Stay Frosty
Hopewell Brewing Co.

 

This is why dedicated reviewers should return to micros to see how they have progressed.
Hopewell is approaching its tenth year and this is my tenth brew from them; but most were early in their business and early in my BA career. So I went on their website and have a greater appreciation for them among the other 1930+ other micros I've gone on their website and "studied." Hopewell is maturing nicely in what mostly is their lager niche; staying the course usually similar to conservative styles, but with a progressive company values. All of which is good contrast and for which I give them very good Overall Hugs.

As for Stay Frosty, it had good timing. I had just arrived from intending to spend the winter in warm Australia and was just greeted in Chicago with a -22 degree wind chill. So a nice malty lager was welcome with a dinner of winter squash. Frosty Looks only slightly above average with a good foam, but no lace. Smells are mostly malt, but nothing else. Tastes let in the hops at mid-palate and they grew in prominence gradually thru the finish. Medium-mouthed. Prost !

Not especially good if you're really going to call it a dunkel. It is malty but that's about it. I got no caramel or nuttiness. More bitter than I was expecting. The malt really had no chance to shine. Would not get again.

Light brown to light amber in color with light, soapy lacing on the glass. The aroma is of coriander, caramel, and toffee. The mouth is crisp and refreshing.

Pretty great all around but has a bit more lingering bitterness than I would expect for the style. Does a great job toeing the line of rich malt while still being dry. Great for the winter/holiday season Wouldn’t seek out at the store but I’d probably get it on tap

 

16oz can. Poured out a clear, golden amber color with a small, khaki-colored head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace. It smelled of toasted caramel, toffee and spices. Sweet caramel and toffee taste with spices and a mild bitterness.

 

Thanks to Robert for this one. Canned 2023/10/26
Pours a frothy off-white 1 finger head with good retention, lots of sticky lacing, mostly clear slight haze auburn to slight maroon reddish-brown color

Nose brings plenty of toasty biscuity malts, a bit of sweet caramel and toffee, biscuity toasted grain with some rich bread crust, hint of chocolate and coffee, light herbal hop, a bit more chocolate wafer cookie as it warms

Taste continues with more of the toasted grains, more on the caramelized side this time, toffee, bread crust, biscuity wafer cookie with a bit of chocolate on top, fair sweetness, mild roasty coffee note, some baking spice notes, but I'm also getting a mild cardboard oxidation character which is strange for a can, some herbal spicy hops with med-light bitterness turning into a more med spicy hop bitterness on the finish. A bit of a soft lager base, drier finish, with more of that spicy hop bitterness lingering and a bit more wafer cookie with chocolate notes

Mouth is med bod, soft lager, med to higher frothy carb

Overall not bad, decent lager character, nice base malt profile, a bit too sweet overall, and the oxidation is a bit unpleasant in there, but other than that it was decent

 

Had on tap. Dark amber brown somewhat murky body with a tan head. Big nuts and toasted caramel with dry earth and a hint of rye in nose. Taste adds big brown bread yeast and earthy hop finish. Great winter lager with a hop and yeast finish that is drier and pleasantly bitter, otherwise medium bodied with a toasty complexion. This is really well done, would happily drink this all winter long

 

 

 

Canned 10/14/22; drank 10/30/22 @ the Yarchives.

Semi-clear brown/orange appearance.

A rough pour yielded a huge khaki head; strong tree-rung lace.

Caramel, mild pecan & faint cranberry notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Rye bread, mild caramel & faint cranberry flavors; faint booze heat emerged as this warmed.

A nice, robust lager. I'd have another!

 

This beer looks great and has a nice feel but its smell and taste has some shortcomings.

Purchased a can at a local grocery store. Poured into a tulip glass. An brownish amber color with excellent head and curtain lacing. Sort of an ambiguous sweet malty smell and taste. It does have an earthy bitter finish that I like. This is a beer with potential.

16 oz can into a pint glass.

A: Clear dark amber color with a two-finger foamy off-white head that left rings of sticky lace as it receded.

S: Complex roasted malt aroma - sweet bready graininess is balanced with an earthier nuttiness.

T: Earthy hop bitterness makes its presence known in the taste and tends to overwhelm the complex malt characteristics from the nose. Can't really pick out the malty nuttiness, just spicy hops.

F: Medium-bodied with some carbonation. Dry finish.