Whole Hog Six-Hop IPA

Whole Hog Six-Hop IPA- Brewmaster’s Series – Limited Release Specialty Brew

Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point – WI

Information: Site – “It just wasn’t enough to use a blend of 5 varieties of hops in our India Pale Ale. We needed more. We needed to go wholehog! So, we added a sixth hop and created a more pronounced hop nose and massive hop flavor for our American twist to this legendary style. Whole Hog 6-Hop I.P.A. has a deep floral hop aroma combined with notes of baked citrus. Clean maltiness supports a dominate complex of six varieties of hops and creates a solid mouthfeel. This gives way to a lingering finish of supple hop bitterness, tangy citrus fruit and robust malt. This is a delicious adventure and brilliant tribute to the historical I.P.A. Perfectly paired with grilled steak or chicken.“

Most of you know Stevens Point Brewery for their standard brews called Point, and they are really tasty… and I just realized I’ve never done a Point beer. Hm… anyway, this is from the same brewery, just released as a limited style. Sadly, it is, at least at my store (big ups to the Portage City Wine Cellar) $16.99 for the four pack. Seems a bit steep, doesn’t it? Well, let’s find out if the cost justifies the contents.

It’s definitely a beautiful hue of amber, that’s for sure. It has a nice frothy crown that stands tall for a minute, and then just resides to a tight, white ring. Yeah, that’s a profoundly bizarre description for a head. Sorry. The nose is oddly fruity and something akin to rice-like for an IPA. It has a deep, hearty scent of fresh grass and a little bit cherries. Very interesting.

Indeed quite hoppy. Maybe not quite as much as a ‘Six-Hop’ would lead you to believe, but definitely a solid IPA with nicely bitter undertones and a well-rounded citrus tongue that hangs out for a good while. It is certainly malty, that taste is almost as up front as the bitter citrus of the hops. The pine-like tones of your standard tangy IPA aren’t nearly as prevalent as in other India Pale Ales, but that more benefits this particular sample rather than makes it a deterrent. It’s the other flavors that take a more leading role rather than a backseat as in other IPA’s. Oh, and if you’re interested this beer is a 8.5 in the APV department, so, it does have that going for it. Definitely a delicious sample.

Rating: * * * *
Six-Hops make this a fantastic IPA.