Dark Star Hophead

Brewed by Dark Star
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Haywards Heath, England

Cask at County Hotel JDW, Ashford. One of my favourite all time beers. Golden in colour with wonderful citrus, grassy, hoppy flavours. The malt gives it some red berry notes and the finish is long and hoppy and dry. Simply fantastic session beer I can drink all night. 4.7/5 Re-rate, gravity dispense cask at Butcher’s Arms, Herne. The grapefruit sherbert hop is stunning.

Funny rating this beer... I didn’t give it quite top marks in every area for one reason... theres always room for improvement, isn’t there???? Old Cross Tavern, Hertford

Cask Conditioned @ Reading Festival and elsewhere. A modern American style bitter that bursts the floodbanks, breaks through the heart and bleeds citric juice all over the place. High and mighty and standing proud as a wounded soldier.

Light golden colour, light hoppy nose, intensely refreshing and totally drinkable. Always a winner this beer.

Cask at the Evening Star, Brighton England on 29th August 2009. Pale golden with a white effervescent head of foam. Exquisitely hoppy with floral aromas and well balanced grassiness in the main kick - this being offset by soothing feelgood malt. Refreshing and easy drinking on a crisp, mildly textured mouthfeel. At the Evening Star, Hophead is served on its absolute best, and always knocks me sideways with its flavour at such a low strength. Superb and one of my favourite beers of all time.

Sampled cask conditioned at Akkurat, Stockholm.
Golden colour. Strong citrusy hop aroma. Sweet and light bodied. Soft and gently rounded, flowery, very bitter finsih. Very elegant with malt profile. Packed with flavour, oh god is this beer really only 3.8%? A glorious beer served in perfect condition.

Cask at the 7 Stars (excellent pub BTW), october 07. Shinny, golden color with a small white head that last for quite a while and leaves some lacing. Citric, piney, spicy aroma. Very perfumey. Spicy, citric, profound hoppy flavor with some pale ale malts notes and a tea like end. Very nice. Medium to light palate, very tasty and refreshing. Nice spicy hops aftertaste. Great for such a light beer. Amazingly drinkable and tasty hoppy golden bitter.

(Rating 500) Gravity, served by Fin at the Merton BF. Warm gold pour, small but sticky white layer of foam. This is just a gorgeous smelling beer, full of sunny early-summer citrus perfume. Delicate crisp citrus bitterness--a wonderful expression of the hop actually being a flower! A touch of round biscuit warmth in the finish adds depth and balance. Clean, bright palate. An elegant full-flavored but delicately balanced beer. Any fool can brew a hoppy pale beer--it takes an artist to brew something like this.