Stevens Point Brewery Whole Hog (Limited) Six Hop IPA

8.5% ABV, 87 IBU

The thing I enjoy most about writing beer reviews is doing some homework on the brewery itself. Stevens Point Brewery (Stevens Point, Wisconsin) is unique in that its existence is not a byproduct of the recent boom in craft beer. In fact, they are the 5th oldest continuously operating brewery in the U.S., having brewed their first beer in 1857. In more recent years, they have been spreading their proverbial wings into all style and varieties of beer, earning accolades and awards at beer competitions around the country and around the world. Stevens Point now has a Limited Edition line called “Whole Hog,” which to my understanding means, “going ham,” “going all in,” or “taking it to the extreme.” New on the shelves in Lexington, KY, I had to taste for myself what it means to go “whole hog” with hops.

Now Cluster, Sterling, Cascade, Willamette, Tettnanger, & Perle may sound like the name of the world’s worst law firm, but these six deferent kinds of hops comprise the 2012 Gold Medal winning IPA from the World Beer Championships. Most tongues would be intimidated by the threat of bitterness posed by the combination of six hops, but not this one. The 12 oz. bottle pours perfectly into a pint glass with a murky amber body with a skimpy head that dissipates within seconds. Citrusy floral scents ruminate from the glass triggering Pavlovian salivation as I know what comes next. The first sip is properly balanced and perfectly delicious. The hops, though obviously present,  do not pile on one another and paralyze the taste buds as one might expect. Instead, they play off of one another creating a positively symphonic taste.

Anyone looking for abounding bitterness that will make your jaw tense and your eyes water…look elsewhere. The Six Hop IPA (and actually all the beers in the Whole Hog line) is a Limited Edition, which means get it where you can, while you can. The dangerously smooth taste could make you forget that this beer is 8.5% ABV, but that is the only thing keeping me from going whole hog on this four pack. If Stevens Point keeps making beers like this they will surely be around for another 156 years.