Fat Heads X-Hop IPA (HBC342)

Brewed by Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
North Olmsted, Ohio USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Bottle at a small tasting with Max, Paul, and Andy. Pours a clear gold with a medium sized white head. Soft citrus and toast, light hops. Medium bodied, long earthy hops, gritty and dense. Finishes with a long chewy bitterness. Very nice.

On tap at the brewery. Pours clear golden color with off white head. Aroma is pine and grapefruit. Its strong. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor follows the nose. Upfront there is a strong and intense pine and grapefruit note. The middle lacks the malt backbone I enjoy from other brews. I don’t necessarily have to have the malt note in the middle to enjoy and IPA. This isn’t where this beers lacks for me. Its the finish. There is an astringent hop flavor in the finish I don’t like. Its overpowering and I felt as though I was forcing it down by the time I got to the end of the glass. Overall this is a great beer. I just don’t like the finish.

Aroma: Fruity hop aroma--grapefruit, melon and pineapple. Appearance: Clear, dark gold with white head. Taste: Citrus tart bitterness all the way through. Palate: Medium body, light carbonation, crisp texture, long finish. Overall: Really fun IPA, but a bit one dimensional.

on Tap @ Fat Heads CLE on 2/4/12, the highlight of my sampler, this hop variety rocks with big tropical notes and a delicate sweetness that is exactly what I love in IPA’s. I didnt find any pineapple, but grapefruit rocked my world and I can see the watermelon twinge in the end... I hope the hop strand makes a regular appearance in the brewing world.