've tried. Another good brew from Ale Browar, who by my understanding may well be the best brewers in the country.
High B-
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