I had high hopes for this bad boy until I cracked the top and discovered it was a twist-off. Unlike the amazing Huma Lupa Licious, which I should review soon, this beer is remarkably “un-hoppy.” It claims to have six hops. It isn’t clear to me if this is the number of varieties or if it is merely the number of hops in a keg.
I wanted to love this but I must say that it’s a surprisingly malty IPA. Don’t get me wrong, I tire of the mega-IPA’s that feel/taste like you’re drinking sugar water. This ain’t that kind of beer. In that sense, it is refreshingly dry. To me, the problem is that the “maltiness” overwhelms the hoppiness. Compare that to the Huma Lupa Licious from Shorts Brewing and you will discern a major difference in hop intensity. This beer is disturbingly middle ground. It doesn’t have the hops it claims but the malt levels can’t touch the Shorts Brewing Bellaire Brown, in terms of flavor. (OK, I’m on kind of a Short’s Brewing rant here but I’m not a total fanboy…their Pandemonium Pale Ale bores the crap out of me). Bottom line, if someone hands you this or a typical USA brew, feel totally justified in accepting this beer. However, if you’re looking into investing $9.00 in an exciting new mega-hopped 4-pack, this brew will leave you cold.
