Schmohz Hopknocker Imperial IPA

Brewed by Schmohz Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

Sample at the Sam Adams beer tasting at Blacklick Wine & Spirits on 07/30/09. The beer is a mostly clear light orange color with a medium off-white head that recedes quickly. Spotty lacing on the cup. Mild hops aroma with touches of malt and citrus. Medium, clean body with hops and bready malt flavors. The finish is moderately hoppy and short. Overall an okay IPA, and a below average IIPA.

9.5% ABV 12oz bottle from Party World on Alpine, Grand Rapids, MI. Clear ruby red with small, almost nonexistent beige head. Aroma is sweet and doughy with citrus hops, very barleywiney, some alc, BIG acetone.. Flavor is alc, dirty grapefruit, slight bitterness, caramel, peppermint, spicey, citrus, cloyingly sweet, some alc burn, a little astingent too. Medium to light and watery with no carbonation. Unbalanced and watery.

On tap at Schmohz Brewing Company. Murky copper with a thin tan head. Aroma of light hop, sweet malt and alcohol – not bursting with hop aroma I’d expect from the style. Taste of caramel, sweet malt, a touch of alcohol and a nice mix of earthy and citrus hops though not as hopped up as I’d prefer for the style. Mildly sticky palate that seems hide the alcohol well. Mild bitter on the finish.

This starts off with an unappealing aroma, touch of cardboard, and something "off". Pours a cloudy reddish-amber, with just a dusting of head. Fairly potent hop bite, with a touch of biscuit and caramel malts in the background. Alcohol not noticeable at all. Not bad, but not something I’m going out of my way to get again.

Growler.Pours a dirty orange,with a thin white head,Aroma is pine,oak,grain and grassy hops. Flavor is kind of a somkey earthy malt character with hints of fruit (peaches) plums,maybe some grapefruit, the hops come in at the end with just the right kick. This was kind of a hard brew to figure out but so tasty ,and I had to drink the whole growler myself Mmmmmmmm. Enjoyable.

12oz Bottle. Ugh. Diacetyl bomb. This smells like a wet dog rolled in rotting newspaper and splattered with 10-year old freezer butter. Stale, dappled with alcohol. Pours a rather dark red-brown, with little carbonation or head. Flavor fights through. A lot of alcohol comes through with a bit of grassy hop dust, celery seeds and plant material. Diacetyl, heavy oxidation and cardboard carry out the rest of the flavor profile. Old malt body gets a touch vinous and is just wrong for a not-that-old IIPA. Pizza sauce and dried tarragon bring up the back. Generally, offensive. Too sweet, too alcoholic, and messier than a two-year old eating pie. This comes across more as a way-over-the-hill barleywine than as a fresh IIPA.

2008 MiBGF: Reddish amber with an okay head. The aroma has notes of catty and resiny hops, pepper, caramel, bready and roasty malts and a bit mineral. The taste starts with a bitter astringent note with a malty backbone, Slightly spicy finish. Strange mouth feel chalky yet sharp. Okay beer, needs crisper hop profile.

Piny aroma. Nice medium body with variety of hop flavors, pine, citrus, floral. Hides the alcohol very well. Great craft brew.