8 Hop IPA

Seldom does one come across a beer made exclusively with 8 hops! Most microbrewed beers made today utilize 1-3 hops, or 4 at the most. I’ve never come across a beer with this many hop varietals and I was curious to see how this beer tasted from the get-go. Okay, given that this had 8 hop varietals, I was a little surprised that the hop aroma was rather subdued and restrained considering that this was a Double IPA. What was lost in the hop aroma was found in the flavor of this beer, however. The 8 hop varietals blended well together giving this beer complexity and depth in hop flavors. It also featured a nice sweet malt backbone that had hints of caramel and light pine flavors due to the hops. The hops were not overwhelmingly harsh or bitter but were rather very smooth, and the mouthfeel was moderate along with the carbonation. This was a wonderfully made beer utilizing many hop varietals that worked well with one another, and somehow, it didn’t smack me over the head with hoppiness either. The hops were carefully selected and restrained just enough to make this beer an exemplar of the style. The alcohol with this beer was quite evident (8.8% ABV), however, and it had a subtle burn in the finish that wasn’t too harsh, but rather went down smoothly as well. The best of Rogue’s “Hop Series.”