Hoperation Ivy (Local Series #20)
Ska Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got this in my BIF box!

A: This dark orange bodied brew was topped with a 2 fingered frothy khaki colored head that had good retention and good lacing.

S: Hops are present, by are overshadowed by the sweet candied malts.

T: Smell transfers to the taste, I could literally slam this beer it was so drinkable. But, I like more of a hop profile in my IPA's.

M: Light, and relatively dry

O: Good beer that I enjoyed drinking, would be perfect for a hot summer day.

Found this at Argonaut on Colfax.

Dark orange complexion with 2 fingers of thin, but creamy, head. Nice retention all the way around and decent to light retention. Light visible bubble streams off the bottom of the glass.

Nose is very grassy and earthy. Almost a touch of peat. Light malt sweetness and faintest hint of citrus.

Heavy bread malt and wet, dank herbal grass come out initially. As the glass warms, I'm getting a bit of cherry life saver in the finish. More herbal than anything else, but there is a light pine creeping in.

Pretty chewy body for the style. Lots of malt backbone underneath the herbal flavor.

Decent beer and glad I gave it a try.

I believe that this is considered the "wet hop" or "fresh hop" ale from Ska. Sampled at the Colorado Rare Beer tasting at the Rackhouse Pub on 9/28.

Hoperation Ivy has nice clarity and a white head on it. Leaving smears of stalactite lace on my glass.

Smells of fresh piney hops. Wet and juicy... pretty inviting.

Fresh pine flavor and a ton of bitterness make this a hop bomb.

The mouthfeel is biting between a combination of high carbonation and strong hop bitterness.

Not bad, but it ain't exactly floatin' my boat either.

pours a very clear amber color with a thin head comprised of tiny bubbles. nose isn't anywhere nearly as hoppy as some other wet hops, however its got a mild nose of grassy hops. mouthfeel is perfect, lighter and crisp, vibrant. taste is mellow as well, not really featuring the hops as much as it might, but a really solid ale. furthermore, the freshness of this beer is second to none, its really truly one of the freshest tasting brews ive ever had. props for using local ingredients as well!

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a pint.

Pours a tarnished copper with about a finger of thick white head. Head hangs for a bit then recedes leaving some chunky lacing. Nose Is disappointly average, citrusy hops and some bready malts, nothing really that wows you. Taste is...interesting. Piney and citrusy hops with some odd (in a good way) spearmint notes, unfortunately it kind of lacks that wet hop dynamic I expected. Mouthfeel is also about what you would expect. Overall a good brew with some interesting points but kind of lacking in a sense, not bad at all though.

Bright amber color with nice fluffy white head that sticks.
Smells sweet and slightly caramelly with a fruity and woodsy hop edge.
Doesn't taste quite as caramelly as the nose hints at. Starts off fairly sweet and malty with a touch of specialty roast spice but gets balanced out by the full hoppy flavor without a big bite of bitterness.
Nice, full mouthfeel for an IPA, but not as rich and juicy as I expect from a wet/fresh hopped beer.