Hoptoria
Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & Guesthouse

 

650ml bomber poured into tulip a ways back (from notes)

A slight haze in a amber orange body, a small slow stream of bubbles manage to pump out two fingers of foam that has decent retention leaving lots of spider web lace

S nutty, malty, lots of caramel, some herbal hops, a hint of orange cream, I can't for the life of me figure out why I'm picking up on a little smoke, a little spicy but even for an EIPA its pretty odd

T not far from the smell, there's nothing really offensive but not really matching up with any IPA style I can think of

M medium bodied, creams up then flattens out, a little grit left behind and a lingering spicy finish

O its not a bad beer but its not good either, perhaps missing the style a little

Reminds me more of a herbal nut brown then a hoppy brew, maybe as an English strong ale it would rate well, I kinda feel like this would improve with age

 

Spinnaker's Brewpub 'Hoptoria IPA' @ 6.8% , served from a 650 ml bottle purchased for $4.70

A-pour is a pale gold from the bottle to a clear amber in the glass with a medium size off-white head leaving a streaky lace along the pint

S-mild hoppyness

T-ok tasting IPA , no big wow factor

MF-lots of carbonation , medium/full bodied

Ov-ok beer , decent IPA , better on tap

prost LampertLand

 

 

A - Medium yellow/orange with a thin layer of white head and good lacing.

S - Bitter with some citrus and herbal aromas. Malts are masked in the background.

T - Bitter up front with a very odd tasting hop profile. Some floral and earthy flavours with a faint citrus presence. There's a musky profile to this one as well and the various hop flavours do not come together well at all.

M - Medium body. Creamy. Light carbonation.

A: transparent amber with orange hints
S: sweet caramel, grapefruit, papaya, mandarin orange rind; fresh but not overly bright. Complex but still restrained.
T: huge full well rounded taste that lasts and lasts. Nice lingering bitterness.What a taste! Perfectly balanced.
M: big and full. Just enough alcohol (6.8%) to add fullness but not heat.
O: a delicious beer with big taste, big mouthfeel, and a delicious dry finish. But it never goes too far. Nicely done.

 

Seems like Spinnakers is really stepping up their game in the last year with lots of new limited releases and quite a few beers in cans as well. This is a special release for the 150th anniversary of Victoria as a townsite. The beer is hoppy but not a huge citrusy IPA but rather the malt notes come through even in the nose. The mouthfeel is big and quite sticky but once you realize this is no PNW IPA you begin to taste the way the beer marries the UK tradition which started craft brewing in BC and the newer desire to make beers bigger and hoppier. I also noticed a brewhouse note to the nose which adds to the fresh feel to the beer.

 

Nice effort from the guys at Spinnakers. Their bottles are never quite as good as their taps, but this one passes the test. Resiny hops over a clean malt background. Pine and a bit of citrus fruit. A bit thin on the mouthfeel. Not super complex, but tasty.

 

 

 

Spinnakers' Hoptoria pours a slightly hazy gold with a thin, lifeless head. The aroma is earthy and herbal hops, with a hint of sulfar and bit of sweet malt. The flavor is dry upfront, with more herbal and distinctly earthy hops. Some dry caramel flavor pokes around, but there is very little malt backbone. The finish is bone dry with a heavy, resiny bitterness. The beer has a decent body, despite the low carbonation. Overall I am underwhelmed by the hops in this beer.