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Style: Cream Ale
ABV: 5.3%
I love hoppy beers, especially when it's done in ways that I least expect it. Last month in my review of Sam Adams Double Agent IPL, I mentioned that IPL reminded me of Capital Hop Cream from Capitol Brewing and mentioned that I would be doing a review of it. Well, here it is.
The last time I had this was back in December at the 7 West Taphouse in Duluth, MN (Which is my personal favorite non-brewpub watering hole in Duluth, check it out if you are ever in the area!). I don't remember 100% what it tasted like aside from having a higher-than-normal hop volume. That's because me and my friends were doing our own holiday pub tour and I was too focused on what I was planning for New Years. The only thing I remember what it was a hoppy Blonde Ale. Well it's 5 months later, and I'm ready to give this an honest appraisal.
Hop Cream pours a hazy orange color with a soapy head with a good amount of carbonation activity present. The nose has some mild piney hop notes, yeasts and barley. The hoppiness is there and is more noticeable considering this is a Blonde/Cream Ale. The flavor is also fairly consistant with the nose with stronger-than-normal but still fairly mild piney hop notes, yeasts and barley; Leaving it with a bitter hop aftertaste. The body is pretty heavy and the carbonation is moderate so it's kind of hard to say this is refreshing.
For some reason, I remember this being a lot more hoppier and having a more robust flavor overall. The flavor is balanced but very mild; hop-wise it doesn't really cut it and the body could also use a bit of work as well. At the same there is also nothing really bad about Hop Cream, but those expecting a decent hop profile will be let down by this.
Capital Hop Cream - 7/10
