Beer Here Hoptilicus

Beer Here
Brewed at Søgaards Bryghus
Style: American Strong Ale
Køge, Denmark

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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500mL bottle, sent from Glouglouburp (thanks Dany), pours dark amber with a medium off-white head. Aroma of pungent grapefruit, floral hops, caramel malts and citrus. Flavour is quite harsh, with a barrage of hops above anything, a substantial amount of grapefruit, other baked fruits, citrus hops and a load of caramel malts that doesn’t blend so smoothly with the hops. Fantastic for what it is, though it is quite harsh and unbalanced. Enjoyable in moderation.

Tap, Plan B Aug. ’10. Finger of foamy light tan head on a darker amber orange color that’s mostly clear. Aroma is quite hoppy, pine and resin, but with lots of toffee and caramel, light sweetness too. Just way too sweet in the flavor, though. Resinous hops come in toward the end to save it a little, but the caramel and syrupy sweetness kill this for me. Body is heavier, and soft carbonation.

In short: A rich caramelized and fruity imperial red ale with a ton of resinous leafy hops with a spicy edge. Very good even if a bit harsh.
How: Bottle 500ml. Consumed relatively fresh (as fresh as it can be in North-America) two weeks after receiving it through private importation, more than one year before expiration date
The look: Cloudy dirty dark red body topped by a persistent small beige head
In long: The nose is mostly hop resin, a bit of leather/running shoe and freshly baked fruits. Taste is more of the same. The beer is very fruity and it has the usual suspects of grapefruits and friends. But mostly I found the fruit flavor here to be a mix bag of fresh baked fruits (berries, citrusy fruits, etc.). The beer is uber-hoppy, I don’t know why this is not classified as a Double IPA (currently American Strong Ale). The hop profile is very resinous and that yields the beer an oily sensation. Bitterness level is pretty high and the bitterness is sharp and the resinous leafy hops add a spiciness in the after-taste. Everything is tied up together by luscious caramel. The rich thick caramelized body is probably the reason it is considered an American Strong Ale and not a Double IPA. Very nourishing. The harsh bitter spicy astringent finish is a bit too abrasive for my liking so I’m removing a few points. But overall this is a very satisfying beer. I love that label with the cute dinosaur spitting fire and drinking a beer, and I’m not childish, I am very mature for my age, my doctor told me I had the liver of an 80 year old man.

Reddish brown. Not much head. Aroma is caramel and berries. Much like a barley wine. Tastes bitter. Berries, dried fruits and pines.

Dark brown body, white head. Aroma of deep dark fruits and raisins. This is nice IPA, but really on the dark side. Everything good, nothing fresh.

My Bottom Line:
Potent hop resins develop plenty of floral notes and rough bitterness after a comfortable mouthfeel had been the scene for berry-laced caramel and bread. This is quite satisfying if you are in the mood for intensity, but it is not that memorable in its category.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A creamy sheet of foam dwindles atop the mahogany opacity.
-Citrusy protrusions .
-Alcohol gets smothered by the stringent, unlevelled bitterness.
-The sweet floral flavors are redolent of rose water at times.
-This felt like an American-style Barley Wine, and a very decent one at that. Perhaps too intense in the finish to be had often.

Bottle.

(Bottle 2/4-2011) Looks great but head fade rather quickly. Delivers what it promise, a raging bitter dragon in your mouth with a good aroma.

Bottle… Mostly clear, deep, dark, burnt-orange ale with a large, fluffy, mushroom-colored head. Excellent retention. The olfactory highlights include fallen fruit esters and rye-like spiciness. Also, hints of dried plum and sorghum molasses nibble at my nose. Full-bodied with fizzy carbonation. Flavor-wise, this beer presents great balance. Huge dark fruit and fallen fruit maltiness is countered by acute, tannic hop bitterness. Finishes bittersweet and a bit estery. I would love to try a fresher bottle of this someday. Thanks to Plovmand for shipping this brew across the pond!

Amber brown with a very thin and disappearing white bubbly head. Pleasant perfumy nose, very floral, medium body, oily, bitterness in balance with the bready malts. Aftertaste is a little weak. It’s a nice beer but would have probably benefit of being consumed fresher. It’s a long boat ride for such a beer...

500ml bottle, cloudy dark amber hue, with a thick beige head, sweet toasted, caramelized malt, floral leafy, grassy, candied citrus hop nose, with some light minty, piney, cedary accents and some toffee, bready, cookie dough, tea leaf notes, within a molasse, bran muffin, caramelized brown sugar, toasted bread, coniferous, marmalade aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a warmth, nice yeasty, fruity, toasted, caramelized, biscuity malt, juicy flowery candied citrus peel, piney, grassy hop character, with toffeeish, lemon, grapefruit rind, minty flavours, with a candi sugar sweetness backbone, and some lemon marmalade undertones, leading towards a warming, malty, lemon peel citrusy, minty, piney, cedary, coniferous hop bitterness finish.