BeerBorg

Hophead Vodka (90 Proof / 45% ABV, $29.95) is not a flavored vodka – it gets its hops flavor and aroma from hops which are macerated in neutral grain spirits before being distilled, in very much the same way as you’d make a gin. In addition to being a volatile botanical, hops can be quite complex, delivering a wide range of aromas from floral to spicy and sometimes a little funky. In the nose of the Hophead, the hops read on the floral side, and unfortunately quite soapy. There’s also a bitter core to the hops on the nose which combines with the floral notes in a less than inviting way. The entry is fairly bitter and reads fairly close to the nose with a soapy floral top note. The spirit begins to develop a nice complexity towards the midpalate as it takes on a hop funk undertone which reminds us of its cousin cannabis (they are both part of the Cannabaceae genius of plants) when it’s soaked in alcohol. At the end of the midpalate, Hophead takes an immediate left turn and drops many of the flavor notes in favor of a fairly conventional vodka note. The funky hop undertone does persist, and helps support the finish which is decidedly vodka-like.

For a moment, in the midpalate, the Hophead Vodka shows the potential for distilling hops and the complexity that it can bring to the table. But as a whole, Hophead Vodka is a mess. The nose is uninviting and the spirit never comes together with any cohesion. Anchor Distilling was on the right path experimenting with hops, but they would have done much better doing a hop-centric gin or following in Charbay’s footsteps with a hopped white whiskey, or even better, use the Anchor Steam Beer base to do a true beer schnapps. Trying to take something as strong and volatile as hops and making it conform with a category defined by its neutrality just doesn’t make sense, and unfortunately neither does this vodka.

swenocha wrote:I'm not much of a hard liquor guy, but I sampled some of this a while back, and it was quite tasty...