Beer Review: Helmet Nachos by Hoof Hearted Brewing
Beer: Helmet Nachos by Hoof Hearted Brewing
Style: Imperial Double IPA
ABV: 8.0% @ 45 IBU’s
This time around, I try a beer from a brewery that has one of my favorite brewery names, Hoof Hearted. Just say it fast and you’ll know why. These guys are a micro-brewery out of Columbus, Ohio. I actually knew about them prior to them being distributed into New Hampshire because I have friends who live in Ohio and have visited them a couple times. Unfortunately, I did not go to the brewery when I was out there because we stayed mostly in the Cleveland area. We found their beer at local beer stores so that is how I found out about them. I don’t get why people hate on Ohio though, because it’s a pretty fun state filled with great amusement parks and breweries. Cleveland and Columbus have so many breweries, it’s nearly overwhelming. Can’t complain on options though!
This beer pours very nicely with a good sized head on it, and is certainly hazy. It smells like fresh fruit when you pour it into a glass, which is very refreshing on a warm spring day. My first sip kind of surprised me. I did not expect it to be as grassy as it was. I am guessing it is from the YQH-1320 hop, whatever that hop is. I know I have not seen it before. I am familiar with the other two hops they have used, Citra and Motueka. These two are a couple of my favorite hops, and when I saw this beer had it, I really wanted to try it out. Since I am pretty familiar with those two hops, I expected a flavor that this beer ended up not having. That is not a bad thing though. I expected this beer to have a pretty dank character and zippy citrusness. That is typically what you get from those two hops. You definitely get fresh fruit juice with the grassiness in this one. And this one being an 8% double, it tastes pretty light and smooth. Another positive to drinking this one on a warm day. It is one of the more refreshing and drinkable doubles I have had recently. I can’t say this is my favorite from this brewery, but it is one that I would get again. Just not sure when that will be because according to Untapped this beer rotates its hops when they brew it. Out of 5, I will give this beer a 4.15. If you think that is a weird rating, Untapped only lets you rate beers on a 0.25 scale. I think it beats a 4 but it is just shy of a 4.25 because I wish it was a tad more hoppy and that grassy character is a little weird at first. But I got used to it as I drank it and it’s still a solid beer.
Cheers!
