Arcadia Hop Rocket 11th Anniversary Ale

Brewed by Arcadia Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Battle Creek, Michigan USA

Clear amber body with a small off-white head, lasting cover. Moderately sweet and very hoppy nose with grapefruit, cat urine, tangerine, flowers, caramel and cotton candy. Moderately sweet, moderately bitter taste with lots of caramel, honey, tea, tangerine and grapefruit. Full body is soft and sticky with moderate carbonation and a bitter end.

12oz bottle. Medium deep amber-orange color, unfiltered. Intense truly grapefruit aroma. The grapefruit characteristics also come through in the taste. I think beers like this one and Bells Hopslam have really raised the bar in terms of super hoppy beers. The hoppy flavors of course dominate, but I also pick up a little amber malt tastes. Great beer, maximum recommendation to the hopheads.

bottle thanks to drewbeerme....pours golden orange brown, fairly opaque but not muddy. a thin soapy off-white head topped it off....very aromatic bouquet of tropical fruit and grapefruit hops, some underlying candied sugar, and faint pine bitterness..... tropical and grapefruit hop flavors domoinate and more of a bitter pine component comes into play but not to the point of being astringent. bitterness lingers in the aftertaste for awhile. nice creamy and fluffy mouthfeel. very drinkable.

Bottle... VBWT2008... Hazy golden ale with a small, creamy, white head. Excellent retention. The nose is all about PNW hops... orange peel, pink grapefruit and pine needles. Full-bodied with a silky mouthfeel and judicious carbonation. Toffee and crystal malt sweetness up front; heavy hop bitterness and moderate tanginess bring up the rear. Finishes tangy and bitter (more tangy than bitter). Bottle shipped my way by pepsican. Thanks, Andy!

The hop wars have taken beer drinking to the point where the thrill and shock of hoppy beer may be wearing off. I’m a hop head. I love Port’s Wipe Out and 15. I adore Two Hearted Ale. I buy up the seasonal Hop Slam - and if I still lived in Michigan - I would buy Hop Wallop. And if I could, I’d keep my fridge full of Dogfish Head and Victory. The hoppy IPAs are among my favorite beers. But they also struggle to outdo one another. Hop Rocket is an example of this struggle. As an IPA, it is probably Arcadia’s best. As an anniversary, it marks the repeating trope of a typical American IPA. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But it makes a purchase of Hop Rocket about the same as a purchase of any of the above beers. In other words, what’s next for the IPA? Do IPAs continue to clone one another or will one take the style in a different direction? Two Hearted, in fact, may be the example of an IPA that is different. Arcadia, brewed not too far from Two Hearted, is good, but is also a clone. And at almost 12 a four pack, it’ s a bit of an overpriced clone.

Very nicely balanced DIPA. The usual pine and citrus, but not some much of them that your tounge hurts. All the hops come together well. Nice and crisp with a good thick palate. Nice.

Pours a transparent copper orange with a spotty-lacing white head. Aroma of fresh grapefruity hops and lightly sweet pale malt. Body starts with a decent full and sweet caramel maltiness along with big fresh citrusy grapefruity hoppy presence before a drier, bittersweet crisp finish. Nicely balanced and pretty drinkable IIPA.

Tasted 2/17/08. 12oz bottle. Filtered with a golden amber hue. Spotty white head. Big bright hop nose. Tart grassy citrus grapefruit pepper and berries. Quite a complex nose. Full bodied and bitter. Big hops and big alcohol. Good rubbery alcohol. Sticky finish and a touch musty. Coating and bitter. Mild malt backbone. Tart and sour with a touch sweetness. The sweetness ebbs as the beer warms. Nice melding and a rolling palate. Honey herbal hops. Wonderful complex hop palate. Delicious!