Hoppy Together
DuClaw Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

Aroma is fruit and hoppy/mild sugar/candy. The flavor is fruit/citrus, big tropical fruit, malts, mild sugar/candy in the middle and a slightly tart/hoppy finish.

Hazed golden appearance. Fairly large off white head fades to a wisp leaving scant lacing. Yeasty, fruity aroma; noticing some melon among the citrus. Taste comes across as tart before the hops roll in. Aftertaste repeats that perception but with a spicier edge. Clean, dry finish. Nicely carbonated, medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, pretty darn satisfying.

Look: Hazy yellow. One finger of thick white head with decent retention.

Smell: Distinct pine and bitter hops, with a slight citrus fruitiness.

Taste: Surprisingly mild and very balanced. Generally citrusy and acidic, with a very mild sourness at the back end, accompanied by light resinous hops. Bitterness is almost unnoticeable, but the beer distinctively lacks the high sweetness or puckering sourness of many wild ales.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and smooth, with decent carbonation.

Overall: An unusual experiment that turned out perfectly.

Overall good beer. Slightly bitter, just slightly but it lingers for a while. Good and smooth from start to finish. Copper color white head and no lacing to speak of.

Like two peas in a pod, DuClaw brewers slyly put together two of the hottest trends in beer: hoppy and sour. With a beer out there like this, I can't see me drinking nobody but you.

With a light golden pour, the frothy Hoppy Together eases in to an herbal fruitiness that rolls off of the foam to tease the nose with citrus and botanical greens. A gentle sweetness of sourdough, wheat germ and light honey touch down on the palate in a traditional Gose kind of way.

As the citrus captivate the middle palate with its strong lemon overtones, the suggestions of lemon radler come about. But in its stronger alcohol content and its piquant sourness, the beer proves to do much more. While the hops rise to intertwine with the fruit, it brings its own taste of white grapefruit, orange peel, gooseberry, blackberry, lime and passionfruit for a rounded and bright session. Trending playfully bitter, herbal and sprucy in a gin-and-tonic kind of way.

Medium light in body, the beer is lighter and drier for IPA but certainly a bit fuller than most sour ale. But right smack-dab in the middle starts to appease the fans of both hops and acid. Deceptive at 7.1% abv, Hoppy Together finishes expectedly bitter-sour but with a mild with a bready substrate and a short aftertaste of sourdough and lemonade once more.