Point Whole Hog Six-Hop IPA

Brewed by Stevens Point Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Stevens Point, Wisconsin USA

Poured from the bottle with a rich frothy head. Aroma was a good balance of hops. Nothing specific but pleasing. Flavor was of toffee malts and hops. Overall a very solid beer. A strong malt backbone to support the hops. A hefty amount of bittering that didn’t burn my tongue. This is what I imagine IPAs once tasted like

Draft at the OF. Filtered deep orange-brown color. Solid foamy head. All sorts of orange-lemon peel bitterness. Lots of hop character though mostly on the bitter citrus end of the spectrum. Thick malt backbone, this is definitely a full-bodied, rich IIPA. A touch unrefined, but I can appreciate the intense bitterness for what it is. Worth a try, sort of like an overly assertive British IPA.

Clear amber to copper in color liquid. Tallish khaki colored head. Just a few rings of lace. Light citric hops along with some pine in the nose. A bit of grass and some caramel in the background. A hint of alcohol as it sets in the glass. Very smooth and slightly chewy feel. Firm, yet supple, I don’t think I have used those terms for a beer before, but they seem to fit this one. Buttery caramel in the front. bitterness overtakes thing in the middle and on into the finish and linger. Some toasted malt also in the middle, but again the bitterness rules. Linger also has a bit of toasted grain. The balance seems a bit off. It seems like a strong Irish red to me.

Pours a nice copper color with a medium head. Aromas of caramel malt and hops.Flavor is of caramel malts mainly, but then a nice bitter hop comes through.Nice bitter finish.The body seemed a little thin for a imperial though.

Pours an amber color with a white, thin film of a head and moderate carbonation. Aroma is very nice with a strong pine resin and floral hops note, light citrus with lots of sweet caramel coming through at the end. Flavor begins with a sharp grapefruit citrus mixed with some resiny pine. Once this subsides, a smooth and sweet caramel malt flavor takes over and combines very nicely with a lightened citrus and a very bitter hops ending. Beer has a very nice thickness to it to hold the hops flavors very well with a nice smooth alcohol bite at the end of the drink. Overall I was very surprised to see that a Point beer could be this good and bee this drinkable.

Stevens Point has made it to Kansas City! I grabbed this IPA along with Point Oktoberfest since it was inexpensive and a brewer I hadn’t tried before. I got: a coppery amber pour with a big, dense off-white head that laced and sheeted nicely (can you say fresh hops?) Smell is amazingly malty and nutty, hiding the 8.5% ABV and the half-dozen varieties of hops well. Caramel malts come through in the flavors as well, but the hops come out of hiding and explode in series, flowery, spicy, bitter, citrus, bitter (I should probably learn which variety is which). Yes, the malt takes some of the spotlight from the 6 hops. Yes, it’s a bit thin. And yes, you don’t get much of a sense of alcohol other than the tingly aftertaste. However, that doesn’t mean this isn’t a good beer. In fact, with a bit less alcohol, you could fit this in the plain IPA category and it would do very well!

Caramel color with a smallish off white head that soon becomes blotchy. Aroma is sweet fruit, spice, and biscuit. The flavor hits harder than the nose would indicate. An assertive bitter hop profile. Fruit, spice, caramel, alcohol, thick sweetness. The hops remain aggressive but smooth out as the beer warms. Complex hop effects make for a tasty and interesting beer. Much better than the impy Pilsner.

Mildly hazed, amber/orange appearance with a medium size head and good lacing. Bready malts come through in the aroma at first, backed up with floral hops. The large mix of hops adds a modest amount of depth to the taste, with resin and soft fruit among the flavors. Cracker-like maltiness adds some balance. Bitterness returns in the aftertaste. Long lasting finish is where the higher abv is most noticable. Think of this as more of an IPA than an IIPA, despite that higher abv. The best (so far) that I’ve had from this brewery.