Oggis Hop Whompus

This is one of those beers that you put on your want list without ever really hoping to get it. This is perhaps my most sought after IIPA, and I could not believe that Secret Santa came through with it. Thanks a ton! The color was hazy brown, on the deep brown end of the amber/brown ale scale, with a 2-3-finger light tan head. The aroma was a lot like Dreadnaught (In fact, I did a few side-by-side sips with these two), but hoppier and with more caramel malty brown sugar hints and layers of tropical fruit and citric fruits. The taste was nirvana for a grizzled hophead such as myself, with huge fruity yet citric hops, with hints of pineapple, honeydew, Bell pepper, ground black peppercorns, papaya, and tangerine. I still think Dreadnaught is a tad fruitier, but this one is infinitesimally better overall, with a denser and slightly more complex palate and flavor profile, and has taken the pinnacle position in my all-time pantheon of IIPAs. When I die and hopefully go to Heaven, I want an endless keg of this and an endless supply of women who look and act like the chicks from the HBO show "The L Word." Yeah, man!!

a light brown color w/ a nice tan well laced head hints of green in that head and some great lacing. (if I could i’d give it a 6 here). Big floral hop aroma w/ pieces of carmel, and citrus notes. WEll coated and carbonated a little oily and a creamy finish. Flavor is a big floral hop, grapefruit and a nice carmel finish. PErfectly balanced. This is just SOOO damn good.

GABF05: Oh, man, I could’ve plopped myself down in front of this booth and drank this stuff all night. I did for a bit, but had to move on. Rich caramel hue; frothy head. Smooth, Richie Rich, creamy, and perfectly carbed. Incredibly flavorful, shining with caramel, toast, and multigrain bread. Wafty aromas of delicate fruit (sweet orange, zippy tangerine, passion) and resinous hops (seemed to coat the inside of my mouth with hop oil). Great balance, even with its intensity. Cozy, rich and rewarding beer.

Same GROWLer as the Bückster sampled from brought to us by the generosity of THE Gorlock
This one poured a very pretty mahogany with a tannish, creamy head. Lacing is ranging from spotty to sheet to even webbed. Then it disappeared. I’m not sure. Whatever. As Jordo stated it looked fresh poured from draught. Nice. Wow. The aroma is an excellent balance between the malts, which are of caramel and slight roast. The hops are where the Whomping begins! A floral bouquet of wonder is accompanied by a citrus bitterness so well done. Piney as well as hints of alcohol. Very fresh hops. The bitterness rolls over the tongue and leaves a trail of sweet caramel malts. Hints of roast and brown sugar. Citrus and bittering hops make one think of a bitter orange or maybe grapefruit. There is a hint of alcohol as I asked what percentage the Whompster was. Jordan calmly stated nein... I mean nine. Surprising how smooth the 9% goes down. The tail of this beer is filled with a creamy, malt richness that acquiesces into a hoppy bitterness. Beautiful. Thank you Sean for this wonderful, wonderful treat.

(Draft: Oggi’s in Vista, CA) Oggi’s, as a chain, makes all right beers, but the Vista location is really giving Pizza Port a run for its money with several top-notch beers to its credit; Probably the most impressive of these outstanding beers is the Hop Whompus, an amazingly delicious and complex Double Red (NOT an IPA!); The fragrant nose is extremely hoppy with some sweet malt and loads of caramel backing it up; Subtle notes of grapefruit and honey in the background; The flavor is wonderfully malty and very sweet with an assertive bitter hops for perfect balance; The beer starts out very malty, sweet and freshly hoppy, and gradually transforms to a strong, rich caramel finish with moderate bitterness that goes on and on; Higher alcohol content is evident but is never unpleasant or distracting; The palate is very rich and full with a velvety mouthfeel; Deep red color, one of the few beers I’d truly describe as red, rather than just shades of brown or amber; A huge light tan head, primarily small bubbles, exhibits superb retention, maintaining its large size for quite some time; Not too much lacing