The Hop Burglar has struck again! Or has he? Certainly, no hops were stolen from my glass of Wicked Weed Hop Burglar IPA. Officially, the full name of the beer is Wicked Weed Hop Burglar India Pale Ale Brewed with Blood Orange and Grapefruit. Try saying that five times fast. Mention it too many times and the internet may run out of electrons. So, for the sake of brevity, I’ll just call it Wicked Weed Hop Burglar.

Anyway, IPAs brewed with fruit are very popular these days, and grapefruit and blood oranges seem to be the two most common ingredients I’ve come across. Grapefruit makes sense, as classic Pacific Northwest hops often throw off citrusy grapefruit notes. Blood oranges add citrus too, but also a deep juicy note that I enjoy. Apparently, others do, too.

From the label:

All brewers have begged, borrowed and burgled in the name of their craft, It takes humility, stubbornness, and some sleight of hand to turn raw ingredients into liquid alchemy. Hop Burglar India Pale Ale, brewed with blood oranges, grapefruit zest and liberally dry-hopped, is just such a beer, the kind of bright, citrus-forward IPA that we would do anything to keep brewing. So mind your pockets-and your hops.

Mind your pockets-I find that amusing, since Wicked Weed beers tend to run to the expensive side. Hop Burglar is no exception, as it cost me $6.25 for an 11-ounce glass at Taco Mac. Total Wine only sells it as 12-ounce singles for $2.99, although it does come in 4-packs. The price may be high, but Wicked Weed beers are so good I will pay their ransom. Hop Burglar has an alcohol content of 7% by volume.

My glass of Wicked Weed Hop Burglar India Pale Ale Brewed with Blood Orange and Grapefruit arrived a dark orange color with a light head of creamy foam and juicy fruit blood orange in the nose. Taking a sip I got more of that in the palate with light caramel and pronounced bitter grapefruit pith and peel as the beer progressed, then a long dry herbal grassy hop bitterness.

 

This beer is very nice indeed, packed with beautiful rich pulpy blood orange and bitter grapefruit. The draft price is actually not so bad, but the bottles are high enough that though I would buy the beer, it won’t be as often as if it were around $9.99 a 4-pack. Be that as it may, you should not miss this beer.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

(G)=Growler

 

 

 



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