Did I spell that right?  I’ll begin by telling you that I’m not really a fan of Lagunitas stuff.  My experience preceding Hop Stoopid was lackluster to say the least.  Nate shares similar sentiments.  Also, I’m on the record as being tired of hop extremism.  I’m forever hearing about the latest double triple-hopped, quadruple Imperial, hexo-pentafied, iced IPA.  Needless to say, I was somewhat skeptical of a beer called Hop Stoopid by a brewery that I don’t much care for.  However, I’m continually working through my incredulity to give beers a fair shake, despite a derisive attitude.  As the label says, “Give it to MIkey… He’ll drink anything!” (Hey, that’s my name).  Sometimes I’m shocked if “Mikey likes it!” and other times I’m reinforced in my prejudice.  Here is a case where Mikey was pleasantly surprised.

The Pour: I had already held the bottle up to the light and assumed it was a bit lighter than some other IPA styled beer that I’d put down my gullet.  Upon pouring the beer, my suspicion was confirmed.  However, there was still a nice orange-golden body and an off-white, stable head to boot.  If I judged based on appearances, I would be forced to reserve judgment…what’s in a color?  I would also like to note that Hop Stoopid was a pretty active beer.

The Nose: Did I catch the qualities of grapefruit that are prosaically quotidian for the style?  Yes, I did…but there was more than typical Cascade hop-type qualities.  I hereby swear and affirm that there was a strong and pleasant papaya nose to this beer.  Scoff if you must, but it’s like Prego, man!  It’s in there. The papaya gave the nose a very lovely melon quality that was satisfying indeed.  Of course, this also added to the impression of perceived sweetness on the olfactory data.

The Taste: Well, the Papaya made its way pleasantly to the palate.  The middle developed some nice caramel touches and some grains.  I wouldn’t call the beer overly malty, but it did have a decent mouth-feel.  Hop Stoopid was unmistakably hoppy throughout, but the real hop edge and bitterness really came on the finish.  A touch of alcohol warmth also graced the palate.  One negative perception that I had of the beer was that the very end of the aftertaste had a soapy quality to it.  Not overbearing but there.

Overall, Hop Stoopid was a good beer.  I found myself wishing that it had more grain content and residual sweetness.  The soapy quality also caused me to give this beer a lower marking than I might have. Be that as it may, I would still recommend that you pick one up and try it.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★¾☆ 

Among other Stoopidly Hopped Beers: ★★★★☆