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Mike Castagno's picture

Hop Stimulator

June, 2016
Judges Rating: 
89
Aroma: 
22 / 24
Appearance: 
5 / 6
Flavor: 
36 / 40
Mouthfeel: 
8 / 10
Overall Impression: 
18 / 20

As the name would suggest, your senses will be immediately stimulated with huge hop vapors of pungent resin, pine and spruce – as evergreen-type hops dominate the initial perception. These slowly give way to a citrus hop character with notes of tangerine, grapefruit as well as nectarine and even a hint of pineapple. There is a touch of sulfur, which dissipates over time. The head retention on this beer is impressive: it's long-lasting and lacing remains around the glass after each sip. The malt is quite heavy and full, which flirts with low-end barleywine territory given the fullness of body and sweetness of the finish. While being flavorful and pleasant, this rich malt character does diminish the drinkability of the beer and casts it into more of a “sipping beer” rather than a “quaffable” one. That being said, this is a beer I would reach for when I want a single glass of hop-focused beer that leans on the resinous personality of hops with a touch of citrus underneath .