Some beers are nice like Pilsners, wheats, and Kӧlschs. They don’t challenge the palate. They don’t make people wince. They’re just easy and refreshing. Other beers, however, are less nice. They attack the taste buds with powerful flavors, they make beer geeks pucker with sourness, gasp with high alcohol content, or shudder with overwhelming bitterness. They’re monsters of malt, they’re horrors of hop, they are, in a word, abominations. Welcome to these ranks Hop Abomination India Pale Ale (6.5% ABV) from Dry Dock Brewing Co.’s new canned beer line-up.
Color: Hop Abomination is opaque with hop haze. It’s dark orange with a touch of brown and boasts a thick, off-white head of foam.
Aroma: Big, floral, tropical notes permeate this beer.
Taste: Hop Abomination is a straight-up American IPA; very little malt balance, just dominating, aggressive, bitter hops. It’s a woody, piney type of bitterness laced with hints of citrus and, with concentration, beer geeks can also discern certain tropical flavors, too. The aftertaste keeps the bitter show running long after one has swallowed.
Mouthfeel: This beer is moderately thick and, while initial reactions may deem Hop Abomination moist, the huge hop profile does much to dry out the mouth.
Yes, Hop Abomination is a monster but, like King Kong, it’s a misunderstood beast and, regardless of its confrontation nature, somebody will still love it (namely, the countless hop heads that pervade beer geek culture). One ought to pick up a six-pack at a local Denver-area liquor store if one is in the mood for a belligerent brew.
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