Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Rust Belt Brewing Old Man Hopper's India Pale Ale

I picked up a bottle of Rust Belt Brewing Old Man Hopper's India Pale Ale from Bocktown in Pittsburgh. The beer pours a gorgeous orange-amber color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of lemon and pine with a wheat undertone and faint hints of caramel. The taste is wonderfully sweet at first with a caramel base before a bitter hop bite kicks in that makes the sides of the mouth pucker. The lemon and pine faintly hit the tongue and aren't overpowering, but announce their presence well. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I thought the Old Man Hopper's India Pale Ale was an excellent addition to the IPA community and could be enjoyed by all, not just hop heads. This could be a beer that helps transition people to IPAs rather than scare them away.

3 comments:

  1. I'm not a big fan of microbrewed IPAs in general, for the fact that they always tend to be really face-puckeringly hoppy. Was going to try to sample something new tonight anyway, think I will give this one a try.

    BTW, ever tried the Southern Oregon Brewing "Nice Rack" IPA? It's pretty good too, and could serve to convert people, rather than scare 'em away. I posted a short review here:

    http://barleybuddy.com/89838_By_Type/89887_Ale/89848_Pale_Ale__IPA/89976_Southern_Oregon_Brewings_Nice_Rack_IPA

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  2. I have not tried that, Steve, but thanks. I will give it a try. Let me know what you think of the Rust Belt.

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  3. Thanks for the blog, Jeff! Cheers! Steve, we can wait to hear what you think! Please stop in if you are ever near Youngstown, OH some Sat.

    - Ken Blair, Rust Belt Brewing

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