Hop Beard
Fonta Flora Brewery

 

 

 

 

Enjoyed as pint #2 on our visit to Whippoorwill Farm 4-16-22 for $6.50.

This was a very dank smelling and nicely bittered WCIPA, 7/10 on my bitterness scale. A nice combo of pine, grapefruit, and maybe a touch of tropical hops. Definitely worthy of a shot!

Scored a single can of this from the single cooler impulse buy at that mini mart in Carmichael, CA. I think they were like $2 singles, so why not go for it?

Pours yellowy golden, the most familiar of all beer colors. 1/3" white head. The aroma wasn't aroma hops. There was plenty of bittering hops noticeable and a light wooden caramel malty vibe. Citra and Amarillo hops seem completely lost in the shuffle.

Taste might display even greater bittering hop intensity and caramel drapes. The woody caramel contingent is high, the copper bitterness is even higher. Do not go in here looking for a sweet citrus effect. Even the bittering hop pine like notes get overshadowed in favor of even less desireable hop flavors, bitter intensity and wooden caramel stickiness. The only hop intensity seems to be Simcoe. Columbus (Day today) doesn't really make an impact either. Really lacks dryness to the body. Throwback 100ibu crystal malt days like beer, even tastes like a double ipa heft wise, but lacks much to say in a positive manner.

 

 

 

 

Yellow jello with a light haze, no carbonation, and 6 fingers of white head.

Smells real dank of cumin, bo, onion and leaf stank.

The taste follows the nose more intensely.

Medium resinous body with light carbonation.

I got this in Asheville and am drinking it in Canton, June 24th 2020. Perhaps the freshest and best ipa I’ve had this round in NC!

060520 stamped across bottom of can. Poured into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint.

A: Slightly hazy lemonade yellow with solid 1-2 finger frothy light beige head with good retention and lacing.

S: Tropical fruit and pine-grapefruit in about a 3:1 ratio with abundant guava, pineapple, and papaya with less prominent traditional WCIPA qualities of pine, grapefruit, and dank herbal. Moderate intensity in the aroma.

T: Flavor brings even more intensity and a clarity of the hop element that really separates this new-gen WCIPA into its own class. Beautiful pineapple, guava, passion fruit, and papaya dominates but lets some grapefruit, pine, and dank qualities come through to create a wonderful, complex hop character. There is a note of grassy hops in the finish and aftertaste. I don’t sense much for esters and alcohol is hidden. Bitterness is moderate - exceptionally well-balanced.

M: Feels like a balanced ale in the WCIPA vein but not quite as dry as the traditional heavyweights of the category (Pliny, Blind Pig, Stone IPA). Medium body and moderate carbonation.

O: I am really impressed with FF Hop Beard — exceptional balance and a great version of WCIPA 2.0. Delicious and I will be buying this again!!

 

Poured from a pint can.
Look: Pours a hazy and honey gold shade, minimal lacing after settling.
Smell: Lots of citrus hop, bit of funk, but not unpleasant.
Taste: Like an IPA, citrus, hops, a bit of funk, more hops, maybe dank and almost sour.
Feel: standard carbonation, a bit of sharpness and bite.
Overall: With big beer taking over the craft beer market, and even craft brewers contract brewing beers out of market (that never taste the same), its nice to have a reliable IPA. I'm not saying it's the best IPA made in America, but damn good, and getting better with every IPA that loses its way, especially with malt forward IPAs taking over the grocery and C-store market (this isn't malty). Ranked #1,859 on this website for the American IPA style??? That's a disgrace!!! Better than at least 40 beers on the top 50 of that list, and just as good as another powerhouse in the same region, Jade from Foothills. As of 5/5/2020 I'd say Hop Beard from Fonta Flora and Jade from Foothills are the two best IPAs brewed in NC.

L: Poured from a tallboy can to a pint glass. Had a golden yellow color and a slightly hazy consistency. There was a quarter inch of foamy, somewhat long-lasting head. Pretty good lacing.

S: A decent, but not spectacular, aroma of hops, citrus fruit, malt, and a floral quality.

T: Tasted of a moderate amount of citrus fruit (lemon, in particular, with a little orange), some of the floral quality (subtle, but more than expected), a good shot of hops (the main ingredient by far), and some malt (mostly in the finish). A solid flavor, in a kind of a hop-centric, throwback way. Needed a little uptick in fruit, though. Not bad.

F: A well-carbonated beer with a sharp finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This beer has its flaws, but it's solid enough. Worth a try.

Poured from a 16 oz can dated 4/02/20 into a Willi Becher pint glass.
L - Pours a clear amber color with a nice white head.
S - Smells of citrusy hops.
T - Has a slight lemon flavor. Nice bitterness, nothing overpowers. Very enjoyable.
F - Medium body and carbonation.
O - Very nice IPA.

Picked-up a four-pack of cans at Julio's in Westborough last week for about fifteen dollars. My first brew from these guys, have heard of before. New to MA/NE? This review is from the second can I have tried. The first was so bad, that I dumped it. I had just come off a ton of Tree House, so thought that I would give it another shot. Nope, total crap, dumped this one too. Canned-on date of 8/14, not so old to explain its horribleness. The last 2 will become my GILBs (Guest I don't Like Beers).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 16oz can into a Speiglau Heff glass.

Look is a pale slightly hazy yellow with a thin white head.

Aroma is intense herbal lemon.

Taste is an intense hoppy pine citrus.

Delicious

A: The beer is slightly hazy yellow in color and has a moderate amount of of carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high white head that left a large patch of bubbles on the surface and a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of floral hops and gooseberries are present in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of gooseberries and limes along with notes of floral hops, the latter of which become stronger as the beer warms up. There is a light to moderate amount of bitterness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The taste of this beer has an interesting mix between gooseberry/lime and floral flavor once the beer warms up.

Serving type: can

 

 

16 oz can (no date) poured into a pint glass, a slightly hazy golden orange with thin sliver of head that immediately dissipates to a rim of lace. The aroma is dank, with noticeable grapefruit and tangerine notes. The taste take a slight shift, stone fruit enters the equation, and the grapefruit/tangerine mixing with some herbal/grassy notes. The mouthfeel is solid, with carbonation medium and a balanced amount of heft. Overall, a good IPA for fans of the stone fruit side of things. Need to add a canned date.

 

 

 

Thanks to nc41 for this one from NBS BIF #8. 16oz can poured into 14 oz teku. Poured a hazy medium gold color with alomst an inch of white head that had good retention and great lacing.

The aroma was all hops out of the can, with just a slight touch of grain from the glass. Pretty similar on the tongue, many hops, light grain, and good bitterness.

The body was firmly typical for the style, and had a lingering bit on the back that I enjoyed. Drinkability was very good, i could see drinking these on the regular if they were local to me. Overall, a very nice brew. Certainly worth grabbing if you see it, and maybe worth seeking out.

 

L: golden color, thin white head, hazy
S: pine and citrus hops
T: slightly bitter, nice balance between pine and grapefruit
F: good mouthfeel, bitter finish
O: nice IPA, never heard of these guys before

 

Very hopped. Almost too hopped. But overall, this is a solid IPA.

this is not the kind of beer i know these guys for, its the wild stuff and the saisons, not the hoppy beer, that sets them apart. rather pale in color, a lot of strong hop aroma, hard to pick out any specific varietal but there is obvious grapefruit to this, fresh lime and grass, and even kiwi fruit. some pine and some oily bitterness too, not quite enough grain in here for this to be balanced it doesnrt seem, but i dont mind that, the hop intensity is appealing, classic to an extent. the flavor is fresh and bitter, and not just in the finish but all the way through it. grapefruit and lime are strong to me, white cranberry or something with a slight tang, oily feel but still light to me, deep green vegetal sort of pine at the end, good carbonation and relative dryness in the feel. not a whole lot of malt to this, and not all dry hops either, a little old school charm to this, and a good beer overall, drinkable and all, but certainly not as dynamic and interesting and high end as i have come to associate with fonta flora. everyone needs an ipa i guess, and this fills that role well, but its sure not a highlight in their portfolio...