Hoppy Birthday
Alpine Beer Company

 

 

 

 

 

Overall a very good beer. Not much going on with the color but the head is decently frothy and laces nicely. Smell is also generally hoppy, much like the taste. Good dry hop taste in the front but it recedes a bit. Feel is good but feels a bit heavy for 5.3 ABV pale ale like this. Would recommend from one of California's best.

 

11/23/15:
Lightly hazed, bright golden coloring, ivory head leaving lace, looking lovely.

Bold, citrusy aromatics. Lemon and lime, orange, and pine. floral. Incredibly fresh leafy, green hoppy nose. Beautiful.

In the mouth: a bracingly bitter entrance on the palate. Fresh hop attack, more citrusy goodness. Lean-bodied. Easy-drinking. Bitterness never quits, and alcohol doesn't stand in the way of having a few, if that's what you want to do.

Label side gobbledygook: Hoppy Birthday. "The Most Celebrated Beer in the World." Truth is, everyone has a birthday. And when you want to celebrate, this Session IPA is a gift to the senses. Made with 6 different hops, this brew is refreshing enough to enjoy again and again. Now, make a wish and blow out the candles. But, don't tell anyone or your wish won't come true."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 5th, 2015 - We're a little less than a month away from my birthday which was hoppy with other brews, but this would have been a fine choice for a full day of celebration. Somehow both a rusty red color but with a shade of paleness, it is a good smelling beer, with a sessionable freshness, with a fresh, shaggy malt note. It is paired with a great flavor too, with that rusty metallic note I first detected back when Killian's Red was the rage, and a brilliantly fresh flavor. Metallic and grapefruit notes give some bitterness and character, and above all, enjoyable drinkability.

 

 

Reviewed from (very) long-standing notes. Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into an unmarked shaker pint glass.

A: Hazy gold, with a one-finger white creamy head that fades fairly quickly. A good amount of visible carbonation.

S: Orange-forward citrus and resinous hops. Bready malt body adds a fair amount of sweetness in addition to the touch of caramelization.

T: Citrus - oranges and grapefruit. Resin and some dank hops, again with a good bit of sweet biscuit malts. A touch of caramel and oxidation. A moderate citrus bitterness in the hang.

M: Medium body, average carbonation sensation. The alcohol flavors seem to stick out a bit more than usual.

O: This was decent as it is, but I think it would have been better fresher. Despite being well within the "best by" date on the bottle (March 18, '16), it tastes like an old IPA. I'm not sure if the caramel and sweet flavors were intentional, or possible a bottling or handling issue causing some oxidation. But as it is, it lacks anything outstanding.

Eh. Nothing to chat about IMO, but drinkable.