Beer Review: Hop Whore

Reviewing the Hop Whore from the Brewers Gone Wild series by Tyranena Brewing Company.
Score: 83

2011 bottle served in a pint glass. Why a pint glass? Because the bar tender at the Old Fashioned -- which I have grown to hate more and more the more often I go there -- got hostile with me when I asked him for a tulip or Duvel glass for my beer. He insisted I take a hurricane glass or pilsner glass instead, claiming they aren't "the kind of bar" that has "elaborate" glassware. For a bar with 150 different beers, that's a pretty pathetic answer (and reality) if you ask me.

Appearance: Pours a half finger of creamy head that settles to a very thin layer and ring around the glass. Pretty transparent amber color. Slightly above average lacing. 3/5

Smell: Sweat and orange citrus upfront. Very earthy, dank hop resin. Hints of pine and apricot. I'm sure there's probably more (especially fresh), but a pint glass does not do justice to IPA aromas! 3/5

Taste: Bitter orange rind. Some grapefruit. A little dirt. Quite earthy and bitter. Very acidic on the mid-palate, and it only gets more acidic as the beer layers. Apricot comes through a few sips in, as does a touch of pine. Bitter caramel malts that tease with a little sweetness between the front and finish. The beer is loaded with hops, though time has clearly subdued some of their kick. Long, lingering finish of bitter citrus hop. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium-high carbonation. Very oily. If this beer was fresher, it would have a lot more zesty zing to the mouthfeel, but it's pretty solid nonetheless. Finish is very dry and bitter. 4/5

Overall: Overall a solid IPA, but nothing special. This one is obviously a hop bomb, but a lot of the citrus zing is lost in favor of heavy, earthy bitterness. I remember this beer being better when I had it fresh in September. I will have to revisit this review and try a fresh batch next season.

Recommendation: I would certainly recommend this one fresh to beer geeks, and it was not bad though a few months old. Probably too hop-forward for the casual beer drinker. This is one of the few Wisconsin-made beers I legitimately enjoy -- probably would have gotten a relatively high B+ rating if fresh.

Pairings: The grass-fed organic hamburger I was eating at the Old Fashioned.

Cost: $3.25 for a 12 oz bottle at the bar, $9.99 for a four pack.