Mount Saint Humulus
Bale Breaker Brewing Company

2023 release, on tap at Tiny Bubble Room.

A clear light amber with a dense off-white head with good retention and lacing. The nose is old school DIPA , with prominent grapefruit, pine, spruce, mint, some cooked citrus. A drying but noticeable crystal malt character, with a caramel sweetness. The palate opens with a blend of old school malt, with caramel and crystal malt, along with a good amount of hop bitterness. Cooked citrus, honey, pine, spruce, mint. Warming on the back end. Good TIPA.

 

16oz can/pub nonic. Fridge-cold pour leads to a chill-hazed golden body and a creamy off-white head. Big-time fresh hoppiness with plenty of sticky resin, pithy grapefruit, some underlying caramel, floral, very mild alcohol, piney, citrusy hop oil. The sweetness is subdued, this is mad drinkable for darn near 10% abv. One of my favorite Triple IPA's of all time.

 

Pours a clear amber-yellow with a finger of off-white foam. Aroma is resiny, herbal, citrus, and grassy hops. Big time hops, but alcohol dribbles through to the nose. Flavor profile is resin, herbal, grass, citrus, and tropical fruits. Hops are smooth, transitioning between notes effortlessly. Mouth feel is smooth and still with just a touch of bubbles at the start. Overall, big time hops with a smooth West Coast IPA profile. Hides the alcohol well in the flavor profile.

Reviewed from notes.

16oz can dated 5/10/21 poured into a Teku on 6/5/21.

Pours 1" of thick, creamy white head. Translucent golden and copper color. A little lacing.

Aromas of fresh pine, tree sap, sweet malts, and more pine.

Strong pine flavor with drying, spicy bitterness. Strong hop oils upfront with excellent malt balance.

Mouthfeel is astringent, dry, oily, and smooth. Little effervescence and medium body.

An incredible triple IPA. New sensations of piney hop characters. Deliciously dry, bitter, and spicy hop showcase. Wow.

 

16oz can from Bert's. Clear, bright golden pour, skin of white head, active carbonation. Resinous, hoppy aroma, fruity, citrus. Taste brings oranges, citrus oil, caramel, pine. Creamy body with a sticky finish.

16-ounce can purchased at ABV Public House in Hillsboro, OR. Date stamp reads "PKG ONMAY1021." Poured into a nonic half-pint glass.

Note: The can indicates that the ABV for this batch is 10.0%.

Look:
The beer is a beautiful deep gold and perfectly clear, with about a half-inch of loose, slightly off-white foam that leaves abundant sticky lacing. After a few minutes, the head collapses to an enduring foam collar and a few patches on the surface.

Smell:
Pungently, gratifyingly hoppy. A blast of orange and grapefruit peels, a gust of pine, a sliver of ripe mango, and a whiff of diesel, all presented on a comfy bed of rich sweet malt. There is also alcohol, which you should take note of.

Taste:
A Beer in Three Acts: Enters with candied citrus peel, rough-cut marmalade, sweet toasty malt (but not too sweet), and pine. Sweetness and bitterness gain strength and fight for dominance in Act 2, while an herbal note walks on for a brief but savory appearance. Citrus makes a tangy return in Act 3 as the bitterness peaks and the sweetness ebbs, leaving a dry and satisfying finish. And at the end of every sip, a breath of alcohol that is trying to remind you to slow the heck down and savor this.

Feel:
Medium-full body, smooth and slightly viscous. Carbonation feels rather mild in that big body, yet still feels zippy on the tongue. Finishes with a warm glow of alcohol. That glow is a warning and you should heed it.

Overall:
Bale Breaker Mount Saint Humulus is a feast of hops, from the nose to the first sip to the drying finish with a bitterness that lingers like a car horn echoing in a tunnel. And even though the alcohol repeatedly warns you to slow down, the beer remains unreasonably drinkable despite its ample 10% strength. Great stuff. If you see it, grab it.

 

Pours a clear orangey amber with plenty of foam. Tangy but malty. Big blast of hops but totally within the bounds of reason. Highly aromatic with orange, mango, and pine. Taste of apricot with that tangy sharp edge, but just sweet enough. Less sweet than a lot of DIPAs.

Concludes with a dose of alcohol-steeped marmalade. Quite strong but eminently drinkable. This sip, sip, sip has got to stop. From the 16 oz can purchased at Whidbey Beer Works. I will look to try this again. "PKG ON MAY 10 21" on the bottom.

 

16oz can (dated 5/1/21) poured into 16oz tulip. Poured a coppery dark gold color with 3/4 inch of white head that had moderate retention and no lacing.

Loads of big, bright hops at the front of the nose, classic citrus and pine, with a solid malt backbone.

Same on the tongue, with all the above aspects expanded. lots of pine and citrus, with a very pleasant bitter finish.

The body had that nice thick fullness, was a bit coarse across the palate, and had a finish that was a bit sweet at first, but dried out quickly.

Drinkability was good, it went down a bit too quickly for a 10+% brew.

Overall, pretty much everything ya want in an ImpIPA. Get it while ya can.

Canned on May 10th. Lovely light color, light head, definite lacing. Dominate fruit and floral aroma. Very mellow taste at first sip before the hops kick in, but never harsh. Very solid malt base, but watch that well-hidden ABV. Moderately dry, long lasting flavor. A very nice sipper on a cool spring evening on the porch. Highly recommended. See it. Buy it.

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a medium coppery amber with a two finger white head with great retention and solid lacing. Aroma of pale malt, citrus, piney and dank hops, orange and mixed tropical fruit. Flavor is pale malt with a little caramel, citrus, piney and dank hops, orange, mixed light stone fruit, some mixed tropical fruit, light pine. Citrus and piney finish with solid piney bitterness. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. I almost didn't get this because the can said in was dry hopped (often the indicator of soft, hazy hopping), but decided that Bale Breaker was worth the chance. Of course, it was. Overall profile leans to West Coast, but there is a lot more varied herbal flavors here than citrus and pine, with some very nice dankness, particularly in the aroma. Various fruit flavors are released during the taste. The can graphics are over the top on hops, but they don't lie. A delicious triple IPA with a fantastic hop bill. These guys are the hop masters. I'm getting more of these if at all possible. Glad its available now in cans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12oz snifter being consumed at The Blackbird in Spokane (submission to BA forthcoming).

Semi-clear orangey amber color, with a decent sized off white head. Said head dropped after a couple minutes but was easily agitated back to life. Spotty, streaky lace.

Big, citrusy hop aroma, along with a tiny bit of berry sweetness.

More bitter up front than the nose led me to believe. Kinda piney-grapefruit at first. In the middle there's a strawberryish sweet note. The finish is what I picked up mostly from the nose: a mostly sweet, slightly bitter citrusy fadeout.

Medium bodied. The mouthfeel is resiny and oily.

This is a delicious 3IPA. I really hope Bale Breaker issues a take home version! Surprising drinkable. It accompanied my serving of bacon fat popcorn admirally.