5 Seasons Hopgasm

Draft pint at the Prado brewpub. Beauty of a pour ... Deep muddy orange with a solid pile of foam to top it off. With the first whiff, you know the name is no gimmic ... There’s a ton o’ hops jammed in this. Thick and viscuous, this drinks with a punch to the gut, rich with citric hops and a full up malt basis. Very nice.

Despite its name and as good as this beer is, I don’t believe anyone will reach the ecstacy implied. The key here is the strong grapefruit smelling hop. It dominates the nose and later the palate. The color is a surprisingly dark amber color. Like all of the beers at Five Seasons, this one has a haze to it. This beer is all about the hop; although it is strong, it doesn’t make the beer fall into the "extreme" category. My second favorite of the flight of five.

On tap at Prado. Pours a hazy copper with a small off-white head. Aroma is really great, earthy, citrus, and sweet malt. Solid. Taste is great as well. Lots of citrus hop and simcoe is detectable as well. A very substantial malt backbone. This is one of the best IPAs I’ve had in a long time. Mouth is sticky and full. Very nice.

Pours a deep copper color with a tan head. Aroma is some caramel, crystal malt, and citrus grassy hops. Flavor is caramel, crystal malts, and a grassy earthy citrus hop finish.

Gee, imagine that, it tastes strangely reminiscent of Sweetwater IPA. I wonder why. Strong aromas of Simcoe and Amarillo are immediate. This is a very pleasureable IPA to drink.

Draft sample at brewpub -Pardo. Poured a clear dark copper color with an average fizzy off-white head that mostly lasted with excellent lacing. Moderate to heavy citrus, earthy and small malt aroma. Medium to full body with a slick texture and soft carbonation. Medium to heavy bittersweet flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet finish of moderate to long duration. My expectations where met and this is a standout beer.

On tap at the brewpub. Pours a slightly hazy amber with a nice creamy white head that clings to the glass and leaves solid lacing. Plenty of resiny pine in the nose as well as hints of juicy citrus fruits. The malts are very secondary and hardly noticeable as a faint caramel sweetness in the background. The taste follows the aroma with a bit of citrus bitterness up front that gives way to the light caramel malt backbone. The pine comes back in the finish and leaves a resiny bitterness after each sip. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and sticky. A solid IPA from 5 Seasons and very drinkable.

On tap at the brewpub for breakfast. Pours a cloudy, dark copper. Sure, this is hoppy but not overly so. It is floral, peppery, with gentle citrus notes. Lots of hops are in the flavor, but again it’s not very bitter. This is juicy with the only real dryness lingering after a few sips. Suggestions of peppers, herbs, and oranges are here. This is not bad, but it didn’t live up to the hype for me. I’ve tasted McNerney’s powerful hop bombs when he was with Sweetwater. This is definitely is milder and less hoppy than Sweetwater IPA, Donkey Punch, Happy Ending, etc. etc. Perhaps this was intended to be more subtle.