James Squire Hop Thief

[Sully]

I heard from my mate at First Choice that they have stacks of Hopthief in their storeroom, but can't sell it yet as they have not been given pricing!

He said this would be the same at all First Choice stores

$17.99 6pk, $49.99Ctn @ First Choice, same as the rest of the Squires range there.

 

[chappo1970]

Picked up a 6pack today and having the first glass right now. Definate Passionfruit & Citrus with a sweet malt aftertaste. Haven't got the vocabulary when it comes to describing beer sorry, but those flavours definately stand out. I like it enough to go and buy a ctn.

:icon_cheers:

WTF Sully!!!

I go to yours and get fed red bottles of death FFS! Now I find out you've been holding out on the good stuff!! Obviously in some hidden compartment? Some mate you are! <_<

Chappo :angry:

 

[Renegade]

Picked up a 6pack today and having the first glass right now. Definate Passionfruit & Citrus with a sweet malt aftertaste. Haven't got the vocabulary when it comes to describing beer sorry, but those flavours definately stand out. I like it enough to go and buy a ctn.

:icon_cheers:

Im not very good at it either. Just sitting down to one this minute. How would you describe that almost black coffee-like flavour ? Is that a dark grain flavour?

OK Im worse at determining tastes obviously. It's OK, though, but I was expecting something more bitter.

 

[Sully]

WTF Sully!!!

I go to yours and get fed red bottles of death FFS! Now I find out you've been holding out on the good stuff!! Obviously in some hidden compartment? Some mate you are! <_<

Chappo :angry:

It was the closest thing I had to your favourite XXXX Gold...


Sorry... Bad Sully

 

[technocat]

I tried it on tap at the Squire Bar in Melbourne! It is quite bitter but YUMMY! I went back for more! And looking forward to it being available just down the road from my work! I couldnt pick the hop!

I have had the same experience with Ironhouse Pale Ale where the hop aroma hangs in the glass well after drinking the beer but can't identify the hop. It is a lovely APA that one can get addicted to.


:chug:

 

[RagingBull]

got my passionfruitful ale at the north sydney drink good wine institution across the road from rag and famish... winter release? :S

 

[chappo1970]

Sorry... Bad Sully

No use in crawling now shit lips. Next time your at Chaps Chaps and there's a free amorous lesbian show I'm sending you straight up to your room.

Chappo

 

[dpadden]

back on topic huh? .......

finally got home to try this one out.....the first thing I thought was wow this tastes just like the anniversary ale watered down!

Dont get me wrong this is a great little beer, clearly a very similar hop schedule to the Ann. ale in smaller amounts. Grain bill seems fairly stock standard with some good ol' aussie crystal sweetness in there.

 

[dr K]

My avid wait left a little dissapointment. Now, the beer is fine but pales against its predecessors.
HT1 was a kiwi pavlova, not certain about the bittering hop, I suspect Sticklebract but the redolence of Nelson Sauvin probably boosted the NZ hop industry by yards!!
HT2 was a very different beer, gorgeous herbaceous driven by Tomahawk, a great and unusual use of US hops.
HT3 is frankly, a bit BHP really, summed up I guess by a txt I got tonight "Some thief stole all the hops".
Fine beer, but......

K

 

[bum]

I heard from my mate at First Choice that they have stacks of Hopthief in their storeroom, but can't sell it yet as they have not been given pricing!

He said this would be the same at all First Choice stores

I walked into my local First Choice tonight just as a bloke was walking in from out back with a case on his shoulder.

I found it to be quite an enjoyable beer but I second the calls suggesting it seems lacking on the hop front.

 

[Back Yard Brewer]

Personally and no disrepsect to others but I don't get any passionfruit flavours. It is a nice beer but nothing I would write home to mother about. When they talk about aussie hops (james squire) I think of POR and Galaxy. The latter being galaxy which has a nice passionfruit taste aroma but I just can't seem to pick up that flavour. Again a nice beer but just not what I was expecting.


BYB

 

[kevo]

A good beer, but not quite what I think I expected.

For me, there's something lacking...can't quite put my finger on what it is.

It's no drain pour, maybe I'm drinking it too cold....who knows?

Good, drinkable, enjoyable, but not what I had hoped for.

Was surprised to see this at 1st Choice also, hadn't expected to seee it for another week!

Kev

 

[Sully]

I enjoyed it thoroughly, however I found that more flavour to came through when its not too cold. I hadn't tried any of the previous releases so I didn't know what to expect.

 

[Bribie G]

Had some at the JS pub in Sydney in February, it was about pint number six in the session after wading through the rest of the beer menu :beerbang: and was brewed on premises and was piped from the bright beer tank in the cold room. It was just a bit chill hazed and tasted flat and a lot like home brew in the sense of something we could all knock up fairly quickly and get out into the glass ASAP, but not a nice premium product like the IPA or the Pilsener. We took a vote and the next round was an IPA.

 

[benny_bjc]

hmmm....

just weighing up whether to just buy one bottle and try it, or a 6 pack, or a case....
It seems a lot of people are a bit dissapointed by it!
I certainly enjoyed the Commemorative Ale though.

 

[Pollux]

It is lacking in hop flavour, plenty of bitterness but no solid hop flavour to balance it.

Much prefer the commemorative TBH

 

[benny_bjc]

It is lacking in hop flavour, plenty of bitterness but no solid hop flavour to balance it.

Much prefer the commemorative TBH

Pitty.... I guess late hopping / flavour hopping bumps up the cost quite a bit!

 

[Pollux]

It may be due to the amount of heavily late hopped beers I have been drinking lately and as such my taste buds are fried.

 

[kevo]

hmmm....

just weighing up whether to just buy one bottle and try it, or a 6 pack, or a case....
It seems a lot of people are a bit dissapointed by it!
I certainly enjoyed the Commemorative Ale though.

I don't think anyone is saying it's not an enjoyable beer. It is a tasty drop and i'm glad I have a few bottles left.

I think it's a bit like a concert or a movie you've really been looking forward to....what you get is never as good as how you imagined it.

Buy some, and not just a bottle, it's good, just not what I thought it would be.

Kev

 

[Bizier]

I tried it today.

I know this is kind of stupid, but I prefered this to the 1020 anniversary deal because I was expecting less.

It was an attractive dark amber, though not amazingly malty as the colour might suggest (as only JS know how). There was a reasonably firm bitterness and large passionfruit aroma. I know that they might be following seasonally available hops, but it is daft to release this in winter, as it is a summer beer IMO.

I did enjoy it, but I won't be rushing out to buy the remaining stock.