Beer Wednesday: Hoptopia by Hermitage Brewing Co

Back with another review for Wet Wednesday. This is another tag team gchat review by Aaron and myself, just like the Le Freak review. I should warn that we are serious windbags who talk about extraneous subjects in this particular review. If the format does or doesn't do it for you I'd like to hear about it.

This week we tried Hoptopia by Hermitage Brewing Co. It is labeled as a double IPA, but as you will see below we questioned that style name. It is 8% ABV and costs $3.49 for a 22oz bottle at BevMo!, which is a pretty good price.


(photo courtesy of Aaron)

Impromptu Beer Reaction: Ale of the Hermit by Hermitage Brewing Co

I have to admit - and this will shock you - that I drink more beers than just those that we review on Wet Wednesdays. Many of those beers don't bear a public reaction because they're well known and not as interesting, or maybe they simply aren't that great and I don't want to waste your time reading about something you probably don't want to put in your mouth.

Sometimes, though, I find a beer which I want to talk about but doesn't seem ripe for a full on Wet Wednesday. I drank the Ale of the Hermit by Hermitage Brewing Co. the other night and had just such a reaction. I thought it was smooth and malty, with a little funkiness but enough to scare me. The Ale of the Hermit tastes mild, which I didn't mind, and the slight caramel and roasty flavors were pleasant to me. But as we know I am a fan of smooth, easy-drinking beers with mild flavors. That's how my palate rolls. I was surprised to see this beer get some very negative scores at ratebeer, so maybe it's not for everyone.



Ale of the Hermit is listed as a "Belgian strong ale" and has 8% ABV. I paid $3.49 for a 17oz bottle at BevMo. I'd recommend Ale of the Hermit to beer drinkers who likes a strong beer with a smooth flavor profile.