Sunday, February 5, 2012

O'So Hopdinger Double IPA


O'so Hopdinger, O'So Brewing Company, Plover, WI. 
"Pungent. Hoppy. Crisp. Floral. Bitter. Piney. Resinous. Engaging."

Well, great, now I don't need to write anything, do I?

I will, anyway. 

Murky, dank deep amber hue, considerable carbonation and head. Billowing and lacy. Gigantic. Impressive….whoa, if I don't watch out, they'll have me expressing myself in one word statements.

Aroma: Yup, bitter, floral, piney, resinous, citric, pungent, hoppy, ….let's not repeat ourselves. It hits the notes you want in a double IPA. A little hint of honey in there, too, unless I'm imagining it. And I'm not.

Taste: bitter and pungent, and all that all over again. Malt flavor keep up with the huge hops, and there's an astringency added in that I can't help feeling was unintended. Don't think I tasted this when I bought it back in November. Yeah, why did this sit in the fridge for 3 months? And is the brew older than that, actually? No bottled on date, no way to know. 

This bottle is definitely funkier than when it was (I think) fresh. A little sour happening here. Lesson learned. Drink those hoppy beers up, don't sit on them, like the Pliny the Elder label implores us. We're not hens, and they're not eggs.
It does not mean, in any way shape or form, that a week or two or three will make them undrinkable, but …hey, maybe I'm wrong. 

I do like this like this. It has a Belgian quality that I find utterly diggable. Not crisply clean like a HopSlam or any kind of palate buster like a Maharaja and nowhere as smooth as an Abrasive Ale. But, quite flavorful, and unique. Lively carbonation, non-stop hops. I do like it.

No comments: