The Hop on Top comes in a standard 12 ounce twist-off bottle with minimal information on the label. The appearance is a light golden yellow color with an active, small white head. No real lacing to speak of, though some spots remain. The aroma consists of some floral hops, a bit of a buttery aroma, and some malts; nothing too complicated.

Being called Hop on Top you would expect a decent about of hops with some bitterness. There isn’t really any to be found – the hop elements are mostly citrus and some pine with a little sweetness from the malt. Also present are some off flavors that I can’t put my finger on. Overall, it is a bit watered down, feeling quite thin; certainly nothing to write home about.

I gave it a shot, but this beer honestly left me wanting more. The aromas were decent but the flavors were not up to par. A good APA this is not. It’s super light and watery, which could be a session beer, but with so many other good choices out there why go with this one? Maybe it was a bad batch, and if I find it again I will give it another try. Until then, this one isn’t for me.

Rating

67
out of 100

Out of the bottle, the Moon Man has a straw-like golden color with a thin white head. There is spotted lacing along with some visible carbonation. On the nose, there’s a good hop aroma that is not overpowering, but not so light that it’s hard to notice. Elements of grapefruit, pine and a hint of sweet caramel from the malt all come in towards the back end.

There is some decent complexity hidden in this beer that becomes apparent on the first sip. The hops are flavorful but not overly bitter, and the malts add that balancing sweetness. Flavor elements of citrus and floral hops (grapefruit again) come in mid-palate along with some graininess from the malts. A touch of bitterness is towards the end but it aids in making the beer crisp. The body is light and the carbonation livens things up quite well.

A session beer this truly is. Clean flavors, subtle complexity, good hop and malt elements, and of course balance. Some of the flavors were a little thin, requiring some searching to find and the aftertaste could use a little cleaning up. The Moon Man is refreshing, complex and sessionable. In short: find it and drink it.

Rating

89
out of 100

Poured into a pint glass from the 12oz bottle, the Fire Rock has a great copper color with a very slight haze. There is about a finger of eggshell white head that leaves some lacing on the glass, but nothing too outlandish. The aroma is a hit over the head with hops at first, but then the malts step in and even things out. From the hops some spicy elements come through, along with some good orange citrus aromas. The malt elements are sweet and nutty, complimenting the hops well.

The hops seem to be the main concentration again for the taste. There is a good complexity in the hop elements with citrus and some grassy elements coming through. The malt doesn’t let the hops steal the show though, stepping up with caramel elements and toasted malt. Fire Rock is medium bodied with good carbonation that aids in a crisper finish. The slightest twinge of alcohol esters are at the end but it’s still enjoyable.

The Fire Rock is a good take on an APA, and makes it a little more complex by adding some interesting elements. It was well balanced while still putting the hops forward, which I enjoyed. A nice change form the ordinary, very sessionable and refreshing. Hopefully more beers from Kona make their way to the mainland.

Rating

88
out of 100

The Public pours an amber-orange color out of it’s DC centric can (which advocates for DC statehood). The head is white in color, about one and a half inches thick and leaves a decent amount of sticky lacing on the glass. The aromas are hop-centric and a little spicy. Citrus and pine come through most predominantly with a light maltyness to the base. Overall, the aromas are a little weak – you have to seek them out.

The malt shows itself upfront on the first taste. It offers a little sweetness before the rush of hops. The citrus and pine come back from the aroma, in addition to some more spiciness. There is also some grassy and bready notes in the finish. The Public finishes a bit dry, with a good lingering bitterness. The malt elements did add some balance, and make this APA an easy drinking one (also thanks to a lighter mouth feel) while still remaining hop centric.

I never fully judge a new brewery by their first beer. It takes a few batches to dial everything in. DC Brau is off to a good start though. Is there some cleanup work that needs to be done on The Public, for sure. The hop elements need to be fine tuned and the malt should play a little more of a role. The aromas also need to be beefed up a bit though this is a great start for a new brewery, and I can’t wait to see what else they have in store.

Rating

80
out of 100

The All Others Pale pours with a cloudy burnt orange body and about one finger of off white head that leaves spots of sticky lacing on the glass. This beer has an easy going, inviting aroma that is a good mix of caramel malts and citrus hops. The citrus is mostly comprised of grapefruit and orange notes, while the caramel ties it together and adds a little more complexity.

The balance of the nose follows over into the flavors. The caramel comes through first, though more pronounced than the nose. There are hints of toffee as well, and the slightest bit of malt roast. This is followed by hints of citrus hops but is quickly overcome by more spicy hop notes. Some bitterness is present in the linger, but the overall the flavor is balanced.

Mikkeller was going for an easy drinking refreshing beer, and I believe they achieved it. I do wish that there was a little more complexity, and that the finish was a little better. The All Others Pale is a good session beer, and a great one to have after work.

Rating

84
out of 100

The Pale 31 pours out a clear orange-gold color with a foamy white head. There is some lacing left on the glass, but the head diminishes about half way down. Aromas of citrus hops and pine abound. A good pleasant aroma, and a bit more robust than I would expect out of a Pale Ale. There is a little bit of spice in the aroma that fills it out and brings all the other flavors together.

The Pale 31 is crisp all the way through. The flavors start off with citrus hops with orange and grapefruit coming through. A little bit more spice than I was expecting for an APA but there is a definite malt backbone keeping it in check. There is some bitterness at the end, but just enough to add some complexity. The malty sweetness again keeps it mild.

The crisp, clean, flavors combined with a light mouth feel with just the right amount of carbonation make this a very sessionable beer. The Pale 31 is crisp and reserved where it should be, while more robust (as in the nose) than other beers of the style. If you want something with a bit of hop character without having to reach for a high ABV IPA, this may be one to go for.

Rating

89
out of 100

The San Diego County Session Ale pours a slightly hazy orange color with about one finger of white head. There is a decent amount of carbonation as well as a bit of lacing left on the glass. The aromas are classically hoppy with orange zest, grapefruit, and plenty of pine. There is nothing in the aromas besides the hops, and I’m expecting the same of the flavor.

The hop show continues on the palate. While there is a small amount of malt present, the hops make quick work of it and steal the show. As with the nose grapefruit and citrus come through prominently. The beer is not overly bitter and has some sweeter notes. Billed as a “session ale” it certainly comes through. Even with all the hops the bitterness is kept in check and the alcohol is non existent, yet it tastes like a big hoppy IPA that you would expect a lot of alcohol presence.

For all the hop character the San Diego County Session Ale has, it does feel a bit subdued, as though there could be more. And there isn’t a good amount of depth on the palate. I would have liked a bit more malt and some variation in flavor. Even with all that I still like the beer, it’s a session ale that a hop head will surely enjoy. And what a good tribute to all of the homebrewers out there.

Rating

86
out of 100

The beer poured nicely and was just how I remembered it from the tap;  honey golden with a glaze of amber in the middle that faded outward. I got about one finger worth of head on this beer and that quickly dissipated, leaving spotty lacing around my trusty pint glass.

The smells are exactly what I would hope for in a Wheat beer. There are prominent aromas of sweet and citrusy fruits, orange peel, vanilla and a hint of coriander. There is some honey too that rounds out the concoction of flavors. Although heavier in the sweet profile, you can still make out some of the wheat that makes this a Wheat beer.

The taste was very sweet and fruity, following the nose. To me it was something special and more pleasant than your typical Wheat beer. The sweetness not only comes from the fruits and honey but the caramel malts, too. They shine through the fruit and wheat, and accent the beer really well. There was little hoppyness to the Whitsun with balanced but mild carbonation on a medium body.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable brew. It was a great Wheat beer and is one to enjoy by the pool in the summer. I would buy another Arcadia brew again and continue to check out their other offerings and definitely would recommend picking this one up if you have the opportunity.

Overall: 8.5/10

This 7% ABV American Pale Ale was poured from a 22oz bottle. The two finger off-white head sat atop a deep orange colored beer with minimal carbonation. The aromas were balanced, but leaning towards the malty end of things with caramel coming through quite prominently. Also, some citrus spice mixed in as well, balancing out the sweeter smelling caramel.

The taste of the OREgasmic Ale was slightly less balanced with the malts taking the front seat. The sweetness of the caramel really shined through up front. In the back end, the hops took over a bit and add some slightly muted citrus elements including orange peel and grapefruit. The hops also add a lingering bitterness that sticks around until you are ready for your next sip.

Rogue has produced a really solid organic APA that shows what organic beers can be, and they took it beyond making a standard APA by amp’ing up the flavors in the OREgasmic Ale. I’m really pleased with this beer; I purchased it knowing only what the label told me, and I must say that I was not disappointed. Things bode well for the organic revolution.

Overall: 8/10

I poured the bottle into one of my pint glasses and marveled at the very golden color. It was a very nice pour, not only in the color, but also in the very frothy and bubbly head. There were a small amount of carbonation bubbles to keep a nice cap after the majority of the head had dissipated. The smell was a great balance between malt and hops. I picked up on some grassy/piney hop notes as well as some light caramel malt.

The taste for me was rather ordinary but good nonetheless. The color and pour would have led me to believe I’d be getting a rather light body in the mouth, but it was definitely a solid medium body. I liked that, actually. I definitely was hit up-front by a nice grassy hop taste with a touch of the caramel malt. I didn’t get any bitterness until the finish which left me with a lingering bitter taste. Almost waxy and metallic at the end. It wasn’t anything overly pleasant but nothing to tarnish my judgment on the beer.

I’ve always been pleased with the beer Stoudt’s produces; they’re quality made and taste great. Their APA is no exception. While there wasn’t really anything extraordinary about this, there wasn’t much of anything hindering it either. If this is the taste they were going for, they’ve got it. I would have liked to seen something set it apart from other APAs. Despite the lack of complexity in this beer, it definitely is sessionable and quite delicious. Pour yourself a pint, you’ll enjoy it.

Overall: 7.5/10