Hop Czar

Bridgeport Brewing Co.
Portland, OR

Available: n/a

Hop Czar is brewed according to BridgePort’s IPA recipe, then triple-hopped and bottle-conditioned to produce this double IPA.

ABV: 8
ABW: 6.4
Color: 22
Bitterness: 90
Original gravity: 1071

I have reservations about the trend to produce double IPAs and Imperial IPAs, as such designations did not exist in Victorian England. That aside, this 8 percent beer is a delight, a pale bronze ale with a big fluffy head and a whole candy shop of aromas: orange and lemon slices underscored by a big waft of hop resins. Tart citrus fruit in the mouth is balanced by bitter hop notes and biscuity malt. The long, complex finish is dominated by bitter, resinous hops, lemon jelly fruit and juicy malt.
- Roger Protz

The cap is covered by a heavy foil capsule that inflated menacingly as I opened the bottle. After the special effects, the beer pours a honey color, raising a thin tan head. The nose is wonderfully resiny, a pure expression of funky green “hop-sack” character. One expects a blast of bitterness, but the beers hits the palate gently, using a full malt backbone to balance robust bitterness. It’s a fun beer to drink and it will meet a spicy Thai coconut curry on its own terms.
- Garrett Oliver

Roger Protz
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

Garrett Oliver
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.