Hoppy Face Amber Ale

Brewed by Hoppy Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Sacramento, California USA

Name: Hoppy Face Amber Ale
Date: March 09, 1997
Mode: Bottle
Source: Chevy Chase, DC
Appearance: cloudy amber, thin head leaving traces of lace
Aroma: strong hop aroma on top of sweet malt
Body: medium body
Flavor: lots of hop flavor with a linger bitter finish

Name: Hoppy Face Amber Ale
Date: July 06, 2009
Mode: draft
Source: brewpub
Appearance: clear amber, fine off white head
Aroma: big sweet malt aroma with lots of citrus hops
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, dry caramel, lots of earthy bitterness keeps it dry, nice citrus, lingering bitter finish

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

Nice pine/resin aroma. Very nice. Translucent amber color with a humongously frothy and lacing white head. Starts with floral and pine hop, the malt is hiding in there somewhere. Amber ale? Misnomer. Medium mouthfeel, though it tends to thin a bit. The finish tends to go floral. Reasonably dry. Really exceptional.

The name is very misleading because as soon as I poured my 22 oz bomber into the glass my first reaction was, goodness this sure looks like an IPA. It was an amber-orange wtih a huge foamy off-white head that left gigantic chunks of lacing on the sides of the glass. This one has some head, in fact almost too much of one. Nose was very much piney and floral hops. Sure smelled like an IPA to me. Mouthfeel was thick and oily, and flavors including roasted malts, caramel, citrus, and some spices. Finish is nicely bitter. I was really relieved to get to Ratebeer and find out is was indeed an IPA. Why in the world did the brewer give it this name?

A ruddy unfiltered brownish color with an aroma of grass and caramel malt. Flavor is roasty caramel nuttiness with some grass on the back end. I dont find this as an IPA at all, nor should it be called a West Coast IPA, but whatever. I think it played itself out simply as an amber ale with a little more alcohol. It was nice.

Bottle. Poured copper color with a large frothy off-white that lasted with very good lacing. Heavy hoppy aroma. Medium body with soft carbonation. Well balanced bitter flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of moderate duration. Solid bitter brew.

In the 22 oz bomber bottle from Cyclone Liquors. Pours orange-amber, but slightly on the dark side. The head is out of control and of the consistency of concrete. It is either a Dairy Queen Blizzard Beer, or you could spackle your house with it. Thick stuff. Aroma has that strong green dry hop smell- pine forest. Flavor is reflected by the generous hops- orange chocolate tootsie roll and berries. Finishes with a long astringency of bitterness. Unlike many Cal-hoppies, this one is definitely not out of control and is quite a pleasant drinker, as long as you can get over the initial shock and long wait of the beast they call a head.

Really a pretty nice hopy aroma with some light malt coming through. The taste is bitter but with a very gross maltiness/sour grassiness flavor. Whatever it is, the hops can’t cover for it. A very bad aftertaste.

Pours amber with a very slight haze. This is an alright IPA. Aroma is hoppy and earthy. Flavor is the same. A bit of a dull beer, just doesn’t do it for me. Bitterness is a bit harsh.