Pizza Port Hop Suey Double IPA

Brewed by Pizza Port (Carlsbad)
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Carlsbad, California USA

Draft at Carlsbad PP. Huge smack int he face hop explosion. Passion fruit, pineapple, all that stuff. Surprisingly drinkable given the strength.

On tap 9/17/07 at PP Carlsbad. Amber colored with short lived foam that leaves ok lacing. Big huge hops and octane in the aroma. Flavor is just an obscene beating of alcohol and hops. It’s while I’m drinking this that I come to a conclusion about SD IPA, seems to be that if you just make a strong ass pale ale and dry hop the fuck out of it, the alcohol will help to extract lots of aromatics out the hops without adding very much else. It’s at this exact point that I realize that I may have reached the end of my hop head days. sob. Further tests are scheduled, me hopes this isn’t the end.

On draft at PP C-Bad. Big, bold, cloudy, syrup like, chewy, thick, ass kicker of a DIPA. Too much so to really throw down a full pint. It’s possible, oviously, but not very enjoyable. Give me the big boys with the crisp hop blast - ie: Hop 15!

On tap at Pizza Port Carlsbad. It has been on tap for a couple of days. A guy who works there said it was initially cloudy, but now it has settled down. He also mentioned something about the fermenter overflowing with an extreme amount of hops put in. On first pour there is a 1" head that fades quickly to a 2mm film. The in your face hop aroma includes grassy and pine notes. Wonderful aroma. Clear yellow amber color. A bit of grapefruit bitterness, but tons of other hop flavor. Perfect amount of bitterness. I think Hop15 is a little better, but this is great!

On tap at the Port in CBad. Extremely hazy orange-yellow color with a minimal head that quickly fades into a thin film and no lacing. With a name like Hop Suey, this brew sure doesn’t lie. 10% ABV recent batch that I had, definitely an ass-kicker of a DIPA. Huge citrus nose on the aroma, lots of orange and lemon mixed in with earthy tones and sweet malt. The flavor is a very sticky and sweet grapefruit syrup that is backed up substantially by a resinous hops profile. Not nearly balanced as some of the Port’s other great IPA’s, such as Hop 15. Thought I was drinking dry-hopped cough syrup after a while. Sticky bitterness hangs on the palate forever. Not bad, but needs a much crisper finish to hide the intense alcohol.

Brewery: Port Brewing / Pizza Port
Date: 11/30/2006
Mode: Draft
Source: O’Brien’s

Appearance: hazy amber, wispy white head, touch of lace,
Aroma: big sweet malt aroma with lots of sweet pine character,
Flavor: lots of hop flavor but with diminished bitterness compared to the hop flavor,
-------- /> Brewery: Port Brewing / Pizza Port
Date: 11/29/2007
Mode: cask
Score: 3.2 to 3.5
Words: O’Brien’s

Aroma: huge sweet pine and tangerine aroma,
Flavor: big sweet crystal malt flavor with lots of fruity tangerine and a touch of pine, light bitterness lets the hop flavor be the star of the show,
-------- /> Brewery: Port Brewing / Pizza Port
Date: 11/30/2007
Mode: draft
Words: pizza port carlsbad

sharp sweet pine aroma and flavor, crystal malts are well balanced with the citrus hops, endless tongue scraping citrus hop bitterness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

Mostly clear orangey amber with a large whitish head that leaves traces o flace. Brash hoppy aroma, grapefruit, rich malts, hints of pepper and spice. Flavor of grapefruit and harsh pine, lots of citrus peel and an alcohol burn, but still gives a nice blast of hop flavor with a sweet malty backbone. Full body, creamy carbonation.

On tap at the 10th Annual San Diego Strong Ale Festival: Pours a slightly hazy bright golden bronze with a thin coating of wispy off-white head. Sweet caramel malty nose boasts lots of fresh piny hops. Starts sweet and hoppy, intense in both regards, but well-balanced and surprisingly drinkable. Fresh, resiny, sticky, piny hops coat the tongue sprinkled with some sweet toffee flavor and hides the alcohol very well. This was my favorite beer of the festival.