A Whole Lotta Hippo

I am unreservedly a self confessed hop head. I love big American hoppy beers and think that there is no other breweries in the world that can match the Americans in this style of beer. So tonight for a treat I opened my last bottle of Hop-A-Lot-Amus, from River Horse Brewing Company in New Jersey. This is a serious beer, an unfiltered double IPA weighing in at 8.5%.

The beer pours a burnt orange colour, with lots of haze. The head is ample and subsides to give a thin creamy head. A lovely aroma of grapefruit, orange peel and sweet malt, with a hint of the alcohol that this beer possesses. Medium bodied with a coating effect to your mouth and throat. The taste is very distinct, hops are to the fore and overpower every other flavour in this beer. The hops are so strong it is difficult to discern the flavours as the taste of the hops assault all of the flavour sensors in your mouth. There is a strong bitterness and dryness on the finish that leads you to take another sip, even if your mouth is still recovering from the last!

Many people will taste this and think that it is an oddity, a circus freak of a beer not to be tried again. I have to say that I would disagree, although it is unbelievably unbalanced, any beer that can have the effect of making you feel that you have been slapped in the face while you take a sip is a winner in my book. Enjoy, but maybe only buy the one to see if this is a beer for you.