Got a chance to try Wild Rose’s (the brewery, not the party, thank goodness) latest seasonal last night, Hop Smashed In Belgian-Style IPA. I have been curious about this one since I heard it would be released. This fusion-style is a challenging one (both to brew and to get your tastebuds around), and there are only a handful available around these parts (although the classic De Ranke XX Bitter is available). I am certain Wild Rose is the first Alberta brewery to try their hand at it (I was feeling too lazy to research if someone else in Canada has done it – I trust DDC at the minimum has).
The key feature of this “style” (I put quotes around it to avoid another “what rates as a style?” debate) is the mixing of Belgian yeast character and higher levels of hop bitterness and aroma. Most Abbey-style ales possess low hopping rates, and so the thought of upping the bitter while keeping all the funk is very creative. It began with Belgian brewers taking up some American influence, and now we see American brewers playing with Belgian methods to produce the same thing.
Hop Smashed In (a lovely play on words and a nod to the famous Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump) is a light copper beer, with surprising clarity. It builds a voluminous bright white head with tons of lacing. It is a gorgeous beer, to be sure. The first aromas to hit my nose are a bit of citrus fruit and biscuity grain. However within milliseconds they are shouldered aside by a sharp, funky, earthy yeast aroma that also throws off some pepper and clove for good measure. It smells like an assertive, complex strain of yeast. To finish off a moderate level of floral hop aroma appears. I imagine they put in a good share of aroma hops, but it gets overpowered somewhat by the yeast character.
In the taste there is a light sweetness upfront, and then a snaking of earthy belgian spice and herbal hop. with light citrus notes The two intertwine, fight and cooperate all the way through the beer. The yeast offers clove, smoke, funkiness and earthy spice. The hops linger at the end (as does the yeast) with a pine and citrus character.The beer comes across generally as complex, sharp and full of “top-end” flavours (if that makes any sense).
As my glass empties I find each sip brings out a different component of this beer. In one there is hops; the next brings out smoky phenols; one after that more peppery and citrusy. I am enjoying the experience of svaouring its intermingling of two brewing cultures. The yeast and hop play well together. My “top-end” comment has me contemplating that what might bring this beer fully home is a bit more “bottom-end”. Just like a good bass line in a rock song, beer also needs a solid malt anchor. In the melange of hops and yeast, the malt gets a bit lost. There are some light grainy and biscuit malts lurking, but like the little brother on the soccer field, it doesn’t get many ball-touches.
Maybe it is just a byproduct of the top-end intensity (and the “style” should be dry and light), but I wonder if a bit of a malt boost might create a triad of flavours and make the beer even more complex. On the other hand, maybe that would overdo it, and it is better off a bit thinner. Or maybe I am thinking too much about this. Time to stop thinking and go back to savouring.
Hop Smashed In reminds me, in many respects, of some Mikkeller beer. Earthy, uninhibited and angular. And lots of Belgian funkiness. Kudos to Wild Rose for taking this challenge on. Will definitely pick up another bottle soon.
April 27, 2012 at 12:39 PM
Here is a BC example from Phillips. It came out last year. I am not sure if it is available in Alberta.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2675/66224
April 27, 2012 at 1:19 PM
Phillips Hoperation is available in Alberta. I bought a bottle in Edmonton at Sherbrooke a while back and I have seen it at Keg N Cork. It is delicious….will be interesting to compare it to WR’s offering.
April 27, 2012 at 6:13 PM
Right! Forgot about that one (the price of lazy posting – which I blame on time constraints these days). Indeed, a side-by-side would be interesting to do.
April 27, 2012 at 3:50 PM
I found this beer quite disappointing, especially when compared to the Belgian IPAs being produced in California.
April 27, 2012 at 4:22 PM
I haven’t tried the beer yet, but you’re just setting yourself for disappointment if you expect Alberta beers to be as good US beers.
April 27, 2012 at 6:12 PM
Paul, I hear what your saying, but I respectfully disagree. I think you use too broad a brush, and you don’t consider context properly. Indeed, few beer made in Alberta would be considered global “classics” (although I would put AK Full Moon, WR Velvet Fog and some of their seasonals up against any equivalent beer), but that shouldn’t be the marker. 95% of beer made by craft brewers in the US wouldn’t hit that either.
I try to take each beer for what it is, rather than try to compare it to some rare ideal. Also, I have sampled A LOT of US craft beer and, yes, some are out of this world. However, most fit right into the level we get in Alberta.
Also, Alberta’s craft scene (Canada’s generally) is younger and the market is smaller, meaning there is room for growth. We can dump on the quality of craft beer in our country, or try to acknowledge good stuff when we taste it and encourage them to push for more.
Just like in my review of Hops Smashed In – I tried to indicate that more malt would help the overall impression of the beer. The good thing is that they get to try it again one day. That is the fun in craft brewing – something I want to encourage rather than dismiss. No beer is perfect (as a homebrewer I know that first hand), but that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate what we have.
Thanks for posting, I hope you keep reading, and maybe, one day, Alberta beer will meet your expectations.
Cheers!
April 28, 2012 at 8:30 AM
Yup, I’m really enjoying the great prairie beers. I can look to each brewery and see some very good beers. Are we seeing the experimentation that is so common in the US? Yes, we are starting to, and our breweries are quickly learning what works and what doesn’t work. I have been floored by some of the seasonals produced in the last year from Alley Kat, Wild Rose, Paddock Wood, Bushwakker and others, and not just because they are “local,” but because they are flat out damn good beers.
Get around and try more of the US craft beers, you’ll find more misses than hits. Just because it is a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout doesn’t mean it is any good. Jason mentioned Mikkeller in his post, I don’t even bother with them, I don’t have the cash or patience to work my way through their mess of a lineup to figure out what is good, what is garbage and what didn’t survive the voyage across the pond.
I always say that “local for the sake of local is stupid.” I don’t think we have to worry about that anymore. Support the hell out of these guys, they are all moving in the right direction, and we always know that “beer tastes best closest to the source.”
April 27, 2012 at 10:35 PM
Will definitely have to try the Wild Rose Hop Smashed In…& yes, nice play on words. I too really enjoyed Phillips Hopperation Tripel Cross…even moreso, just the other day when a friend & I shared a bottle on the Next Act patio(if you can call it a ‘patio’?;-) )…I might try to pick up another bottle, to do a ‘side-by-side comparison’.