Hops Hoptoberfest
Hops Grillhouse & Brewery

GABF Weekend '08:

Pretty average for beer, but definately falls short within the style. The beer comes out a little over carbonated and failed to carry the head formation / retention that's expected. Copper-amber in color, light in hue. Aromas of part grain, part malt with toasty notes, light caramel, light breadiness, and subtle fruitiness. Flavors go much the same with a malt profile that falls too far on the grain side, createing light astringency later. Body is where the beer sacrifices most- thin and a bit watery with the grain-husk feel comming through late. Finishes with a mild grain, mild caramel flavor.

Sampled this beverage from a very unknowldegable bartender in Spartanburg, SC.

I first tried the Alligator Ale, which was actually a nice beer. However, the bartender served it in a frozen mug. But wait, theres more. After pullling the mug from the freezer, he rinsed it out with water!!!! So with a soaking wet mug out of the freezer, I drank the Alligator. I asked for the Hoptoberfest in a warm glass and all hell broke loose. "Hey man, we aint got no warm glasses in here." "Would you please find me one?" He then stomped off as if I had asked him to donate his kidney and leave his entire inheritance to me upon his eventual demise. 5-10 minutes later, I was poured a very lackluster beer. I digress once more: I asked him "What type of beer is it? Is it an IPA?" His reply "Nah man, its lighter than that. Its like a red beer I think." Anywhoo....

The beer poured with a tiny head that left almost immediately.

Nothing really in the smell. Didnt smell very "Oktobery". Mostly malt with no hops. Slight spices but they were so minimal I was unable to detect what spices they were. Maybe there werent any.

Average taste. It tasted red.

Gentle mouthfell. They were only $1.99 so that makes it pretty drinkable to me. One cent more and no way!

I am sampling this brew at the Manchester Connecticut location. The beer comes cold in a pint glass with minimal off white head. This dissipates almost immediately.
The color is a clear bronze with some ruby tints. Aroma is grainy malt with some caramel and a hint of floral hops. Very mild overall smell.
First sip reveals an average bodied brew with large prickly carbonation. Flavor is some caramel and even a bit of chocolate up front moves to a grainy husky middle and finish. This flavor lingers for a few seconds and fades. The beer is light and refreshing but not overly exciting or complex.

Tasted at the Koger Center Boulevard location in Richmond, VA. It was served way too cold, but its crystal-clear deep-amer body was capped by a short head of white foam that faded quickly leaving some minor, sticky lacing behind. The nose was limited and offered just a subtle note of toasted malt even when warmed. The body was medium and gently crisp in the mouth before warming to become ever-so-slightly creamy and smooth across the palate. There was a touch of yeasty sulphur in the flavor along with the expected "juicy" and mildly toasty Vienna malt. Balanced by a firm bitterness and some light acidity, it finished fairly dry and relatively short. A decent brew that proves that the Hops chain can put out some worthwhile beers.

Shiny clear orange color. Faint whisper of a head. Not much bready rich aroamas. Some sweet carmel and grainy sweetness. Taste was dominated by carbonation bubbles, some sweet carmel malt, not much else. No bready biscuit richness, no real body either. Not too surprising though considering the source, Hops seems to make every style weaken, bland, bubbly and thin. Except for the squirrell nut brown ale, I liked that one.

No way this is an Oktoberfest. Other than the amber color, this had little or no O-fest attributes. However, taken as a pale ale a little on the amber side, it was not bad. Malt was okay, but not really substantial enough. The hopping was pleasant and lightly floral. In comparision with Hops' other beers, this is one of the better selections. I started with a pint of this, then switched to the Alligator Ale, and quickly went back to this for the rest of the evening.

I'm still not a big fan of Hops beers (though I do think their food is not at all bad), but they do seem to be improving, at least at the Columbus/Polaris location. This year's Hoptoberfest looked a bit overly carbonated and slightly lighter in color than I would have liked. Other than that, though, it was not a bad attempt at an O'fest. Slightly sweet, caramel aromas and flavors, a touch of spiciness, and a clean lager finish. Nothing outstanding, but it went well with the Brats, which were excellent.