Hop Freaks: Volume 2
Avery Brewing Company

RB transfer

 

CAN:

Strata doesn't shine in this somewhat warmly boozy IPA. With its underwhelming hop profile and noticeable ABV, Hop Freaks is a not-too-drinkable brew that won't dazzle discerning drinkers familiar with the style's classics.

C+ / ABOVE AVERAGE

 

(12 oz can, canned 09/07/22; purchased single off shelf this past week... poured into my Belhaven pub pint)

L: mildly-hazy, amber-colored liquid; tall, exploded foam stand, rocky in its crumble... a messy cap is retained till the end, but curiously very little lacing

S: piney, almost menthol hairs atop candied orange and lemon rind, Runts... smells West Coast-y-ish... gradually bolder (but never dominant or balanced) underlying crystal-kissed malt, toasted sugar... mellow (pine-)sol-venty tonic tone... excellent potency and depth

T: pine, (spicy) grapefruit rind, near gingery spice on back end; herbal, citrus oil aftertaste with that toasted crystal kiss in the background... Citra patch hovers in the middle; too much of a peach yogurt vibe from it... then I read up on Strata and now I'm tasting dried strawberry, wha??... now it's like a fruit smoothie with a WCIPA in the background... nothing off-putting going on, just a strange clash of flavors; wobbly, wavering balance... well after the last sip, the bitterness finally rises to its apex and accentuates the leafy, menthol edge hinted at on the nose

F: round and plush on the palate floor; fuzzy and warming on the roof... wish it had a touch more cut to its finish... plush, slightly spiritous, like a boozy blanket; not so bad

O: just homebrewed a West Coast IPA (only 2nd time in 12 years), so I've been going back and tasting examples, and there's not much out there right now, oh boy... I don't feel like the Citra is a good fit here, but now reading up on Strata (I haven't had too many beers with it) I'm thinking that might be the dominant hop here; interesting but not what I want in this classic style (2101)

 

 

Fine golden amber body with a touch of chill haze; sparse carbonation; huge head, densely creamy texture, rocky, very long lasting, sticky. Nice aroma; mostly malty but some hints of hop spiciness; pine resin and dank weed. Decent flavor; moderate malt base, biscuit-like; nice combination of old juicy sweetness, tropical fruitiness, and pine resin; fairly heavy hop bitterness. Heavy body; raspy on the palate; semi-dry overall.

I imagine a fresh version of this beer would have been awesome. As it is, this one is around eight months old and, I believe, the hop character is waning as far as aroma goes. Oh, the hop bitterness is fairly intense, but the beer certainly seems more of an earthy malt sweetness and hop bitterness bomb than, perhaps, a more nuanced vehicle to feature the Strata hop characteristics. Sure, some are there, but there is a kind of 'oldness' to the taste and smell of this beer. It's still fine, but just not at its prime.

Pouring temperature: 43 °F; canning info: 03/01/22 HOP FREAKS UNITE TOO

 

Darker than most IPAs. Nose is citrusy, and malty. Taste is peppery, and bitter as is the mouthfeel. Very dry, IMO. Very good WC IPA. Would buy again.

 

 

 

 

There's those who love hops and then there are those who are freaks about them. Avery brewers are the later as they scrounge up as much Strata, Citra and Chinook hops as they can muster in order to create a beer for those who share their freaky ways.

Hop Freaks No. 2 pours a fairly standard medium-light amber color while building a creamy off-white froth. With a floral bouquet of hops rising from the foam, the character of citrus, tropical and a dank botanicals all come with a sweeter scent of honey, toast and caramel. Sweet in its taste, its malty upstart is framed with honey, nuttiness and the crusty nature of granola before the hops get going.

And once they get going, the premiere tropical flavors of passionfruit, mango and papaya lead the charge. A backdrop of pink grapefruit and tangerine carry a citrusy taste into a bitterness of citrus peels, soft spruce, tea, fresh cut grasses and hemp for a decidedly resinous late taste.

Medium bodied, bold in flavor and finishing crisp, refreshing and dry with bitter resins, the session closes with a long after palate of muddled fruit peels, chive and geranium in a taste that's familiar to long lived hop heads but also with a few modern hop tweaks.

12oz can. Poured out a clear, golden orange color with a small, off-white head of foam. It left sticky rings of lace on the glass. It smelled of resin, orange, grapefruit and sweet caramel. Good fruity taste with lots of orange and bitter pine. Good toasted caramel backbone.

 

 

Shared a can with a coworker, had half a pour.

On the pour a nice fine 1.5 finger off white head forms and had decent retention. The body is a light amber so not the palest ale, but I'm expecting some nice malts in this one. Lively fine carbonation continues to rise even after a time of drinking.

Aroma is lightly fruity and tropical with a hit of classic resinous piney ipa as well with a nice rich and detectable malt backbone sort of like an American bitter.

Flavor follows the aroma and brings even more malts that carry a nice bready caramel sweetness. On the very front the hops are mild and fruity then morph into a bitter resinous old school ipa vibe that is quickly balanced by the aforementioned malty sweetness. I enjoy this a lot, again it's like an americanized bitter.

Feel is decadently smooth from the frothy head that remains as you drink the carbonation is very fine in the mouth and makes this one very smooth with the right amount of bite to it. Big but refreshing.

Overall this is a fun IPA bringing some focus back on the malts while maintaining a modern fruity hop aroma and flavor with plenty of hop bitterness and west coast vibes as well.