Butte Creek Fresh Hop Organic India Pale Ale

Brewed by Butte Creek Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Chico, California USA

Draught at Rogue, San Francisco. Clear brown, minimal head. Aroma of hay and orange. Sweet with clean cookie malt character under a thin curtain of resiny orangey hops. Finishes with medium bitterness. A straightforward, quite hoppy ale with simple malt character.

Name: Fresh Hop
Date: 11/24/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

clear dark amber, wispy beige head, bits of drippy lace, sweet caramel and crystal malt aroma with soft floral hops, sweet crystal malt flavor, well balanced with floral hops, lasting bitterness,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4
-------- /> Name: Fresh Hop
Date: 12/15/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

clear dark amber, wispy off white head, drippy lace, sweet crystal malt aroma with earthy hops and a strong solvent character, mostly dry caramel malt flavor, lots of earthy hops to balance the caramel keeping it dry, just a touch of sweetness, light bitterness lasts into the finish,

Aroma: 3/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 2.7/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: *4

22oz bottle acquired in trade with Floydster - thanks! Poured a medium amber color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of fresh green hops, citrus, and I was getting a lighter butteriness. Tastes of fresh floral green hops, citrus, and a little earthy. Body on the thinner side.

Pours a transparent orange copper with a small, frothy light tan head. Aroma of earthy grainy pale malt and some soapy piny hops. Body starts lightly sweet and grainy with some mild grapefruity flavor hops toward a slightly more bitter finish. Needs some bigger fresher hop notes, but still a decent IPA.

Deep amber colour. The aroma is fairly nasty smelling. Nutty and slightly oxidized rancid maltiness. A touch of herbal dusty flavour. Oily and cheesy smelling. Wet dank hoppiness. Hoppy, but lacking in any great character. Meh.

Bomber. Nicely balanced aroma of floral hop and caramel malt. Red tinged amber color with a beige head that looks decent. Thin to medium body with fizzy/creamy carbonation. The flavor starts roasted brown malty, and the floral hop is not quite enough to wholly balance it. The hop is a bit sharp though, and it builds in the mouth, so by the finish it is holding it’s own. After awhile there does seem to be a grapefruit note. Pretty good ale. I don’t think they skimped on ingredients.

Poured a clear orange copper color with a small off-white head. Hint of citrus and floral hops. Somewhat earthy as well. Nutty malt. Earthy and floral malt flavor. Light to medium body.

Sampled on 5/7/2009. This IPA pours a medium orange gold color from a 22oz bottle. Medium to large sized white foamy head, with good retention. The aroma is citrusy and piney hops and iced tea. A medium bodied IPA. The malts are caramel and sweet. The hops are floral and grapefruity. Decent carbonation. Kind of muddy tasting. The hop bitterness is not balance by the malts. Not really enjoying this one, can’t quite place why, but its not working for me, perhaps it the muddy taste or the vegetative aspect of the fresh hops. It’s been in the fridge awhile so maybe that is a factor as well. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is bitter.