Hoptopod
Royal Docks Brewing Company

 

12 ounce can into tulip glass, best before 4/7/2018. Pours moderately hazy/cloudy golden orange/amber color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and rocky off white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, mango, melon, citrus peel, light pepper/pine, light caramel, toasted biscuit, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/earthy hops and moderate bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, mango, melon, citrus peel, pepper, pine, light caramel, toasted biscuit, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Moderate pine, citrus rind, herbal, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, mango, melon, citrus rind, pepper, pine, light caramel, toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness and balance of citrus/fruity/earthy hops and moderate bready malt flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance, and minimal lingering hop astringency after the finish. Moderate increasing dryness from bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, and sticky/resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Mildly increasing warmth of 7.6%. Overall this is an excellent IPA. All around great complexity, robustness and balance of citrus/fruity/earthy hops and moderate bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink, with the modestly bitter/drying finish. Fairly aggressive, but not overwhelming. Great juicy/dank balanced hop complexity; nice bready malt backbone, with minimal residual sweetness. Ohio grown Cascade, Columbus, Centennial, Crystal, Celeia, Cluster, and Citra hops. 7C's. A very enjoyable offering.

 

This is an AIPA that's not afraid to go it's own way. Darker tasting malts and hops combine to form a bigger tasting AIPA than it has a right to be for less tha 8% ABV.

It pours a very pretty, cloudy yellow with nice light fizz. The aroma is a fruity fresh. The taste is deep and dark, like an old ale type hop profile with similarly deep malts. It leaves a bitter aftertaste though not too boozy.

While many AIPA's are super dry or hoppy and not much else but this one tries to go its own way.

Recommended.

Hoptopod brewed by Royal Docks Brewing Company, with an ABV of 7.60% This American IPA pours out a hazy amber color with a nice white head. This is an unflitered brew, you can not see though this brew, not saying that is a bad thing. There is also a nice of lacing to this brew, it sticks to the side of the glass well. The smell is rich with hop bitterness, and earthy grains and malts. You also pick up on some mild spices in the smell as well. So far this is a nice inviting American IPA. Now for the taste, it is bold with hop bitterness at first. Then you pick up on a nice mild earthy grains and malts at the end. This is a well put together American IPA. There is nothing overpowering about Hoptopod , it has a nice blance to it. I can't get over how smooth this American IPA goes down. It is really hard to pick up on the 7.60% ABV in this American IPA. This is one of the more enjoyable American IPA on the market, not saying that is a bad thing. The month feel is Bold, Hoppy, Clean, Smooth, And Refreshing. Overall I'm going to give Hoptopod a 4.25 out of 5. I would definitely look this American IPA up again giving the opportunity to. Royal Docks Brewing Company, did a real nice job with this brew.