Drake's Brewing Hopocalypse (Green Label)

Beer Name: Hopocalypse (Green Label)
Brewery: Drake's Brewing Co. (San Leandro, CA)
ABV: 9.3%
How sold: 22 oz bottles; on draft
Where bought: Belmont Station (Portland, OR)
Price: $9.35 for 22 oz bottle

Date Bottled: February 16, 2017
Date Purchased: March 11, 2017
Date Opened: March 29, 2017
IBU: 101
When brewed? Limited-time beer.

What's on the Bottle: "Green-tinted clouds of hop dust engulf the brewery; the brewers' eyes gleaming with manic intent upon their creation. An imposing quantity of Mosaic, Simcoe, and Amarillo hops saturate the palate with aromas of ripe guava and grapefruit citrus. A base of clean, dry malt and just a touch of sweteness keeps the sharp, clean bitterness in line."

What's on the Website: "Our incarnation of the Hopocalypse this year begins gently with a kick from Jarrylo and Polaris in the whirlpool, releasing an almost minty and floral quality, with notes of fruit and soft spice. Our dry-hopping takes four different hops and blasts the brew with heavy pine, citrus peel, and tropical fruit aromatics that lead your path into a clean bitter snap. A bit of wheat and caramalts add a soft touch of sweetness. As the flavor fades you are left chasing more.  Be weary, for the Hopocalypse is nigh…

"Drink fresh and remember, #TheEndIsBeer." Read more here!

Where distributed: Drake's Brewing ships to select states. It can at least be found on the West Coast. Check to see if Drake's ships your area!

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured mostly clear golden into a pint glass. Unfiltered; sediment suspended in the beer. Very frothy white head. Good lacing on the glass. Looks like a virtually perfect pour. 4.75/5

Smell (25%): Very tropical (passion fruit; grapefruit); citrus (tangerine); and pine. Amazing. 5/5

Taste (40%): Lots of passion fruit and tangerine throughout. Extremely dangerous and very flavorful, no octane whatsoever. Drinks very easy. Deserves the full five here. 5/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, good carbonation. Very juicy, very slight dry tongue. Orange and tangerine citrus stays on the tongue. 4.75/5

Overall (20%): A world-class Double IPA. My first Drake's Brewing experience probably wont get much better than this. You'll read about the White Label Hopocalypse tomorrow, which will be hazier in color. As far as first impressions go, it can't get much better. Such an inviting tropical experience which drinks way easier than 9.3% and, in my opinion, doesn't have any bitterness close to 101 IBU. I've had beers with a lower ABV that have more octane and malt, and beers with a lower IBU that are much more bitter than this. While I usually save the rest of the bottle for the next day, I completely tanked this in one sitting, and would have finished the bottle faster if I didn't stop to write this review. Maybe having this beer six weeks after bottling is the way to go? Whatever the case, I'm giving some of my highest recommendations to this one if you're a Double IPA fan. 5/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.963/5