Whole Hog Six Hop IPA

     Today I will be reviewing Whole Hog Six Hop IPA, which is an American Imperial IPA. I really enjoyed Whole Hog’s Pumpkin Ale, so I picked up another four pack of a different variety. This was the beer boasting six hops.

     The dominant aroma is floral hops and sweet bready malt. There is not as much hop aroma as you would expect from a bottle boasting so many hops, but stating that a beer has six hops does not really say it contains copious amounts of those six hops, just that there are six. This marketing ploy did its job and got me to buy the bottle. There is more to the aroma than floral hops and bready malt. There is also a nice caramel presence as well as some underlying citrus notes and spicy alcohol. For my personal expectations of an IPA, the aroma seems a bit weak, but hops do dominate the aroma. It may not be the citrus hop aroma that most of us in the US have come to expect from our IPA’s, but it is hops dominant none the less. 5 points

     The beer pours a nice khaki head that grudgingly disappears. It is a solid golden color with some decent clarity. It’s not crystal clear, but most IPA’s are not. As a matter of fact, the more hops you add, the hazier the beer can be, especially if the beer is dry hopped. The color is very appealing. 3 points

      Up front the beer is slightly sweet but is quickly masked by a thick bitterness from the hops. What I find most disappointing is that the hop presence is almost all bitterness with no flavor derived from the hops. In a good IPA you can get flavor from the hops as well as the bitterness and it is this two-pronged attack that can make a bitter IPA enjoyable, because of the depth from the hops is more than just a bittering agent.   The bitterness lasts long into the finish, very long. Pulling the malt out of the thick bitter mess is a bit difficult, but what I do find I really like. There is a lot of toasted toffee In this beer which is very good, and very sad that it is masked. There is also a bit of alcohol in the flavor that you  really get as you exhale. As the beer sits and warms, more malt comes forward, the bitterness seems to even out, but the alcohol also becomes more noticeable. 10 points

     There is a drying astringent feel to the beer but I am wondering if it is from the hops. Body seems just a bit thin. Carbonation is good for the style. 3 points

Overall, the beer is lacking depth. There really is nothing interesting about this beer. The malt does not stand up to the hops in the flavor. There needs to be some balance to make a good IPA and this beer is just way too bitter. Most hopheads crave the flavor and aroma from the hops, they may not be looking for just a bitter beer. My guess if it were to come to it, is that the cascade and cluster hops were early addition hops and due to the high cohumulone levels of those hops, gives you that harsh and overpowering bitterness. Another guess may be that a bulk of the hops are early additions. From the aroma and flavor, it just doesn’t appear that much thought was given to hop flavor or aroma. Just building a bitter brew. I think the major drawback to this beer is a recipe problem, and not really a brewing technique problem.  4 points.

I give this beer a 25 which is a good beer on the scoresheet. I do think the beer is good for the taste of some, but for me is lacking any depth and balance. For me a 25 would be a C.