Hop Growers Tribute Series: Mac Hops
Russian River Brewing Company

 

 

Looks great with light SRM and good clarity, but a bit scanty head. Smell is dreamy with bright, grassy/fruity NZ hops. Slight yeasty foreground in the aroma earns 0.25 point demerit. Flavor delivers all that the aroma promises with no malt character to blunt the package…lack of malt leads to a slightly thin mouthfeel overall which is my biggest gripe about this beer, but a small one at that. Pretty good overall and rewarded me for picking up a bottle based solely on the reputation of Russian River!

 

 

510 ml Bottle
Bottled On: 08/26/25

Poured into a Trillium glass a pretty nice hazy pale yellow color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice thick/creamy one-finger plus white head, which also leaves some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is very nice, hoppy, malty, with a very nice citrus complex (orange, tangerine, grapefruit, pineapple, melon), very nice pinyness. The taste is very nice, hoppy, malty, with a very nice citrus complex (orange, tangerine, pineapple, grapefruit, melon), very nice pinyness. Medium body, ABV hidden very well, with a pretty nice dry/bitter finish. Overall, this is a very tasty beer.

 

 

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a moderately hazy, light to medium golden amber with a half finger white head with good retention an light lacing. Aroma of pale malt, mixed fruit hops, pineapple, mango, grape, apple and a little lemon. Flavor is pale malt, grapefruit, mixed tropical fruit, catty dankness, lemon; black pepper spiciness. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. I've enjoyed the Hop Growers series over the years and even though this is mostly New Zealand hops (not my favorites), I had to give it a try. As usual with RR brews, the pour was aromatic with a fairly complex mixture of fruit notes. The taste was somewhat simpler and mostly dominated by grapefruit. The main overlap between the aroma and taste was tropical fruit, although it was a lighter component of the flavor. Since this poured fairly hazy, I was hoping for some good bitterness and it delivered with a peppery finishing bitterness I liked quite a bit. For a New Zealand hop IPA, I enjoyed this more than usual, but I'm still not sold on down under hop flavors.

 

 

 

Lightly hazy, golden yellow body; somewhat sparse yet lively carbonation; decent head, white, initially loose and sudsy and then a more compact and semi-creamy appearance with a rolling softness on top. Nice scent; a bit of berry, a touch of wet thyme, a dab of soft floral notes. Mild mannered flavors; white grapefruit pith and delicate citrus tones; fairly strong hop bitterness; New Zealand hop flavors: Nelson Sauvin, Moutueka, Riwaka. Medium body; semi-dry feel.

I'm not a hop expert, but it looks like two of the three hops I mentioned are part of this beer's hop profile (Nelson Sauvin and Riwaka -- with two others: Rakau and Nectaron), so I wasn't too far off with this aspect of the beer. Overall, this is a decent enough India pale ale but wouldn't be one I would regularly purchase. Still, I have a second bottle on hand, so perhaps I'll 'age' it for a bit and see if things change.

ABV: 6.5%; pouring temperature: 44.5 °F; bottling info: 082625
Source: local purchase (Coaltrain Fine Wine, Craft Beer & Spirits)

Similar experience to a Happy Hops, but way sweeter and more citrusy. Not malty so the sweetness probably comes from the Nectaron hops. A great beer, but Happy Hops is better overall in my opinion.