Hop Gods

Hop Gods by Lakefront Brewery is being judged according to the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines, Category 22A – Double IPA.

My glass arrives with a hazy, harvest moon orange beer that is mostly covered by a frothy and patchy tight-bubbled white head. Inches from my nose I assess a heavy bouquet of overripe and juicy orange, mango, pineapple and clementine. As I get closer some honey and warm bread malt backs up this citrus basket. Quickly diving in for a first mouthful, I pull back the same citrus basket and I can nearly taste the pulp bursting on my tongue. Again, the malt backs up this hop melange with mostly bread character.

I retreat to some deep draws through the nose and confirm my first impression, though this time I pick up some faint spicy alcohol notes, which merely add another dimension to this fine beverage. Following that, I start to notice a pleasant and growing warming alcohol sensation in my belly. The beer is big and the hops are of medium-high bitterness, and it finishes mostly dry despite some residual malt sweetness. The body is full and the carbonation is medium, but it appears higher given the drying alcohol bursting the carbonation bubble on the back-third of my tongue.

Chocolate-covered citrus would be a wonderful pairing here as would a spicy Vindaloo.