Hopstate NY (2021)
Brewery Ommegang

No idea how old my can is: was in the advent box and those cans were already old, opened can 3/17/24 to celebrate st paddy’s eve.pours opaque golden with Dewey cotton head that dissipates soapy down the glass. Aroma is now more spice than any fruit. Typical OG! It’s ok.

Poured from a 16 oz can into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Slightly cloudy golden amber pour with 3 fingers of big foamy head. Great lacing.

S: Toasted malts, pine, and citrus. Smells like a classic IPA.

T.F: Semi-sweet grains and malts. Pine and citrus, just like it smells. A bit of earth and spice. Grapefruit rind... tea leaf, and more pine. Modest bitterness. Medium to light bodied.

O: A more west-coast style IPA... good flavor and hides its ABV. Better than I was expecting for an Ommegang IPA.

I love Ommegang, mostly for their Belgian-style beers. This is the first Hopstate I have tried. Pours an almost clear gold color with a medium sized frothy somewhat off-white head. Good retention and lacing. Aroma and flavor start out with mostly citrus and tropical fruit (somewhat muted) gradually changing towards piney hops. Bitterness level is good, so is the flavor. Mouthfeel is crisp and moderately bitter. A good, but not great, IPA.

 

16 oz can.

Definitely new to the Ommegang hop game, but I suppose it was only a matter of time.

Pours a cloudy amber gold color with a medium off-white head. Modest retention with minimal lacing.

Very strong aromas of citrus and pineapple. A bit of apricot and honey malt. Piney and earthy on the back.

The flavor is like a muted version of the nose. Light grapefruit, lemon and orange with some pineapple, apricot and melon. Very soft pine on the finish.

The feel is medium-light bodied with moderate carbonation. A little slick and oily. Has a strong, lingering bitterness.

Overall, a pretty good IPA. Definitely a WC/NEIPA hybrid. It's drinkable and not unpleasant, so it's worth a try.

best by 1/20/22, consumed 11/12/21 so plenty fresh. it's ok and interesting but worth seeking more for the novelty than the flavor.
L: From the can, and it's sharp.
S: This is the high point for me. Very nice aroma. Grassy, green apple. Unique in a good way.
T: Hits the notes of the nose but not so strongly. I'll give it an extra 0.25 for "terroir" but maybe NY is just not such a great place for hops. what can i say? Ends on a pretty solid bitter note that will help keep the hop heads happy. (And I'm one, and I'm at least kinda happy)
F: Fairly smooth.
O: Not really working for me but worth trying - maybe your mileage will vary. I like the idea of local hops but they still need to bring the flavor game.

Features two-row barley, and Chinook, Cascade, Nugget, Crystal, Michigan Copper, and NY Rakau hops - all New York-grown... Best by canning of 1/20/22... I think this is excellent - across-the-room aromatics - and the flavors are equally full and impressive - soft, ripe, pale fruits provide the sweetness to an incredible breath of pine with chewy, dank undertones - it really grips the palate - and the nose on this is tremendous - you can feel it hitting the roof of your mouth and nostrils at all times lol - heady stuff... Medium-weight, rounded feel; and after its warmed a bit, a little oily almost... Light fruit shellac lingers behind with sticky dank herb... Love how the beer changes as it goes from colder to warmer - even sip-to-sip... Hopheads and potheads alike will love this lol...