Pizza Port Hop 15

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
San Marcos, California USA

Tasted at Port Brewing Carlsbad & Lost Abbey (notes from memory). Deep orange in color this had wonderful aromas for a hop-head. Lots of citric and piney hops along with a carmel-ladden malt hit to keep it balanced. Great weight and power on the palate. Only suggestion...don’t try and bring a growler on a plane as the TSA may unwrap it from its triple bubble wrap, which is additionally wrapped in clothes and placed in the middle of luggage to leave it unwrapped on the very edge of the bag...which, of course, is thrown around by the baggage handlers until the growler breaks leaving your clothes wet and smelling like Hop15. Okay, so the smell is good, but try wearing a sticky shirt!!!

Bottled at Oliver Twist, Stockholm. Pours out in a clear amber colour with a low thick white foam. Huge hop aroma of lychee, pine-needles, grass and orange-peels with sweet undertones of nectarines and peaches. Full-bodied with a big bitter flavour orangey, piney and grassy hops with touches of resin and pepper. Long grapefruity finish with dryish and oily notes of lychee, pepper and orange-peels.

Pours a hazy amber with a thin, creamy head. The aroma is a little bit malty, as I think the bottle’s a little older, but otherwise it’s plenty piney. The flavor has that piney bite, but finishes with a nice balance of the sweet malts against those hops. It’s almost caramel-y then. Nice creamy mouthfeel. A well done double IPA that is properly balanced.

Pours a nice caramely orange with a thin white head that dies pretty quickly. The floating, chunky matter in the brew however detracts a bit from the appearance. The aroma runs the gamut in terms of hop notes: pine, some spicy peppery notes, and a healthy dose of citrus. The flavor is very nice - lots of citrus hop bitterness as soon as it hits the tongue, some spicy hop/alcohol tingling to follow. The beer finishes with a really fine citrus flavor that just will not leave the tongue. The palate is excellent for the style, but I have to say that the floaties detract a bit. Overall a great brew.

Floaties galore. Wish this bad boy was fresher but still hella tasty. Malty sweetness in the aroma mixes nicely with the hops. Hop profile is strong on pine, with orange/grapefruit citrus floating around in the background. Mouthfeel is surprisingly unsticky given the sweetness, which is good. Although carbonation is a little too prickly for my tastes. Taste starts malty sweet and luscious with bitterness not kicking in until almost the finish. But oh boy does the finish linger very nicely. Finish reminds me of fresh Bigfoot a bit.

Pours a clear orange color into the tulip with an inch of white, fluffy head. A ridiculous scent of hops here. Pine needles, grass, earth tones, orange peel, grapefruit with a slight honey scent. A very overwhelming hop experience on the palate. Very complex with new hop flavors becoming apparent on each sip. A slight hint of malt and barley to finish.

Bottle. Cloudy orangey-brown with a thick white head. Wonderfully intense hops aroma, very sweet and bitter. Rich hops taste with hints of citrus and pine that holds its bitterness nicely. Wonderful Double IPA for hops lovers. </br></br> Homegrown Hop 15 on tap at Lost Abbey for the Saints and Sinners party. Very bitter aroma, of pine hops and grass. Huge, bitter, hops taste, very grassy and herbal, with pine and citrus. Still awesome.

Extreme as defined by the incredible amount of aromatic hops used. Port Brewing did no focus on anything, literally transporting us into a vortex of grassy, herbal, floral, piney, perfumey, leafy nose saturating hops. More than adequate malt base gives it the necessary caramel, cookie and honey sweetness to deal with it. The blending of both monsters create a fruity and surprisingly smooth animal of litchi, tropical fruits, apricot and pepper that takes life in the form of a medium and slick body, of surprisingly engaging carbonation. Strong alcohol accentuates the oily resin feel, but the carbonation dealt with it gracefully. A masterful execution of a too good to be true undertaking. Thanks Bartzilla!