I was the driver on our most recent trip south to the Moan and Dove.  I allowed myself only one beer.  Considering I was only having one beer I reviewed my choices very carefully.  I wanted to try something I had not had before and I was hoping to be knocked off my bar stool by hops.  All signs pointed to the Hop Head Red, brewed by Green Flash Brewing in San Diego, CA.  I love hops, I would easily consider myself to be a hop head (have you noticed?). My favorite hops are Fuggles and currently my favorite IPA is the Otter Creek Imperial IPA (which is at 135 IBU).  I am not however as well versed in types of hops and the characteristic they each display in beer as I would like to be.  There are in fact some hops that I just do not care for, but have not been diligent enough to identify which ones they are.  My goal is to become more familiar, so if you have any advice for me I would love for you to share it.  I must admit that the hops used in the Hop Head Red did not agree with my palette. That said, I was certain to drink the whole beer as some hoppy beers require some time to get the taste buds numbed up just right to fully enjoy it. Still – not “knock me off the stool” good.

So here we go according to Tim’s rating system.  The Hop Head Red for me was like a busty confident red head that just walked into the bar.  From a distance she was the sexiest beer on the draft menu, but up close she was a butter face.  Only because this beer did not agree with my palette would I not have another, it is only 6% ABV so it does posses some level of poundablity.  I found it to be quite affordable considering it had to travel across the country to reach me, but hell Tim does the bills.  What I learned from this beer is that I need to review more closely what hops are being used in some of my favorite hoppy beers and at the same time, which are being used in the hoppy beers I do not care for.  Hopefully that will help me make a more educated pick next time I only get to have 1 beer. All in all, this beer turned out to be a dud in my book.

Related Posts:

• Boont Amber Ale
• Mendocino Red Tail Ale

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Considering this was one of the cheapest beers on the menu, I had expectations as low as my budget for the night.   Those expectations weren’t improved when the first bottle poured flat (but the great bartender at the M&D dumped it out and opened another).  In the end,  I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually a pretty decent beer.

Kind of malty – which is the way I like it.  I tasted a bit of caramel and then some kind of hops.  Probably cascade – seems they are the go to hop when hops just don’t matter.  The label says its an Amber Ale, in case you couldn’t deduce the color and contents without their help.

Sometimes I shop by price – every now and then I don’t regret the decision.  This was one of those times.  Cheap was good.

Related Posts:

• Boont Amber Ale
• Green Flash Brewing – Hop Head Red

©2010 HereForTheBeer.com. All Rights Reserved.