Hop Jack IPA
Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company (Downtown)

 

 

 

a: The beer is a bright orange amber in color, slightly cloudy, with a large-bubbled amber head and nice retention.

s: Smooth caramel malt backbone with cask tempered fruity hops.

m: ultra-low carbonation and a medium body

t: Fruity hops (Kool-Aid?). Mild caramel and amber malts. Dirty and earthy in character.

d: easy

another one of the many rotating Dane ipa's on cask, the night after the taste

appearance: served in an imperial pint glass...bubbly beige head with a nice soapy lacing...body is a murky orange amber

smell: nicely hopped aroma - orange and grapefruit lead the way, light spruce, nice ruby reds

taste: I think i like the texas speedbump ipa a little better, but this is a solid everyday beer from the Dane and its best on cask...the body is a little flat due to the cask but the flavour profile is delightfully hoppy, championed by a ruby red grapefruit punch, bitter orange, and dripping pines. the hop effect is pungent and any malts are buried beneath

mouthfeel: a touch flat, oily and slick

drinkability: easy

Appearance: Cloudy, light copper-orange color; similar to Troegs Hopback and almost deep enough to look like an ESB; not much head to this beer - 1/3 inch, which didn't last past the beer being placed on the table.

Aroma: Definite citrus and anise hops finish, but not as aggressive as I'd expected - this seemed to be a function of the temperature, as it was served pretty cold. The sweet sour finish didn't suggest any malt emphasis at all.

Taste: Hops on the front palate, with a bitter finish. Not mush middle palate at all, with no initial caramels, malt or yeast suggestions. As the beer warmed up, it developed some honey and caramel notes and a little orange, but for the most part this beer remains hop-heavy and bitter. To its credit, Hopjack doesn't leave a lingering astringent aftertaste, which not only allowed me to continue enjoying some of the more subtle notes, but also made it a nice beer to enjoy outside in the sun.

Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation and a medium body - not as heavy as other hoppy ales, though the bitterness did slow me down a little initially. Not as smooth as other Great Dane offerings, but the name would tend to suggest that that wasn't the brewers' aim.

Drinkability: While this has a slightly heavier body, it could be a good session beer for hopheads, though the lack of competing flavors may leave some feeling flat. Much of my reaction is based on the beer being served a little too cold, as the second half warned up and was much nicer than the first. Nonetheless, easy on the way down and definitely a nice spring or summer ale.

A: Utter murk suspended in a bronzed gold-brown body. Minimal khaki foam.

N: Pot like hop resins, grapefruit…heck, a grapefruit eating contest where the winner ate forty-four ruby reds and then burped into a fan blowing air into a tube connected to your nostrils. Did you get that? There’s a lot of grapefruit. Blue Spruce and gin.

T: Gin with a slice of grapefruit filtered through spruce and juniper twigs. Biscuit flavors in the first few sips. After that the palate cannot taste malts.

MF: Oily as Arabia. Bitter as they come. Completely unbalanced. Full to very full body.

Drinkability: Moderate to good. Surprising considering the hop level and full body.

On-tap at the downtown location.

Is this beer or fresh-pressed apple cider? Golden brown and murky, completely opaque with a skim of khaki foam atop. Nose is lush, juicy and straight up dank with dripping grapefruit, hop resin and another certain resin. A real quaffer here, couldn't get my nose out of it. Taste doesn't let the nose down either. A total, unbridled hop monster here. Balanced? Absolutely not. Gobs of citrus give a sweetness to back the extreme piney bitterness. Mouthfeel is full-bodied, but I couldn't get enough nonetheless. I would gladly drink this to my own oblivion or until my tastebuds are fried, whichever comes first. Godly stuff here. The hophead Holy Grail.

Dusty bronze colored. Sparce, but tight beige cream on top.
The nose is full of pine and grapefruit and pipe-scrapings. Resinous and lightly sweet, and even a touch smoky. Reefer, spruce, and ruby grapefruits. This is hop juice. Straight-up. Monster bitter. Teetering on the ill-defined "double IPA" threshold. And in that respect, it is wonderfully done. The malt is shortbread, and generally dry, and maybe even under attended. It matters little, as this does not even pretend to strive for balance. Alcohol is noticed late, and adds gin hues.
Huge bodied and full (again, suggesting IIPA classification). This is a beauty on cask.
This is a bit of a bad-ass for session attempts. But that failed to stop me in the moment.