Hopocalypse
Drake's Brewing Co.

Enjoyed at the 2010 Hayward Bistro DIPA Festival.

Amber pour with a bright white foamy head. Major grapefruit aroma which is very nice and clean. A lot of citrus blasts in the taste which is very smooth and there is another kick of grapefruit on the swallow which leaves a nice bitterness on the buds...begging for another sip. Smooth mouthfeel and at 9.25% the drinkability is dangerously easy.

Overall I am a big fan of Drake's and this did not disappoint. A great tasting DIPA that is worth searching for. Well done.

Malt heavy without being too sweet, bitterness leaves the tongue as soon as you register whats going on. ABV is extremely well hidden as well. Well done! It's simple without being simple, I know the hops used tend to be on the exotic side, but they all come together like your grandma's Sunday pot roast.

Pours a thick opaque golden color that isn't translucent when held up to the light.

Smells of pine, citrus, and hops.

Very hoppy all the way through. The bitterness is perfectly in sync with the malt. Bitter comes and goes like a hot knife through butter.

Overall a great hoppy beer, definitely would buy again.

Appearance: Pours a golden orange color, with a thick foam head.

Aroma: Herbal and earthy. Tropical fruits. Slightly bready

Taste: Bready up front, tropical fruits in the middle, and apricot with some subtle but notable hoppy bitterness that appears at the back end. Finish is pretty clean.

Overall: I really like this one. The aroma was good, and the flavors were quite pleasing. It’s an all around quality beer that I look forward to buying again.

Poured from a can into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a super hazy golden orange with a one finger head of white foam. The head has a good level of retention, fading over time to leave a light level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is rather heavy of an herbal and earthy hop smell mixed with a grainy and bready aroma. Other aromas of tropical fruits are there as well, with smells of tangerine, papaya, mango, and guava. Light aromas of a bit of mustiness and vegetal notes are there as well, giving a slightly more dank aroma overall.
Taste – The taste begins with a thick bready flavor mixed with a bit of the tropical fruits that were in the nose. Right from the start there is a decent showing of an earthy hop accented by some lighter herbal and grapefruit hops. As the taste advances the tropical fruit sweetness increases a bit with the bulk of the increase being a mix of guava and tangerine. All the while the hop get even heavier in earthy flavors being accompanied by an oddly pleasant, somewhat vegetal taste. With a touch of alcohol and a bit of peach and apricot becoming noticeable at the end, one is left with a interesting, dank, and rather pleasantly satisfying hazy like IPA Taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is heavier with a carbonation level that is average. For the interesting flavor profile and more dank nature of the brew the feel is great and makes for a nice full bodied and flavorful sipper.
Overall – A rather nice, non-traditionally flavor hopped IPA. Very fun! It reminds me of Deschutes Hop Henge. That was a uniquely hopped beer that I very much enjoyed. So is this.

 

Very good, but harshly bitter.

 

 

A: hazy; deep gold in color; 1+ finger finely pored ivory head that receded to a thin cap; nice rings of lace;

S: canned pineapple juice with orange;

T: follows the nose for a moment, then it's canned pineapple juice with hints of peach and apricot through the finish; mild bitterness at the end;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish;

O: OK, but not something I would buy again;

 

I have one question about Drakes: how do they get them here so fresh? This is fresh like an Ohio brewed ale might be. Nice.

It pours a little hazy (about 50%) with soda pop bubbles (mostly biggish). The aroma is strong - skunky hops to ya. The taste is especially bitter but not dry, there is plenty of malt there too. It finishes heavy - not good for milder food but should stand up to other flavor bombs.

Highly recommended. This is the best of the three or four I've tried from Drakes.

 

Poured a cloudy-orange gold body with minimal head and lace down the glass. The aroma is both citric and has some floral bouquet as well. Smooth, clean, medium-bodied beer with a heavy floral note with moderate citric bitterness and hints of tropical fruit sweetness.

 

this is only the third beer i had with New Zealand hops - this was a delightful beer to drink , nice hoppy flavor and great sfter taste

 

 

 

 

Copper filtered with a cascade of bubbles rushing northward. Topped with 3 fingers of white head.

Smells of stinky foot, durian, guava, orange, grapefruit and battery acid.

Tastes of guava, caramel, durian, banana, and jackfruit, ending in a dull tea like bitterness.

Medium body, moderate carbonation and a tannic finish.

I got this at Whole foods in Santa Rosa yesterday, and am drinking it in Redding, Feb 13th, 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4-3

 

 

 

Clear, golden amber body; dense, billowy head; rings and sheets of lacing along the glass. Spicy, malty aroma. Mild caramel malt base with the flavor; peppery hop bitterness, fairly intense and lingering; spruce and pine. Heavy body; thick and chewy; mostly dry finish.

A solid, tasty DIPA, more hop-forward than malt. It hides the ABV well enough and lets the malts and hops do most of the talking.

Experienced with oranges, blueberries, dark chocolate (and a wee sip of Jameson's Irish Whiskey: Caskmates IPA edition!)

Looks golden with two fingers, willowy bubbles hint O' Lacing.
Rather sharp citrus scent, malty-sour. Drool.
Strong yet graceful West Coast IPA (creamy-crisp grapefruit-citrus hoppy pine-tang.)
Not overly sour, mildly pungent. Just enough to give character, yet not lingering (nagging.)
Easy drinking, especially for an Imperial. Simple excellence.

 

22oz. bomber bottled 1/31/18, consumed 2/27/18

Poured a beautiful golden amber with a nice head that left good lacing.

Aroma is sweet tropical and citrus fruit, with some piney and danky hops - wow this hop mix is very appealing, wish it was stronger. Another very enjoyable sit and sniff.

Taste is just flat out everything you want out of a DIPA. Perfect blend of all kinds of sweet fruits and hops hops hops - danky, piney, resinous.

Mouthfeel is an amazing medium, smooth as an easy IPA, solid bitterness but not overbearing at all, easiest 100+ IBUs ever.

Overall a spectacular DIPA. Too bad this isn't a regular. Drinks as smooth and balanced as Pliny with a taste profile I probably prefer.

Bomber bottled 1/31/18

L - Gorgeous slightly hazed dark gold body with an amazing, tall fluffy and dense white head that stays.
S - Dark moist pine, hop resin with really faint citrus notes, some alcohol heat
T - Saturated pine, lots of hop resin and bitterness, followed by a sweet barley breadiness that comes across like a cadbury milk chocolate note as the alcohol heat kicks in. Flavors linger and develop for a while. Citrus comes through again and finishes wet and resinous.
M - Medium thick/coating but not syrupy. Resinous, Medium to low carbonation.
O - Really dark piney notes paired with a strong and sweet malt bill that makes the heat easily palateable. I enjoyed this brew

 

 

Look: cloudy gold with a frothy head
Smell: pine, resiny hops.
Taste: citrus, juniper, pine, with a finish more bitter than Pliny the Elder.
Feel: lush