Kalamazoo Hopsolution Ale

Hank and I decided to pick up some beer on Thursday night. He decided to go all out and get a $17 six pack of Hopsolution Ale, particularly because he found it interesting that the back of the bottle said “Brewed especially for the people of the great state of Illinois” And wanted to know what made it so expensive. I did as well. Thanks for the donation Hank!

Appearance: An ambered hue that resembles a soft looking honey. Minimal white head film caresses the top of the beer. Somewhat hazy with no activity occurring within. Left the dregs in the bottle so as to preserve clarity, though I suspect from what resided at the bottom this beer would normally be very clouded.

Aroma: Very toasted and bready. I get some sweetened nuts, honey as well as a very subtle floral aroma. Graininess as well as caramel make up the majority of the nose.

Taste: Overwhelmingly sweet. It tastes extremely malty, and what comes to mind initially is a dough ball from a commercial brewery size mash tun. It is very sweet, but more of an unmalted, unfermented flavor. Extremely biscuit and toasted with some malt caramel that finishes the mid taste. Honey and some hop profile carry out the end, but the grainy toasted malt dominates over all else. Some alcohol is present in the finish. Finally there is a rye aspect at the end, adding a spicy flavor of whiskey and rye to follow the hops and alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Tacky. A smooth but quite heavy body makes up the texture of this beer. Carbonation is fine and light, but enough to fill the body and create an inviting feel.
Overall Impression: Very interesting beer. I’m safe to say I have never had anything like it. It maintains an unfermented/un-boild wort aspect to it, yet still has the alcohol and hops to slightly create a backing to the beer. A toasty flavor and an overly sweet taste make for a heavy beer. Worth the $17? I’d say no, but certainly worth a try!

This beer was $15.49 / six pack

85/100