Hop Ranch or DirtWolf

I prefer Dirtwolf. However the last case of Dirtwolf I got wasn't very good at all. Tasted off flavored for some reason. The hop ranch this year tastes different from last year. Last year it tasted very oniony to me and I wasn't a fan. This years tastes very Berry/Peachy. A bit sweeter than I remember as well.

 

FYI...Hop Ranch arrived at Capone's in East Norriton and at the Wegman's in King of Prussia. Called Austins Beverage in Collegeville and the Beer Yard in Wayne...neither of them had received it. I thought that was stange. I will pick up a four pack and check it out before getting a case.

 

They ruined DirtWolf after it came out, hopefully they didn't do the same to Hop Ranch. I've heard rumors. I'll have to wait until I can find it to see.

 

I find both outstanding but like the fruity brightness of Hop Ranch a little more than the more resiny and boozy Dirt Wolf.

Hop Ranch at 9% may be the lightest drinking double IPA's out there. It goes down more similar to a hoppy Pale Ale/IPA 2-3% lower in ABV.

As far as onion flavor...I found it in a few of the Hop Ranch's but not all last year. Weird inconsistency and that was within the same 4 pack. I just noticed the same thing (for 2nd time) ever with Union's Double Duckpin.

 

How so?

 

I picked up a 4 pack of Hop Ranch today. I believe it said Enjoy By March 14, 2015 on the bottle. The color looked like your beers from 2013. Maybe there's variation between batches?

 

Maybe..I had one last night and it is still pouring dark for me.

Edit and my case says Enjoy by April 25th 2015.

 

For a beer just hitting the market, that's a big difference between the two enjoy-by dates!

 

I haven't heard anything confirmed, but when it first came out it was awesome. Then it disappeared for a while, and when it reappeared, it was not nearly as good. I thought it was an off batch perhaps but I just revisited the beer a few weeks ago and it was still the same.

 

Initially they staggered the shipments and demand was high so it hit and went. Then the flooded the market and it got old. The beer didn't change.

 

Maybe, but I had fresh bottles and it is still nowhere near as good as it was when it first came out.

 

My bottles have the April 25th enjoy by date. Had to HR's last night. Darker in color than last year and I am going to hold off on my opinion. Have a cold and that my be impacting how I feel about it. It does seem different from last year. I am not getting that onion/garlic vibe it had last year.

 

any nj guys find Hop Ranch yet? can't find it anywhere in Morris County. hopefully it hits before it reaches the 4 week old mark. i remember it being available this time last year.

 

lol the 4 week old mark

 

Just found some hop ranch (best by may 3) on my way to work this morning. Loved it last year...can't wait to crack one tonight.

 

Drinking Enjoy By May 3rd Hop Ranch. Never got around to trying last year's so nothing really to compare it by for me. But really liking it, absolutely delicious. Similar in color to the above posters pictures from last year. Definitely prefer this over DirtWolf which I'm not overly fond of. Cheers

 

couldn't disagree more.

 

I’ve actually signed up after over one and a half years of lurking to provide a field report on the 2014 hop ranch.

Initial disturbing reports of bad batches of hop ranch with a seeming amber ale coloring (NN in cans this year?!!?!?!) were tempered by the revelation that hop ranch was out early. A call to the local case house reveled an inbound delivery later this very afternoon and further touting of the 4-packs already landed at the bottle shop. A quick decanting of one of 4-pack revealed the straw-colored goodness of the past. Off to the beer store. 2 separate shipments of best by May 3 2015 were evaluated.

Visuals: Milky white head that dissipates in mere milliseconds reveling a largely carbonation free straw colored body with a light sprinkling of white particulates at the bottom. Taste: Is it grapefruit? Stonefruit? Pineapple? Berries? Whatever it is scarily drinkable, but it would take a spectrometer to detect any alcohol. The 9% must be a lie. And any bitterness which seems to anywhere and nowhere in my mouth is balanced by a seeming chalkiness, the gentleness of warm milk and a hot towel. I could give this to anyone to enjoy, even hop phobics.

Not as adventurous as Dirtwolf or many other IPAs but you can session it without a buildup of oily bitterness or heaviness in the body or excessive carbonation. The only thing to stop you is the ABV. And that must be a lie. Is there any beer at 9% that goes down this easy? Tell me and I’ll get some. This is THE session IPA for those that want their sessions to end in a blackout. The only thing changed between this year’s vintage and last years will be that I can’t share this one with my dad.

2014 has been a year of firsts for me: Sculpin, Two-Hearted, and Perpetual in Cans, County Line IPA without an Indian rower, The Shape of Hops to Come in anything. Non-ironic flannel and chainsaws, the session IPA, watching people die, and Habaneros in beer. Hop Ranch still stands tall despite all my new experiences and disappointments.

P.S. Also know this site was near daily respite during most troubling times. Sorry for drunk posting.