Review – Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale

Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale
7.25% abv

On draft at High Street Grill in New Jersey and also poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a room temperature pint glass.

Appearance
Bright and glowing orange in color with some hints of rust and copper. The bottle was a bit less cloudy than the draft but both were mostly opaque. On the contrary, the draft had much more head with over an inch (more than half of the 8 oz. tasting glass) where the bottled beer only provided a slim coating on top of the glass.

Aroma
Huge citrus fruits right away, followed by a familiar grass/pine hop aroma. I found the bottled beer to have much more potent smells.

Taste
If you want a hoppy beer, look no further. This beer has a big hop punch and reminds me of fresh cut flowers, herbs and citrus fruits all rolled into one. The bitterness from the kettle hops was just right and not overpowering of the sweeter malt flavors.

Mouthfeel
I was surprised at how smooth this beer was. Due to the large quantities or dry hops that are added, I was expecting a rougher, more bitter aftertaste. The bottle and draft were very similar, even though the draft offered more carbonation.

Overall
The name says it all. Hop3 (meaning hop cubed) was originally created by Heavy Seas as a limited release but it gained such a large following that they now sell it all year round. This ale is brewed with more than 3 pounds of hops per barrel. To put that into perspective, some higher-IBU IPAs are hopped with slightly more than a pound per barrel. In addition, Heavy Seas incorporates a 3-part hop schedule that includes kettle additions, hop back additions and dry hopping. (Note: This was my overall favorite beer from the 2009 High Street Grill Winter Beer Fest)