Pizza Port Hop 15

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

V - cloudy orange, light head A - pure hops T - astringent hops with a creamy pine undertone P - clean, more hops

Sampled at the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild 2008 Strong Beer Fest, on February 17, at the Mesa Amphitheatre. Hoptastic!

Another bomber brought over by CelticBrew - It’s great to have friends like Jim, the IPA king!! !!Shared with him and Doboy on 5/23/08.

This one poured out a burnt orange with a substantial and lasting off white head that left some sticky lace. Bigtime citrus aroma with some spruce and spice thrown in the mix. Underneath, there’s a hint of caramel if you care to seek it out. Finally, an undertone of alcohol is noticeable as well.

Medium/full body and fairly lightly carbonated, bit of stickiness on the palate, but smooth drinking nonetheless. Lots of malty sweetness up front that persists into the finish, but a spicy, peppery bitterness starts to build and dries out the finish to a large extent. Very nice in all respects.

wow! this is one huge beer...had it on tap at the liars club in mission beach. served in a goblet approx 10-12 ounces of dark brown slightly hazed liquid with a small head that went away quickly...my non beer drnkn friend said it tasted flat. nose is huge of vinenous, resiny hops...spice, citrus and pine all geled into one. probably one of the most profound noses i’ve come across. in the mouth the filiform go nuts with fresh hops enveloping your palate all over the place. nice bitter back bone and subtle almost indistinguishable alcohol ember in your stomach. fresh dark fruit with a brown sugar feel rounds out the flavors. an amazing beer.

Pours a clear amber-orange with a large, dense, fluffy beige head that reduces to a thin cap and patchy lace. The second pour is a deep, cloudy, tan-orange. The nose is a nice, big citrus at first, then transitions to a blend of dusty blood orange, alcohol, Smarties candies, and caramel malt (in the background). Medium to full-bodied, soft and slick with a solid bitter and somewhat boozy finish that rolls into a lingering bitter and mineral aftertaste. The flavor is a big hit of citrus hops over caramel malt transitioning to a tongue-rapingly resinous and bitter finish that again includes the aforementioned mineral characteristic. This beer is truly a palate crusher. It lacks any semblance of balance or refinement. If you want a hop bomb, as the label depicts, this beer delivers in spades. Hops and alcohol, it’s got, but after reading and hearing good things about this beer, I don’t know that I could have been more disappointed with it.

Bottled sample via oakbluff. Orange in colour with moderate carbonation and some floaties. Aromas of candied citrus fruit (orange + grapefriit), mangoes, caramel, and pine. In the mouth, it strikes an intersting balance between some pretty intense citrus hop flavors and some fairly rich/sweet caramel and pale malt flavors. A long bitter finish. Good stuff, but not quite exceptional.

GABF 2002: Deep orqange colour. Citrusy hop aroma. Crisp bitter hop flavour throughout with a touch of malt sweetness underneath. very nice!!

Thanks to riversideAK for this gem. Big hoppy and pine nose with a nice clear amber color and brown head. Flavor is right to the point with hops all over the place, yet it is well balanced with anice malt backbone. Creamy nice sweet texture that has a great hoppy finish.