Hop Project #38
Yazoo Brewing Company

The appearance was very nice, a rich mellow amber color with a good amount of clarity. I was surprised to see some sediment in the bottom of it to be honest, but still very nice looking indeed. Lots of active carbonation coming up from the bottom and a nice three inch head of white foam that came across the top.

Nice rounded floral display here, with hints of grapefruit, range, and tangerine. Some light fresh grass in the mix as well, really giving a good solid hop profile. Nice light grain base in the nose. The flavor was smooth, crisp and clean. Started with a nice rush of light citrus flavors, grapefruit and pineapple the most prominent. Nice light malt base then came in, giving the slightest bit of a biscuit like taste to it, but quickly shuttering aside for a nice bit of pine hops. Very nice finish here with a good drawn out bitter and dry taste. Long lasting citric flavor was light, but enough to warrant me coming back for another sip.

An easy session ale for me as nothing was really over done and it was just a smooth experience.

Picked up a sixer on my last Nashville trip...

Golden pour with a surprisingly nice and persistent head... A bit hazy...

Zesty spicy hop aromas with more of a peppery kick to them... Hoppiness seems a bit faint here...

Spicy peppery hop kick over the top of a solid malt base... Hops seem different than others... Not sure in a good way either... No lingering bitterness or citrusy juiciness...

The Hop Project series started out terrific with a few misses here and there but lately there seem to be more misses... I know they experiment with different hop combinations which is cook and all but I haven't been feeling the last few.. Very mediocre..

Bottle extra sent from photekut (thanks JR!). It pours a deep copper color, very clear, with a thick and sticky looking white foam. All kinds of chunky lace on the glass too, very nice appearance.

It smells strongly of wort, lots of malt in this particular IPA. The hops are there too, not really floral but more green, and like in Alex' review I get some soap too. It tastes a little more hops-forward than it smells, with a light citric edge and a lasting bitterness in the after-taste. I'm thinking the yeast comes through in a way not unlike some homebrews I've had.

Well carbonated and so forth, light bodied and poundable. Maybe just a little too acrid in bitterness for my tastes bit I could see others enjoying it. I appreciated the chance to try it and wouldn't mind seeing where their other hops projects go.

Thanks to JR for sending me a few random Hop Projects. Can't seem to find a blog entry for this one on Yazoo's site so I'm going in blind. Served in a Surly pint glass. Bottled the third week of October.

A - Pours with two fingers of soapy orange-tinged foam that slowly dissolves leaving behind specks and splotches of lace and a thick cap. Transparent golden body that is quite attractive. There are a few stray tiny bubbles.

S - Hop character is extremely leafy and grassy, with some soap, and perhaps a faint bit of lemon zest. Reminded me of some hoppy German lagers I've had. The malt character is heavy in grain and bread.

T - The taste features a bit more citrus sweetness to complement the herbal notes. There's some peppery black tea and earthy character as well, and a yeasty "generic" beer finish.

M - Carbonation is zesty and active, but thankfully not harsh. Body is medium in density and quite smooth. Finishes sticky with some oily hop resins too. No obvious alcohol.

D - Not sure what to make of this one - it's has more in common with noble hopped German or English beers than it does with American IPAs. I guess that's part of the experimental nature of the series. The bitterness combined with the yeasty aftertaste is a bit off-putting, but otherwise this was pretty easy to finish.