Hobo 5
Lord Hobo Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

Canned 6/11/20

So this is actually my first feom these guys. They catch some flak for being overhyped and overpriced, so I’ve avoided them thus far. That being said, a 5th anniversary TIPA seems like something good to judge them on

Pours a mostly clear copper gold with 2 fingers of tannish head that quickly fades to a cap and leaves huge rings of lacing

The aroma is quite sweet here, with lots of toasted malts and hints of brown sugar and vanilla. Despite this, there are still hops present in the nose that bring forth notes of peach and pineapple

On the front end I get lightly piney hops and orange zest. Post swallow, the hops are amplified, bringing out spicy and earthy tones that offset the sweet nuttiness of the malt bill. The aftertaste is a wonderful balance of bitter and sweet, with notes of grapefruit and subtle alcohol

With a medium body and decent carbonation, this drinks wayyyyy lighter than 10%. The finish is mostly dry and sweet, which works very well here

So whar do I think of these guys now? I won’t judge the whole brewery off of one beer, but hell, this was really good. It toed the line between IPA and barleywine in the best way. Hopefully this is the standard for them, because I’ll have to try some of their other brews

 

Canned on 6-29-20.

A - Dark gold color with perfect clarity, thick white lacing, and nice steady carbonation.

S - Aroma is a blend between sweet malt along with delicate citrus and peach.

T - Sweet malt base from start to finish with peach, citrus, and some peppery citrus rind over the top. Initially the alcohol presence was pretty in your face but eventually diminished partially through but never completely went away. Finishes on the sweeter side with some subtle citrus rind bitterness and faint pineapple.

M - Thick, full bodied with a nice soft texture, and dry on the back of the tongue.

O - Would have been interesting to have tried this within a few weeks after canning to see how it currently compares. Was the citrus presence more bold?

 

Pours Amber with excellent clarity; two fingers of fluffy off white foam; good cap retention; heavy ring; heavy minus lacing; medium heavy lacing on swirl. Pineapple, caramel malt nose; boozy exhale. Bitter lemon rind, tropical fruit hops - pineapple, mango; firm semi sweet caramel malt base; pine, citrus - lemon, grapefruit middle; bitter hop finish. Some alcohol bite on the tongue; warmth in the mouth from 10% abv; medium full body; sticky resin pine feel; moderate minus carbonation. Overall an outstanding WC style TIPA; good balance between malt and hops, yet kinda boozy (which I like); tasty pine/citrus hops linger.

Can* dated 6/17/20 into pint glass. Pours a slightly hazy amber with a coarse off-white head. Initial impression is grapefruit, lime, lemon, peach, and mango. Mouthfeel is clean and medium body. Alcohol is obvious enough that you'll treat this one with due respect. Finish is boozy and morphs to a slight bitterness. Solid example of the evolution of the West Coast DIPA genre.

Interestingly, if you peel the label off it's a repurposed Museum can. Good for them!

 

 

Decanted from a 16 oz (473 ml) can into a Captain Lawrence muffin top pint glass; canned on 06/17/2020.
A: Pours an ever so slightly hazy, light amber color with a one to two finger, fluffy, off-white head, solid retention, and camouflage shaped lacing.
S: Very fruity early. Aromas of grapefruit, lime, agave, and passionfruit, but gives way to more barley, caramel, and honey. Tangy like a saison yeast product.
T: Semisweet. Flavors definitely follow the nose with a serious caramel, lime, agave, and (?maybe) a lactic acid component. Bitterness present but very much in balanced with the flavor pallet and sweetness.
M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Remarkably, not very boozy despite high ABV (10.00%).
O: Celebrating Lord Hobo's 5th Anniversary, really a delicious Triple IPA. An excellent and engaging celebratory brew.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned 6/17/2020. Pours a slightly cloudy orange amber with a 2 finger sticky off white head that leaves thin streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Smell is bold mandarin, apricot, pine, and grapefruit rind. 4

Taste follows mandarin orange, apricot, marijuana, pine, and grapefruit. This is a bold in your face TIPA. 4

Mouthfeel is big, a tad dry, fairly gentle carbonation, and at 10% it goes down easy enough, but loaded with flavor. 4.25

Overall many people are tough on this place and I actually enjoyed this East meets west TIPA. Really a bold and well crafted beer that almost drinks like a Hoppy American BarleyWine. 4.25

 

Shockingly clear, perfectly transparent brew, copper colored. Good head production and retention; very nice lacing.

Wonderful aroma, a blend of hops and caramel malt. Brown sugar, pine, candied orange, grapefruit pulp, honey, toast. Smells sweet, not unlike Lagunitas Brown Shugga.

Flavor follows. Plenty of caramel malt with moderate sweetness, with the hops adding primarily citrus tones along with some pine. Moderate to strong bitterness, balanced against the huge malt backbone. Toasty aftertaste. Really darn tasty.

 

I saw this being announced on the brewery website and checked in with my local packy hoping to get lucky.

Looks like I am the first person to write a review on this beer!

Pours a pale transparent orange with a small quickly disappearing head.

Smells piney on opening.

Has a mildly bitter hoppy / malty taste. This is described as being a west coast IPA. I would say that it is a mild one. It is not one of the super bitter hop bombs that define "West Coast" to me.

The the body and carbonation are light. I would say this could be thought of as a lighter and stronger version of Consolation Prize.

The high ABV is not well hidden and quickly makes its presence known.

I would also suppose the high ABV could also mean that it could age well.

Very enjoyable!