Beer – #311 – Dr. Hops – World Pale Ale

I won this! Some Dr. Hops World Pale Ale. Twitter is amazeballs.

This is brewed by Dr. Hops at the brew to order (contract) Invercargill Brewery in the style of an American Pale Ale.

Delivered in a 330ml bottle, this is a 5.5% ABV beer, making that about 1.5 standard drink units, and about 174 calories a serve. Get in! Artwork on the label is really special, and the wordage (as below) is indeed wordy.

Selfie!

Ladies and Gents… We present to you the first official brew from the mysterious impressario…Dr Wiley Hops. Born the love child of Daddy Longlegs the infamous high stilt walker and his ravishing gypsy wives, his formative years were spent travelling the globe amongst his family of side show freaks and outcasts. With a penchant for home brew and a taste for adventure, the young alchemist developed an artful hand at brewing what became the most gloriously effervescent tonics behind the big tent. A ringmaster,a chemist, a natural born hucksterer, Dr Wiley Hops aims to tantalise your taste buds with his refreshing elixirs. This recipe is imbued with his charisma, charm and personality, we hope you enjoy this truly ambrosial World Pale Pale.

Let the games begin….

Nice hop burst on the opening, then bready yeast. Lovely golden orange pour, but little by way of head, but it’s persistent. Aroma is sweeter in the glass.

Very malty taste this one has, pleasantly bitter and finishes well and long. Lots of tang of things like grapefruit in there, and some resin.

The ‘bitterness’ is persistent, and in a good way not in some cloying and terrible way.

This then looks great, and drinks well. I noticed too that this has that ‘full’ mouthfeel, the fluffy thing that goes on. There is not an indication that this is at over the high end for domestic beers, which are around 5% ABV, but you couldn’t tell either way.I know what I’d prefer to drink, and oh look at that, I am!

A thoroughly enjoyable way to start a Friday evening. Which leads me to the pdubyah-o-meter. I’m going to click it up a notch on the arbitrary as it’s nearer to 8 than not. So 8 it is arbitrarily on the scale of things. 8 is very good.

What counts against it? I’m not sure that this couldn’t do with a tad more body in it, if I was being frank. That doesn’t make this a disaster or one to avoid, indeed I have two and will be enjoying the second one as much, and may come back to write some more as it takes me.

Thanks to the @HelloDrHops on twitter for some bestie moments and some amusements, you really do need to check the Dr.Hops web site it tells you nothing, and a lot 🙂

The very esteemed “Beer for a year” blog outs Dr.Hops in this way ”

Part of me wonders if I’m not meant to celebrate the fact the brewer behind Dr Hops, Nicky Claridge, is a woman – because I’m so PC that it’s not even a thing – but really that would be silly. The brewing world is still very much dominated by males and I do get excited when I see women at the helm of craft beer, especially when the beer is as good as this.

Musically I was enjoying Eilen Jewel – and this ‘Shakin’ all over’ from the album Sea of Tears, seems appropriate.

AMERICAN PALE ALE

American Pale Ales are light in color, ranging from golden to a light copper color. The style of this beer is defined by the American hops used. American hops typically have high bitterness and aroma.This is a perfect beer for big fare like grilled burgers or combination pizzas, as well as lighter fare like sushi and green salads.