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Hopside Down India Style Pale Lager
Widmer Brothers Brewing Company
- From:
- Widmer Brothers Brewing Company
- Oregon, United States
- Style:
- India Pale Lager (IPL)
- ABV:
- 6.7%
- Score:
- 84
- Avg:
- 3.7 | pDev: 10.54%
- Reviews:
- 100
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Oct 03, 2019
- Added:
- Mar 27, 2013
- Wants:
- 14
- Gots:
- 62
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jploving:
Reviewed by jploving from South Carolina
3.12/5 rDev -15.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5
3.12/5 rDev -15.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5
Let me start off by saying this...I appreciate the idea of a hoppy lager-and I appreciate many of the beers the Widmer has produced-but this one falls a bit short.
When I opened up the bottle there was a big hit a earthy hop aroma----immediatley reminded me of Red Hook's Longhammer IPA.
As pour it I can see that the alcohol content and the body are not going to mesh to my personal preferance---a little bit thin. That may be due to the lager style, but I did not feel it held up to the hoppiness that was present in the taste.
I did like the fact that it kept the true lager appearance, which is why i gave it a better than average rating for appearance.
The hop flavors were more earthy than fruity-strong pine resin w/ sublte hints of grapefuit and grapefruit rind....seems to me we are missing some complexity.
I feel that this may be a beer developed for novice hopheads-young people that have started to appreciate hoppy beers but are still trying to learn balance-I hope that does not offend anyone-as I feel if i had discovered this beer 15 years ago, I would have loved it.
But now that I am a little older than i was back then...I say this beer is pretty average.
3 out of 5
May 01, 2013When I opened up the bottle there was a big hit a earthy hop aroma----immediatley reminded me of Red Hook's Longhammer IPA.
As pour it I can see that the alcohol content and the body are not going to mesh to my personal preferance---a little bit thin. That may be due to the lager style, but I did not feel it held up to the hoppiness that was present in the taste.
I did like the fact that it kept the true lager appearance, which is why i gave it a better than average rating for appearance.
The hop flavors were more earthy than fruity-strong pine resin w/ sublte hints of grapefuit and grapefruit rind....seems to me we are missing some complexity.
I feel that this may be a beer developed for novice hopheads-young people that have started to appreciate hoppy beers but are still trying to learn balance-I hope that does not offend anyone-as I feel if i had discovered this beer 15 years ago, I would have loved it.
But now that I am a little older than i was back then...I say this beer is pretty average.
3 out of 5
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada
3.53/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.53/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
One of the more interesting Widmer beers, this is basically an IPL. Familiar beer appearance, golden, above average clarity 2/3" white head. Aroma was equal parts lager yeast and kind of a woody, pine and grapefruit like aroma from the hops. Cascade I believe. Spare a lot of expense.
Alchemy hops do the bittering, nothing unique or specific, there, just a blend of "hand selected" hops which basically comes off as old school C hops, which is fine. More of that pine and grapefruit impact. Slight rye like body, easily pushed by the hops but perceived as a malt like bitterness/spicy kick. Bitterness in the 60ibu range I would guess. Its a pretty middling IPL, but where it becomes an easy purchase is the price. You get these for around $1.25, which makes it a no brainer, they're pretty serviceable year round even though it only comes out in the spring.
Jul 17, 2019Alchemy hops do the bittering, nothing unique or specific, there, just a blend of "hand selected" hops which basically comes off as old school C hops, which is fine. More of that pine and grapefruit impact. Slight rye like body, easily pushed by the hops but perceived as a malt like bitterness/spicy kick. Bitterness in the 60ibu range I would guess. Its a pretty middling IPL, but where it becomes an easy purchase is the price. You get these for around $1.25, which makes it a no brainer, they're pretty serviceable year round even though it only comes out in the spring.
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont
3.65/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.65/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Pours transparent slightly golden mostly yellow and leaves the same colored body, leaves a one finger white foamy head that quickly dies within a half a minute, barely any lacing shows any presence, but what there is clings slightly in rings; the aroma has citrusy hops, just a little bit of malt, and a bit of spiciness coming through, the flavor is slightly sweet, citrusy, spicy; long lasting spicy aftertaste, quick dry finish; its pretty easy on the palate; overall, good American Pale Lager that I would have again.
Jun 05, 2017Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)
3.76/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.76/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
12oz bottle - c'mon, add IPL to the database here, already! Also, nice to see Widmer's regular stuff finally make it up here to Alberta.
This beer pours a clear, bright medium golden yellow colour, with two chubby fingers of puffy, rocky, and mildly bubbly off-white head, which leaves a bit of sudsy continental drift lace around the glass as it lazily recedes.
It smells of bready and doughy caramel malt, muddled domestic citrus, a twinge of earthy yeast, and testy leafy, weedy, and piney green hop bitters. The taste is grainy and lightly toasted caramel malt, orange and lemon zest, more down-low yeastiness, a minor sense of metallic alcohol unchecked, and some further leafy, grassy, and wet piney hoppiness.
The carbonation is pretty low-key in its at times barely palpable frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and mostly smooth, with a small airy creaminess batting away the doubting Thomas hoppy interlopers. It finishes well off-dry, as the sweetness of the inherent malt, coupled with the varied lingering fruitiness, wins the day.
Overall, a pleasant enough tipple, one that seems very much like an IPA, except for that particular lager yeast character that stands out like a sore thumb. Easy to drink, with the elevated booze quotient really of no concern - I could see killing a (much cheaper than it is around here) sixer of these while camping outside of Portland, fo sho.
Aug 02, 2016This beer pours a clear, bright medium golden yellow colour, with two chubby fingers of puffy, rocky, and mildly bubbly off-white head, which leaves a bit of sudsy continental drift lace around the glass as it lazily recedes.
It smells of bready and doughy caramel malt, muddled domestic citrus, a twinge of earthy yeast, and testy leafy, weedy, and piney green hop bitters. The taste is grainy and lightly toasted caramel malt, orange and lemon zest, more down-low yeastiness, a minor sense of metallic alcohol unchecked, and some further leafy, grassy, and wet piney hoppiness.
The carbonation is pretty low-key in its at times barely palpable frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and mostly smooth, with a small airy creaminess batting away the doubting Thomas hoppy interlopers. It finishes well off-dry, as the sweetness of the inherent malt, coupled with the varied lingering fruitiness, wins the day.
Overall, a pleasant enough tipple, one that seems very much like an IPA, except for that particular lager yeast character that stands out like a sore thumb. Easy to drink, with the elevated booze quotient really of no concern - I could see killing a (much cheaper than it is around here) sixer of these while camping outside of Portland, fo sho.
Hopside Down India Style Pale Lager from Widmer Brothers Brewing Company
Beer rating:
84 out of
100 with
563 ratings
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