River Horse Hop Hazard Pale Ale

Brewed by River Horse Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Lambertville, New Jersey USA

12 oz bottle in a variety pack: Hazy medium amber w/ a non existant off white head. Lightly herbal and citrusy hop aroma at first. Caramel malt second. Grapefruit citrus flavor at first as well. A bit of an iced tea aroma as well as a bland 2 row malt aroma. Well balanced, but should IMHO be to bitter. finish is a bit on the dry side, but very little bit. Aftertaste is a bit herbal and very lightly malty flavored. Lower carbonation, dry m/f, w/ a lighter medium body. You know...This is the 4th beer from them that I’ve had, and the best one is a flawed beer w/ Belgian characteristics!!!! Not a bad pale ale, but this would not even be close to a good American Pale compared to other brands IMHO!!!!

Pours deep mber with a sudsy white head that rapidly receded to a thin circle of foam and minimal lacing. Aroma was overwhelmingly hops. There were notes of malt, earth, peat, coffee, chocolate, clove, pepper, and yeast that, while clear, definiely took a backseat to King hops. Taste was truly hoppy, with a nice herbal/floral spicy flavor and tons of bitterness. I could taste some sweet malt, dark chocolate and coffee. The 5-hop blend was intriguingly complex as the characteristics of the individual hops competed. Mouthfeel was fine but could been thicker. While it wasn’t thin, it didn’t really stick to the tongue and palate so the bitter finish didn’t stay long enough to be savored. I think a beer built on a complex hop base should try to leave a lingering aftertaste so you can ponder the complexity.

Pours reddish orange with a white head that lasts, plenty of strong lace. Aroma is rather malty for a "Hop Hazard", but wait until the taste and their are those hops, full of grapefruit, lots of grapefruit, too much, such that the mouth feels a bit stringent and harsh on the way down. First time with this brewery, will check out more.

(12 oz bottles: Obtained in trades with slob and jeffin7, thanks Bert and Jeff!) Firm, toasty maltiness is surprisingly assertive in this bold and flavorful pale ale. Interesting, then, with a first impression where the toasty malts just jump out and grab you, that they call this "Hop Hazard". But then after a few more sips, the hops takes offense at being ignored and demonstrates the validity of the beer’s name. Not that it’s boldly hoppy, but it has a moderate hop bitterness in the finish, fresh tasting and citrusy, lending a suitable balance to the toasty flavors. The nose is similarly balanced, toasty, lightly hoppy. Medium bodied, coating the mouth with lightly sweet malts, but with a clean finish. Light amber in color with a slight haze to it. Head color is between off-white and light tan, and demonstrates typical size on the pour, though retention isn’t terribly impressive. Lacing is pretty minimal as well. I didn’t try to get this beer twice in my trades, but I’m glad I have a second one. This is a very solid pale ale, and the toasty malts are right up my alley.

Aroma:toasty malt,light hops... Appearance:light clear brown,good head... Flavor:very good malt caramel flavor,bread,light hops....

this browny ale smell hoppy and taste as well but not too much just the right dose a great beer to take at everytime

"Hop Hazard" is a misnomer. This beer tastes more like a brown ale to me. Toasty malt flavor dominates, and I have a hard time finding hoppiness, although there is some background bitterness.. Overall it’s a fine tasting brew, but it doesn’t live up to its name.

For something called hop hazard, this is a remarkably full bodied, rich and malty beer. I actually can’t decide whether to grade this down for not being as hoppy as I want or grade it up for being so balanced. Either way, a great APA and worthy of being a session beer. Nice amber color too, although the head and lacing are only OK