Hoppiest Beer Commercially Available?

I was at my local liquor store today and saw that they have a few bottles of Stone Ruination and Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA.

I've read great things about these beers and it got me wondering; does anybody know what the current most hoppy beer being sold is? I've searched (using the search function) throughout this site and Google, and come up with a few different answers. Anybody know? If so, have you tried it? Was it good?

I like Victory Brewings Hop Devil; Don't know if it's the hoppiest but its darn good.

I don't think there is an absolute definitive answer to that (unless you have the stats on the largest amount of hops used per unit of beer). But if you are looking for the beer with the most hop presence, do you want it in bitterness or flavor/aroma? I haven't had enough IPAs from around the country to make a definitive statement, but I recently tried Arcadia Hopmouth, and that was really good. Avery Maharaja is good too.

I think Bell's Hopslam is probably the hoppiest beer I've tried. It's only available in Jan/Feb, so I'm eagerly awaiting that release!

I think "hoppy" can be bitter- and some IPAs are bitter. But it can also have more of a hops presence and not be overly bitter. So, I think that the "hoppiest IPA" would be a matter of perception, unless someone did some research and found out how many ounces of hops were used per gallon of beer.

Of course, drinking many of the world's best IPAs can be considered "research", too!

Perception aside, I think the OP is talking about IBUs alone.

Looks like Port Brewings Hop 15 is maybe the hoppiest beer in the US.

Almost 10% alc. and uses 15 different varieties of hops. Wow, just wow.

MoRoToRiUm said:

I like Victory Brewings Hop Devil; Don't know if it's the hoppiest but its darn good.

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I really like this beer

Just remember, hoppiest does not mean drinkable.

Stone Ruination is an excellent brew. You won't taste anything else for a couple hours afterwards, so eat dinner before you pop one.

Fresh hopsickle is up there....

Hopsickle Imperial India Pale Ale - Moylan's Brewery - BeerAdvocate

I gotta say that Ruination is the hoppiest I've tried. I am not sure if I'm really ready for it. I may stick with Arrogant Bastard for a few more years before I try it again.

+1 To Edwort. It is high high quality. Thanks for the recommendation of it.

TimSTi said:

I really like this beer

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I'll third the Victory Hop Devil recommendation

Ruination says it's 100 IBU on the bottle but it doesn't taste all that bitter to me. I really enjoyed it (it may have been an old bottle.) Full Sail IPA was so bitter I had to chase it with food.

Depends whether you are looking for highest IBU, most apparent bitterness, most hop flavor. I would tend to lead you to HopSlam as that is the most hoppy flavored beer I can think of. It is awesome, and not harsh like many hop monsters are.

The Pol said:

Looks like Port Brewings Hop 15 is maybe the hoppiest beer in the US.

Almost 10% alc. and uses 15 different varieties of hops. Wow, just wow.

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I tried this beer this summer at the Seattle International Beerfestival. Totally fricken phenomenal. I'd clone my own, but would probably go broke buying the hops for it.

Pliny the Elder would have to be in the conversation... 8% alcohol and 100 IBU's. And of course Pliny the Younger is 11% and even bigger hops!

Eastside

Thanks for all the advice! I've read some about the Hopsickles in the past. I'm going to track those down as well.

I was thinking more of a world record for IBUs. I'm wondering what that super limit is.

ILurvTheWhiskey said:

Thanks for all the advice! I've read some about the Hopsickles in the past. I'm going to track those down as well.

I was thinking more of a world record for IBUs. I'm wondering what that super limit is.

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If you read through the scientific text (there are some threads in this forum I don't feel like searching for), they say, in theory that 100IBU is the maximum that can be dissolved into any beer. I'm not sure I totally buy that, but it's been studied.

Hoppiest is an inexact term.
Hops impart bitterness (100 IBUs is the max that can be detected by humans)
Flavor
Aroma

The latter two are subjective and generally people mean IBUs when they say hoppiest.

The Pol said:

Perception aside, I think the OP is talking about IBUs alone.

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Perception is completely relevant nonetheless. You could have two beers that are 100 IBU's but depending on the BU:GU ratio be perceived completely differently in terms of "hoppiness"

The malt bill, alcohol, and other factors can mask or accentuate the hop presence. I think it is really a tough case to make. Likewise every person will perceive things differently.

I have had beers that are wicked bitter from hops but had hardly any aroma or flavor and seemed like paint thinner. I have had some that seem perfectly balanced like Ruination (yeah, I know, I am screwed up aren't I) with heavenly hop aroma and flavor and yet a high IBU.

Then factor in that hops fluctuate in all regards season to season so a breweries beer will also fluctuate. What was hoppiest one batch may not be the next.

My advice, I agree with Yooper. Loads of research and repeat.

McKBrew said:

If you read through the scientific text (there are some threads in this forum I don't feel like searching for), they say, in theory that 100IBU is the maximum that can be dissolved into any beer. I'm not sure I totally buy that, but it's been studied.

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If ya do a web search you may find it's actually a bit higher than 100 and defendant on wort gravity. Course, then there is also a slew of research on individual perception too.


I've had just about every beer mentioned in this thread so far and the sickle definitely something you want to experience...I have a buddy that loves Ruination and he found hopsickle a bit too intense. Overlord's review in my previously posted link is pretty spot on.

Victory hop devil. Dfh 120 minutes.

I had a beer on tap once that they estimated at over 225 IBU's and I think it was Hopsicle...but I'm not sure.

EdWort said:

Just remember, hoppiest does not mean drinkable.

Stone Ruination is an excellent brew. You won't taste anything else for a couple hours afterwards, so eat dinner before you pop one.

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or eat a really bad meal with it or drink bad beer after it !


I really like it, but I can only drink one after that seems a waste of good beer

Hop Devil is great but Hop Wollop I think is even hoppier but I like the Devil better.

But I know that DFH 120 has more hop in it that can be perceived by humans it is measured at 120 IBU but it is not hardly bitter at all.

brewt00l said:

Fresh hopsickle is up there....

Hopsickle Imperial India Pale Ale - Moylan's Brewery - BeerAdvocate

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I think this guy's trying to win a Pulitzer for his BA reviews:

Smudged brass colored, with quite a bit of haze, stacked with a wet and sticky and lacy beige dome.

Pungent nose full of cannabis, kilned tobacco, rusted iron, crushed flowers and herbs, and pine tar. Malt-derived caramel and dough are secondary (or, actually, septary).

Malt falls across the tongue in biscuity, lightly burnt caramelly waves. It turns doughier, then the hops vaporize it. Here on out, it's all resiny, pithy, sappy, bitter glory. Some DIPAs impress with tropical fruit hues. And I love a lot of them, but this one would punch those in the face and steal their women. Coarse and abrasive and tough, but not without a loveable side. Hugely resinous, with pot, and pot-pipe scraping, and pine sap, and burnt pineapple. A de-commissioned freighter's worth of rusted metal. A bitter tea of wild edibles and leafy tannins. A wavering, almost sweet, lilt of violets and moss. Then more reefer, more wrought iron, a discarded orange rind or two, and some juniper. It lingers with copper and blood, and a closure of dry cedar.

It's structured more along the lines of a barleywine, even though malt is beaten down, eventually. Wool-like, with a low-but-steady bead.
As punishing as it is, it remains thoroughly drinkable. Compulsively, even.
Brutish, and unrelenting, and almost arcane at times, but I love it.

Port Hop 15 is amazing. When it gets put on tap out here, people drive to get it. It is a giant hop punch, and pretty awesome.

Hopsickle is crazy hoppy too. I don't like it as much though.

Pliny (both Elder and Younger) don't touch these beers in hoppiness. Either does 120 minute. I'd still rather drink Pliny though.

Here's what some folks at the GABF (Falling Rock) had to say:
GABF: The hoppiest beer in America? Hop 15 is the Alpha King - What’s On Tap - The California Craft Beer Blog by William Brand

I personally think that Surly Furious has to be in the conversation of top Hoppy beers.

I have not tried any of the brews from Walking Man Brewery in Stevenson WA except the Dark Cherry Stout( which was excellent), but they have 4 different brews that have a 100 or 100+ IBU. I gotta get up there! Believer was the hoppiest I've tried so far.

DogFishHead 120 minute seems to be different every year ( and somewhat different throughout the year), but the best one I ever had was in 2005...damn strong hops! I used to sneak out to meet up with the 120min and felt like I was cheating on my girl. Ruination is a damn good brew, and tastes that much stronger at room temp. Cold temperatures suspend arrest some of intense hop flavors, doesn't have to be warm, just let stand for a couple of minutes and compare. Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere seasonal IPA is a good everyday home type drink, give that a try. I live in Erie, PA and have to hunt for a lot of the smaller West Coast brews.

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid is up there.

Hoppin' Frog Hop Dam Triple IPA is amazingly hoppy but drinkable hoppy.

dataz722 said:

Hop Devil is great but Hop Wollop I think is even hoppier but I like the Devil better.

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I see quite few Hop Devil fans here. Try Victory Yakima Twilight Ale. It tastes like Hop Devil taken to the next level.

I'd also like to throw Troegs Nugget Nectar into to mix.

120 IBU's - I've tried all the "best" DIPA's and Abrasive is still my favorite.. maybe cuz its just so darn fresh here in Minneapolis.

Founders' Devil Dancer is the hoppiest thing I've tried. I could taste it the next day! I think the heat from a high ABV really brings the hops to a whole new level. Seriously the other beers mentioned here are great, but it's nothing like drinking pure piney hop extract. Devil Dancer is not a sessionable beer and will punch you in the face!

10 hop varieties, 112 IBUs, over 200 calculated. This is not a promotion of the beer being "good". Hop Stoopid is good, this beer is actually stupid. It exists only because of crazy hop heads remixing the IPA to a double IPA/imperial IPA and now this beer labelled a "triple IPA". When will it end? Us brewers are beating a dead horse or maybe since hops are in the same family as cannibus we're just a little addicted...?

Port Hop-15 and Mongo are most likely the largest hop flavor in a really good beer.

I have had many, and Hop-15 is probably the freshest hop flavor around.

MoRoToRiUm said:

I like Victory Brewings Hop Devil; Don't know if it's the hoppiest but its darn good.

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Hop Devil..mmmmm and Victory's Hop Wallop is good too!

Hop Devil is definitely one of my favorite IPAs although Ruination is the hoppiest I've ever had. I'll have to try some of the more hoppier beers. I'm thinking that soon I'll have to make a clone of one of those hoppier beers since I have never seen any of the other hoppy beers here in NJ

Never been impressed with Hop Devil. Always taste more grain than hops. Nugget Nectar or Maharaja would be my two.

Ruination and Hop Devil come to mind for sure, but when I think of the hoppiest beer I remember tasting, I think of Great Lakes' Lake Erie Monster, drinking it on draft at a small bar outside Akron. That's the single hoppiest beer I remember ever tasting. Maybe it was just perception at the time, or my individual palatte, but that's the one that singles itself out in my memory.