Hop Ottin' IPA

The Anderson Valley Brewing Company has spent the past 25 years in Mendocino County producing stellar brews for appreciative beer lovers. Hop Ottin’ IPA, a brewery mainstay, is all about hops. It overflows with aromas of citrus fruit, bakery fresh bread, and hints of lavender and thyme. Rick was taken by the “fragrant grapefruit and slightly oily pine tree” hop aromas balanced with a bright, crackery malt base. Tim felt the fruit was a bit sweeter, picking up a “fruity, peach jam on toasted English muffin.” He reached down a little further beneath the sweetness to find traces of lavender and lemon thyme that “complement the intense fruitiness.” Ever so slightly hazy, and capped by a dense off-white foam crown, this beer pours a deep golden-to-amber. To be expected of a California IPA, hops play a starring role in Hop Ottin’s flavor with fistfuls of grapefruit, kiwi, and herbs, all riding over a clean, slightly sweet malt background. Pete felt the bitterness verged on harshness, but it was softened by a “light, slick buttery edge,” as well as notes of English toffee and figs. Lee, too, detected a buttery, almost butterscotch flavor, but felt it worked nicely with the “punch of bitter orange and dried pineapple.” Jam packed with the flavors of summer, Hop Ottin’ should be invited to your next backyard barbecue or beachfront picnic.