HopDog BeerWorks Horns Up Rye IPA

Brewed by HopDog BeerWorks
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
South Nowra, Australia

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Bottle pours hop hazy yellow gold with light off white head and lace. Aromas of cat pee, citrus, pine and grass. Body medium light. Loving the Battery acid lupin hit of citrus and pine. Finish is tropical fruit. Hoppy!

(Bottle) Hazy golden amber with good off-white head. Wonderful aroma full of fruit - peaches and orangey citrus - and sweetness. Well carbonated (a bit too carbonated when pouring) with medium body giving a smooth and velvety mouthfeel. Taste starts fruity and sweetish then the rye malt flavours come through before a very good hop filled bitter finish. I nice richer IPA.

A 2011 bottle that swayed the norm by tasting extra fresh when I finally got around to cracking the cap. Another excited to meet me brew from Hopdog, but I must say that once it settled in the glass it was a devilishly alluring ale indeed. Two inches of rocky, snow-white foam atop a sunny, yellow gold body with good clarity and radiance. Notes of strawberry liqueur, bubblegum, peach and pears in fruit syrup; in fact a veritable fruit punch of aromas waft heavily from the glass. Initial spice excites the palate; rye malt comes across nicely. Very long in the finish with a heady amount of herbaceous hops; all piney, weedy and hinting at vine clippings, camphor, eucalypt and mint with a drenching citric bolt. Well rounded with a backbone of toasted grains, rye and granola. Firm body with racy carbonation. Vinous as it warms; the citrus becomes fuzzy under a lot of tart berry notes and a touch of pineapple. Overall quite dry with a sharpness and aggressive bitterness that works well. Very much the fun to drink ale I secretly hoped it would be. Lip smacking good stuff! (33cL, Bottled Nov’ 2011, Freo Doctor, Fremantle)

Ooh, ah. Isn’t this a special IPA? From the moment it pours all cloudy and dark into the glass, the experience of drinking the Horns Up is a beauty. The aroma is surprisingly dry for an IPA, with few floral notes to speak of - this sure isn’t an APA derivative. Predominantly I smell biscuit, honey and citrus, but it’s neither grapefruit or lemon - I can’t quite put my finger on it. When drunk, a smooth malty (is it the influence of the rye as well) blanket spreads across the tongue before the dry hops descend and rip down the back of the throat. Refreshing, tart and delicious.

Had on tap at the Brewery. Great citrus hop aromas. Nice cloudy appearance, finishing with a wonderful lingering hop bitterness.

Pours dark amber with a small head. Nose shows restrained (for an IPA) hops, mainly spicy and grassy. A touch of spicy rye surfaces too. Very aggressive flavours, with a powerful bitterness dominating throughout. Very sharp with lots of pine. Hardly any malt to balance things out. Somewhat one-dimensional. Hits the IPA mark in terms of bitterness, but not particularly interesting. Comes off as sharp and abrasive.

Growler from Beer Cartel Artarmon. Initial impressions of this was that this was going to be a extremely tasty beer, due to the excellent passionfruit and hoppy aroma. Unfortunately the taste left lots to desire, unbalanced with plenty of bitterness and grapefruit.

Not a bad effort from a new comer but doesn’t quite get there. Aromas are the real deal; lifted fresh herbal hops with some assertiveness and bitterness. Good start but falls down a little in the palate; the bitterness remains but hops are quite hard and disjointed that the body of the beer just doesn’t match. Sticks out and seems rough. Still, you are left in no doubt that this a hoppy beer.

Bottle. Hazy amber with a large, loose white head that collapses. Aroma of grapefruit, passionfruit, nectarines. Taste is fairly bitter with some rye breadiness and spices as well. Some peach and pepper, but dominated by grapefruit. The hop and malt/rye flavours don’t seem to complement each other all that well and it comes across as tasty but a bit rough and disjointed.

From a 330ml bottle on 4/5/2012. Pours a light cloudy golden, not unlike a Coopers Pale, with a big thick head. Has a lovely fruity (passionfruit and nectarine), floral hop aroma. This hop forward with a big grapefruit bitterness presented against a moderately sweet background of citrus fruit and honey. The rye really does come through at the end, with some distinct pepper notes. A quality Aussie IPA.