Name Your Favorite Overhopped IPA

I'm interested in finding some killer way-hopped IPA's-as in big boil additions and dry-hopped, hop-backed commercial brews.

I want to try some IPA's that the hops come flying outta my nose, kinda IPA's.

Rip your face, over-hopped, 7+% IPA's that proudly stand as fine American examples of an IPA.

I've had a few, but don't really sample each and every commercial craft brew there is, and there is a bunch; so tell me the ones that really made an impression on you.

I'll allow a way-hopped red ale or some such cousin, as I've just tried the Founders Red Ale, and it was okay...

My favorite to date is Bell's Two Hearted Ale. It has a kick, but a flavorful one.

Can't always find it, but Bell's Hopslam should do the trick for you.

Flying Fish's HopFish, I love that beer.

It has to be a toss up between hop slam and Double arrogant bastard

New Holland Mad Hatter.

I wouldn't really say overhopped...because it's so balanced, by my favourite borderline IPA/IIPA is Hop Cubed by Clipper City.

I have yet to find a beer that I think is 'too hoppy', but here's another vote for Bell's Two Hearted. It's an amazingly well balanced IPA.

Although I love Two Hearted (it is my favorite commercial IPA to date), I hesistate to call it 'overhopped'. I think it is probably one of the better examples of a balanced IPA as the malt backbone is not overriden by the hops, I believe this may be the reasoning behind the 'Two Hearted' naming, but that' just my guess. It has a huge hop aroma, but I am not sure the IBU's come close to many other offerings out there.

zoebisch01 said:

Although I love Two Hearted (it is my favorite commercial IPA to date), I hesistate to call it 'overhopped'. I think it is probably one of the better examples of a balanced IPA as the malt backbone is not overriden by the hops, I believe this may be the reasoning behind the 'Two Hearted' naming, but that' just my guess. It has a huge hop aroma, but I am not sure the IBU's come close to many other offerings out there.

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I'd say Bell's Two Hearted and Stone Ruination are great.

The "Two Hearted" name has to do with Ernest Hemingway, and a river near my friends camp where Hemingway hung out.

The King:

Russian River Pliny the Elder



The rest of my favs:

Bells Hopslam
Noddinghead's Hoptiums Prime
Port Brewing Hop 15
Great Divide Hercules
Stone Ruination

zoebisch01 said:

Although I love Two Hearted (it is my favorite commercial IPA to date), I hesistate to call it 'overhopped'. I think it is probably one of the better examples of a balanced IPA as the malt backbone is not overriden by the hops

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I concur...

I second the Stone Ruination, also Hercules Double IPA by great divide. Both are excellent for satisfying a big hop craving.

edit: brewt00l, you beat me to it

YooperBrew said:

I'd say Bell's Two Hearted and Stone Ruination are great.

The "Two Hearted" name has to do with Ernest Hemingway, and a river near my friends camp where Hemingway hung out.

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Ahh cool, thx . Now the trout make sense

Goose Island IIPA. Wow.

Anything Dogfish Head the 60, 90, or 120 minutes. I'll second the Hercules mentioned on the previous page as well.

My Favorite is Ballast Point's Dorado DIPA. Very balanced and floral. I had one recently that I will say was too hoppy for me. The Moylan's Moylander DIPA was simply too bitter for me to enjoy, and this is for someone who loves the Plinys and many other huge hop beers.

You all are WAY off

You need to find Dark Horse Brewing Co. Crooked Tree IPA and Double Crooked Tree IPA.

By far the best IPA & DIPA I have ever had. Story behind the Double is the head brewer doubled everything in the batch but the amount of water. Talk about slam you in the face with hops.


Cheers

I've never had an overhopped IPA, as i can never get enough hops, so have to make my own hop-bombs to get a decent fix. But some of my commercial favs that have almost enough hops are:
Fishtale Winterfish, Alesmith IPA, Pizza Port Wipeout, Bear Republic Racer X, Deschutes Inversion, Port Hop 15, Weyerbacher Double Simcoe.

Man, I feel inadequate... I don't really like overhopped IPAs. I recently had a good IPA down in San Diego at Karl Strauss Brewing Company, but I get the feeling it won't fit this thread's category.

i'll second Goose Island and Dogfish Head.

Victory Hopdevil?

Never had it myself but it was recommended to me since I like the hoppy ones, have to try the Flying Fish I've become a fan of their while farming bottles.

Bell's Two Hearted Ale, Great beer cant wait until I can do AG so I can Clone it!

Wow, I must have really had an old and/or bad bottle of Bell's Two-Hearted when I tried it. (Bought a single when I was in vacation in NC this summer at the OBX). It wasn't hoppy at all and barely tasted like a pale ale to me. I was so let down after all the hype. I'll have to try it again.

PseudoChef said:

Wow, I must have really had an old and/or bad bottle of Bell's Two-Hearted when I tried it. (Bought a single when I was in vacation in NC this summer at the OBX). It wasn't hoppy at all and barely tasted like a pale ale to me. I was so let down after all the hype. I'll have to try it again.

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If for any reason You get up here to Michigan around the Kalamazoo area you should stop into there brewery and have some of there fresh stuff on tap You will be amazed.But if you cant hopefully you will try some a bit more fresh.

PseudoChef said:

Wow, I must have really had an old and/or bad bottle of Bell's Two-Hearted when I tried it. (Bought a single when I was in vacation in NC this summer at the OBX). It wasn't hoppy at all and barely tasted like a pale ale to me. I was so let down after all the hype. I'll have to try it again.

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Maybe, maybe not. If you were expecting a "hop bomb" along the lines of some of the other suggestions in this thread, I could see how you might be disappointed. As others have said, 2H is a really well-balanced, easy-drinking IPA (1.06x OG, <50 IBUs if I recall). It's damn near a session beer in our house .

It's possible you got a bad bottle...all the way in OBX, and sold as a single make it pretty believable. But it might be your tastes in the Bells lineup run more to HopSlam.

I'm assuming it was just old. Even if it's not overhopped, what I had was not bitter or hop-tasting at all, and I know it's an all-Centennial brew. I'll give it another shot for due justice! Hurrah!

You guys should try YooperBrew's IIPA. Well I wouldn't exactly call it over-hopped, but it is pretty bitter. I think its probably the best IPA I ever tasted, definitely better than an commercial IPA I ever tried.

Two Brothers has a beer called Hop Juice that is pretty extreme.

steve123 said:

Victory Hopdevil?

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eh....it's not the blast of hops that some other beers mentioned in this thread deliver

Their Hop Wallop is definitely more hoppy than hopdevil and could hang but I can't say I am a big fan of either brew.

Moylan's Hopsicle Triple Hoppy Imperial Ale
Green Flash Imperial IPA
Avery Maharaja Imperial IPA

I'm a big fan of Bell's Two Hearted (currently drinking my 'clone'), and the Dogfish Head "minute" line.

One that hasn't been mentioned, but is a favorite of mine: Schmaltz brewing's He'Brew: Bittersweet Lenny's Rye Double IPA.

Malts:

2-row, Rye Ale Malt, Torrified Rye, Crystal Rye 75, Crystal Malt 65, Wheat, Kiln Amber, Caramel 70

Hops:

Warrior, Cascade, Simcoe, Crystal, Chinook, Amarillo, Centennial. Dry Hopped with Amarillo and Crystal

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That's a mouthful!

Two Hearted and Pliny are my favorite IPAs, but I hesitate to call them overhopped. They're just way tasty.

Ruination, on the other hand, is overhopped...and awesome.

Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brew Co. Hands down a great, balanced DIPA.

Green Flash Brewing Co.'s Imperial IPA (*very* chewy Nugget aroma and flavor, normal bitterness).

Ruination is good, but a bit over the top. I would definitely call it 'over-hopped'.

I would have said Racer X from Bear Republic, but the pint I had at the last Portland Fest was a real disappointment.

Yankee Clipper IPA, Calapooia Brewing is good - massively hopped with Chinook, Cascade, Willamette and Centennial hops, and balanced with a malt finish

Damn I really want to try the Pliny

I looooooooooove the Ruination stuff!

I gotta get a bigger notepad....

Holy F***, I thought it was just me that had the hop 'Jones'....

Please, by all means, continue...

I love Stone Ruination.

The most over-the-top hoppy beer I've had is Moylan's Hopsickle.

http://www.moylans.com/pages/brewery/beers.htm

i only saw it on here once. but i love DFH 90-min IPA and there 120 jsut makes my mouth water... you talk about hoppy beer, and i've had a bunch. just something about the 90-minute that i can't resist.