Texas Hop Bomb 2016
Pedernales Brewing Company

I always like to try a new SMaSH brew. This one lists Pilsen Malt and Jarrylo Hops.

Poured into a snifter, the beer is a very pretty golden apricot color with little head and no lace. A really nice color. The nose is big and malty with strong pear and some faint citrus. Earthy, but not musty. Notes of toffee and caramel are present in the nose as well. The taste is at first a bit unusual and unexpected. With a name like "hop bomb" I expected a really hoppy flavor here, but was caught off guard by the mildness of the hops. I'm not as familiar with Jarrylo hops as with other varieties, so maybe this is right on target. Still, maybe it's not a hop "bomb." But whatever. This flavor is really quite complex, with sweet malts, autumnal fruits (pear, apple), citrus, pineapple (?), caramel, etc. I'm detecting things here I can't quite make out as well. Good stuff. Mouthfeel is firm, and finishes clean.

I like this beer a lot, but I can also tell that it's the type of beer that not everyone will rave on about. It's a bit all over the place, and the name is a bit misleading. But it's a really interesting beer and I would totally revisit this again. It almost feels like a festbier on some levels, mainly because of the malty qualities. Big, but not boozy. Cheers.

 

 

 

 

A really great SMaSH series from Pedernales. This is Number 3 - Vienna Malt and Sorachi Ace Hops
Pours a copper gold with a really good head, minimal lacing. Smell is biscuit malt with mild lemon hop overtones.
Taste is a full bodied balanced malt and hop beer - but definitely turned up a notch. Vienna malt gives the strength of character while the hops provide a good hop balance and more of the mild lemon accents. Mouthfeel is perfect with the body and carbonation.
Overall a really nice SMaSH offering from this series that lets you zero in on the malt and the hops. I look forward to more.

Undated bottle at 42 degrees into a hand washed and dried JK snifter
Aroma – faint malt
Head large – (Maximum 5.8 cm, aggressive pour), white, frothy, diminishing to three mm ring and thin partial layer
Lacing good – wide irregular bands of tiny to small bubbles, stalactites connecting bands
Body light orange, clear, slight effervescence
Flavor – well balanced light malt and hops, ends slightly bitter with some chalkiness; no alcohol, no diacetyl
Palate – light to medium, watery, lively carbonation

Actually a very nice, well-balanced IPA. At only 80 IBUs it is hardly the hop bomb it’s labeled, but is rather a pleasantly refreshing beer, not quite sessionable at 7.5% ABV, but certainly tasting like at least one more is a good idea.

Appearance 4, Aroma 3.5, Flavor 4.5, Palate 4, Overall 4.25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a lightly burnt orange with a thick white head. Good lacing.Nose is a bit spicy with pears and banana. Palate follows. Soft pear initially, followed by orange. Strong malt backbone. Decent. Won't get this beer again, but will try the series. Nothing wrong with the beer. Just not a huge fan of this hop, I suppose.