Hull Melon & Blanc IPA
The Hop Concept Brewing

22oz bottle with an imperial nonic glass

Not my favorite of the series but I do like how the Hull Melon hop is really showcased here. In that I think they achieved some good success. I get Honeydew melon big time. Light golden ale with an impeccably well conditioned clarity. Big cloudy foam head of off white. Nice retention efforts and lots of sticky lace noted. The aroma is green melon and unripe berry/fruits, almost catty like, with some white grape noted and a sugary malt sweetness. Nice West Coast approach with minimal malt sweetness and a drying hop bittery finish. Pleasant lingering feel.

 

 

Picked up a bomber from Kings Convenience April 1st for $6.99. No visible freshness date but the bottle has been in the beer fridge since purchase.

Beer poured golden orange with a beautiful white head that is leaving lacing behind.

Nose is fresh fruit and citrus.

Taste is set up nicely by a subtle melon beginning with a grapefruit middle but the finish is too much grapefruit rind.

Feel is medium bodied and fairly refreshing.

Overall not a bad beer but would have scored much higher if not such a rind finish. This is the second hull melon beer i have had recently and i am totally loving that hop profile.

 

 

 

 

 

Two awesome new hops, can't wait to try this one. 12/01/15, and just bought this.

Pours a decent creamy thicker but smaller head fades at a med pace, nice lacing, hazy candy orange color with sediment.

Nose nice hop profile but lighter side, melon rind, little grassy, floral fruity, mild white wine bright fruit, an almost lemony note, generic bright fruit, an almost tart apple like.

Taste brings sweet toasty candy malt, candied fruit little orange marmalade and candy apple skin, light grape skin, melon rind into spicy rind and little citrus, bit grassy. Hops turn a bit spicy and briny in the finish, big melon rind and grassy spicy with light candied fruit, little sticky malt, mild booze warmth.

Mouth is med bod, little syrupy, nice carb, light warming booze.

Overall not bad, didn't showcase the hops that well, too spicy briny and not enough white wine and melon, too much on malt and sweet too, those hops were not made for a beer this big perhaps why they had to go crazy with the hops and they turned spicy briny.

 

Healthy two finger plus head, mottled and uneven surface, almost cratered from the froth, eggshell white coloration, the lacing is thin but quite long and unbroken. The liquid has a light haze to it, some sediment there, a coppery orange color, the visible bubbles are fat and set widely throughout the glass. The nose features wet herbaceous matter, pulped blood oranges and white grapefruits, peppercorns, black tar, the melon peeks through softly and you mostly get pineapple, papaya, peach fruit scents, dissolves to leave a piney residue behind in the nostrils. Medium-bodied, creamy body and would feel more so were it not for the arch dryness and bitter bite it presents. More pine, black tea leaf and pepper here, tangy herbaceousness and earthiness, the fruit falls off in the mouth, starts off with melon and then barely supplements that with pear, apple, peach. Never develops a softer side, no real florality nor sweeter citrusy aspects. It does deserve credit for the clarity of its message, decisively crafted. Yet, does wear you down by the end of the bomber.

 

the same critique i have had with the other beers in this series i have for this one, which is that it benefits very little from its strength. no reason at all for it to be 8% abv, i feel like it almost detracts from the hops they are trying to feature. its less of a problem in this more mild beer, but its still an issue. it also tastes a little old to me, like the hops are already fading, but the beer is fresh, so maybe the proportions are just off a little bit. great appearance though, fluffy lasting white head, tons of bubbles, great clarity on the golden base, and a really active look, highly appealing. it smells and tastes less hoppy that it should for what it is. i know these can be somewhat more mild hops, but i get an almost european vibe from them, vegetal and drying, somewhat plain, straw and hay, maybe a little floral pollen sort of thing, but pretty straight forward leading up to all the bitterness in the end. its not overblanced by grain either, the malt profile is quite light. nothing wrong with it for me at all, it just doesnt seem to be a very good showcase of these hops for whatever reason. this might be the weakest hop concept brew ive had so far, and not because its bad, but because i dont think it accomplished its intended mission.

 

 

 

 

22 oz. bottle, no bottled on date present that I can see. My second beer from The Hop Concept.

Poured into a Duvel tulip snifter.

A - Pours golden orange body, lots of fine flecks of sediment floating in the beer. Over two fingers of frothy off-white head that leaves good spotty lacing.

S - Earthy, herbal, floral, & grainy.

T - An earthy, husky, grainy flavor. Good hop bitterness & juiciness.

M - Feel is smooth, crisp, creamy, & easy-drinking. Medium-light bodied, especially for the moderately high abv. Very easy-drinking and smooth stuff. Refreshing.

Overall, a deliciously drinkable and refreshing DIPA from The Hop Concept. Definitely look foward to trying more of these IPA's.

The Hop Concept Hull Melon & Blanc India Pale Ale -----4.5/5

 

 

 

 

 

 

L - Bright yellow/orange, cloudy and sediment floating in the brew, 2 fingers of head and some nice lacing. Unfiltered...how I like my Brews

S - Huge citrus nose, pineapple

T - Pineapple, tangerines, juicy hops. Citrus overload, tangy, and slightly bitter Tasty!

F - Medium body, medium carbonation

O - Another awesome brew in the Hop Concept line up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty clear golden color with a tall white head and fantastic lacing. Aromas are muted, nothing really stands out. Notes of tabacco, dank, unripe melon right by the rind, pine, and rubbing alcohol. There's a burn to this one that impacts the flavor and the mouthfeel. Starts crisp but I get some backlash of what I can only describe as something soaked with solvent. This ones rough, overly bitter and the taste profile doesn't do it for me. I'm not sure what they were going for but this one I hope is forgettable.

 

 

 

 

 

I can't understand some of the poor scores given to this IPA? If you like citrus forward, well balanced, complex
IPA's this one is absolutely worth getting. My first beer from this brewery and I can't wait to try others.
Very interesting mix of Hull melon and Hallertau Blanc hops.
Sometimes here in Chicago we get not so fresh beer from the west coast and that can definately hurt, but this
is one of the best west coast IPA's I've had and would gladly recommend. Enjoy.