Hop Head Red | Belmont Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Belmont Brewing Company
California, United States
belmontbrewing.com
Style: American Amber / Red Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): not listed
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by rowew on 05-14-2005
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 37 | Reviews: 8
Reviews by 2beerdogs:
3.75/5 rDev -2.6%
2beerdogs, Dec 29, 2013
More User Reviews:
4.05/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Returned to Belmont Brewing Company while on a bike ride with the wife, Hadn't stopped in for a while and I was never totally impressed by their beers but they used to have a great happy hour with dollar beers and two dollar tacos. Sorry to see that the happy hour was no longer but had a pint of the hop head red which was the beer of the month. Served in a standard pint glass from tap, strong hoppy aroma with a good malt background. Strong hop flavor without being overwhelming, very quaffable. Too bad this isn't one of their regulars but it makes be want to return to retry their beers and see what else they have for beer of the month.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Returned to Belmont Brewing Company while on a bike ride with the wife, Hadn't stopped in for a while and I was never totally impressed by their beers but they used to have a great happy hour with dollar beers and two dollar tacos. Sorry to see that the happy hour was no longer but had a pint of the hop head red which was the beer of the month. Served in a standard pint glass from tap, strong hoppy aroma with a good malt background. Strong hop flavor without being overwhelming, very quaffable. Too bad this isn't one of their regulars but it makes be want to return to retry their beers and see what else they have for beer of the month.
642 characters
3.93/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Trying the hopped up Red at the brewery. It poured a clear amber with thin white head that is not leaving much of a lace. The scent has hints of pine and sweet malt. The taste is nicely balanced and easy to drink. There is caramel sweetness balanced with bitter citrus peel. The Mouthfeel is medium in body with good carbonation. Overall this is a nice beer.
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look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Trying the hopped up Red at the brewery. It poured a clear amber with thin white head that is not leaving much of a lace. The scent has hints of pine and sweet malt. The taste is nicely balanced and easy to drink. There is caramel sweetness balanced with bitter citrus peel. The Mouthfeel is medium in body with good carbonation. Overall this is a nice beer.
360 characters
3.52/5 rDev -8.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
On draft at brewery, consumed on 11/12/07.
Not as dark as their amber ale, this beer is a little on the orange/copper side. A resiny hop character greets the nose. Very well-balanced malt/hops flavor, neither overpowering nor overwhelmed. Slightly astringent aftertaste where hops linger on the palate. Not as hoppy as the name would leave you to believe, though hoppier than most red ales I have had.
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look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
On draft at brewery, consumed on 11/12/07.
Not as dark as their amber ale, this beer is a little on the orange/copper side. A resiny hop character greets the nose. Very well-balanced malt/hops flavor, neither overpowering nor overwhelmed. Slightly astringent aftertaste where hops linger on the palate. Not as hoppy as the name would leave you to believe, though hoppier than most red ales I have had.
403 characters
3.73/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I really only like reds if they are on the hoppy side, and this one brings some great flavors to the table. I was pretty impressed after two pitchers shared among three friends; to my two companions who are BBC locals (we only got charged for one pint!) this was the only choice for their afternoon brews. As much of my drinking is done in Santa Cruz and other NorCal watering holes, I couldn't help but think that the Lagunitas Imperial Red is just a bit better than the Hop Head Red, but its always nice to taste some quality brew from by home town of Long Beach.
Cheers to the BBC for another great fade.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I really only like reds if they are on the hoppy side, and this one brings some great flavors to the table. I was pretty impressed after two pitchers shared among three friends; to my two companions who are BBC locals (we only got charged for one pint!) this was the only choice for their afternoon brews. As much of my drinking is done in Santa Cruz and other NorCal watering holes, I couldn't help but think that the Lagunitas Imperial Red is just a bit better than the Hop Head Red, but its always nice to taste some quality brew from by home town of Long Beach.
Cheers to the BBC for another great fade.
611 characters
3.98/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Presentation: Sampled at Belmont Brewing Company, Long Beach during a recent regular Thursday get together with the LongBeachHopHeads. Shared a Pitcher of the Hop Head Red with fellow BA Scott & Jess. Listed only the blackboard as Hop Head Red, this is a seasonal offering that makes an appearance as Beer of the Month once or twice a year I believe.
Appearance: Dark ruddy red brown body with a light cloudiness to it. Light tan colored head has excellent retention and a creamy texture with a gentle undulating surface that leaves a very nice looking lacing. Fresh conditioning and a bold confident look.
Nose: Sweet malts and a punchy hop character. The hops come through more in the back end at first. Once the beer settles and warms up the Humulus takes over the nose completely. Not that strong to be honest, but highly skewed towards the hops nonetheless.
Taste: Pretty much a running parallel reflection of the nose. The finish is clean and thankfully the usual annoying cloyingness that so many Reds have is not there, in this case it has been replaced with a rather cool hoppy twang that balances the sweet malts in the beginning, contributes moreso in the middle and basically takes over the finish. The hoppy ending has a little spice and is very attractive.
Mouthfeel: Freshly tapped it was no surprise that the conditioning was finely dissolved and provided massive support to the tastes. Soft but virulent it added to the sweet malts and spicy hops.
Drinkability: Probably the best part of the make-up. I found this to be a very drinkable offering. The Hops are the main player but the sweet malts and Red character is there. A very West Coast take on a style that has been done to death in many BrewPubs. This is a nice twist on a style that is definitely not one of my favorites.
Overall: I think that this one would go well with spicy food. Very enjoyable, and a good session offering. A Recommended Beer of the Month, during Happy Hour its a steal at $2 a Glass.
2,015 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Presentation: Sampled at Belmont Brewing Company, Long Beach during a recent regular Thursday get together with the LongBeachHopHeads. Shared a Pitcher of the Hop Head Red with fellow BA Scott & Jess. Listed only the blackboard as Hop Head Red, this is a seasonal offering that makes an appearance as Beer of the Month once or twice a year I believe.
Appearance: Dark ruddy red brown body with a light cloudiness to it. Light tan colored head has excellent retention and a creamy texture with a gentle undulating surface that leaves a very nice looking lacing. Fresh conditioning and a bold confident look.
Nose: Sweet malts and a punchy hop character. The hops come through more in the back end at first. Once the beer settles and warms up the Humulus takes over the nose completely. Not that strong to be honest, but highly skewed towards the hops nonetheless.
Taste: Pretty much a running parallel reflection of the nose. The finish is clean and thankfully the usual annoying cloyingness that so many Reds have is not there, in this case it has been replaced with a rather cool hoppy twang that balances the sweet malts in the beginning, contributes moreso in the middle and basically takes over the finish. The hoppy ending has a little spice and is very attractive.
Mouthfeel: Freshly tapped it was no surprise that the conditioning was finely dissolved and provided massive support to the tastes. Soft but virulent it added to the sweet malts and spicy hops.
Drinkability: Probably the best part of the make-up. I found this to be a very drinkable offering. The Hops are the main player but the sweet malts and Red character is there. A very West Coast take on a style that has been done to death in many BrewPubs. This is a nice twist on a style that is definitely not one of my favorites.
Overall: I think that this one would go well with spicy food. Very enjoyable, and a good session offering. A Recommended Beer of the Month, during Happy Hour its a steal at $2 a Glass.
2,015 characters
Hop Head Red from Belmont Brewing Company
3.85
out of 5
based on 37 ratings.