Hoptimus Prime
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(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
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Sometimes, a good name and quirky artwork are all it takes to get me to buy a beer. And since Legacy Brewing Co.’s “Hoptimus Prime” has both, the bottle jumped from the beer aisle, landed in my hand, and pulled me to the cashier. This Double India Pale Ale is 9% ABV, about 100 IBU, and a decent way to start American Craft Beer Week while also celebrating the mini-holiday of IPA Monday.
I don’t think there’s any sort of Transformers tie-in, but the character gracing the Hoptimus Prime label is certainly worthy of his own cartoon show or Michael Bay film. The leafy hop-man has bulging hop-pectorals, a bitter hop-codpiece, and a foamy mug of (one can only assume) Double India Pale Ale. He seems to be gazing into the mug and pondering the question written beneath the Legacy logo: “Ours Is In The Bottle . . . What’s Yours?” Hoptimus Prime’s legacy could be the conclusion of the hop shortage — if he donated a leg, the problem would be solved.
The Legacy website describes the beer as:
Aggressively formulated with five different hop varieties, Hoptimus Prime is then dry hopped two weeks ensuring a MASSIVE hop flavor and aroma. Perfectly balanced with three types of malt, it goes great with: Spicy Thai food, Mexican Cuisine, or a big ol’ bowl of chili.
This beer can stand up to spicy food because the hops lend a spicy quality to the beer that could hang in there with burritos or curry. But despite the 100 IBU rating, those hops aren’t nearly as dominant as the name and the logo would seem to indicate.
From the bottle, the beer produced a thick white head head that could rival a root beer float for creaminess. Hoptimus Prime has quite a pretty color, with soft copper-caramel hues and a hazy-to-clear body.
The aroma was mostly sweet malt and sugar, but with soft, spicy hop notes. In your mouth, the beer becomes remarkably creamy and tastes malty but not exactly sweet. Hops are nowhere to be found at first, but then sneak up through the finish. They are spicy and piney, but not overpowering. As I drank Hoptimus Prime, the bitterness seemed strong at moments and nonexistent at others.
Overall, this is a pretty good beer. The best qualities of the beer are present in the quirky label and the goofy name, but the contents manage to put on a decent show too.
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(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading ...
