Beer ReviewsIPA/India Pale AleNorth Carolina

NoDa Brewing Hop Drop ‘N Roll IPA

NoDa Hop Drop N RollNoDa Brewing‘s Hop Drop ‘N Roll IPA took home the gold this year at the World Beer Cup (2014) for the American-style IPA category, which may be the most hotly contested and entered of the categories.  This win will definitely put the small Charlotte, North Carolina brewery on the national map.

NoDa Brewing started out as a home brewing operation that began winning home brew competitions.  Eventually this lead to them gaining space in the fashionable North Davidson St area of Charlotte.  Now, they’re World Beer Cup winners.

Appearance: Gold-orange, tan head, good retention.

Aroma: Grassy, pine, orange/citrus zest, caramel.

Taste: Light caramel, grass, pine, citrus notes.  Mild but lingering bitterness.

Overall Impression: This is a very nice IPA.  It’s got a solid malt profile that balances nicely with the hops without overshadowing it.  It definitely is a prime example of an an American-style IPA with its mix of pine and citrus hop notes.  It will definitely meet your IPA needs.

Availability: North Carolina.

7.2% ABV

Note: This was sent to me as an extra in  a beer trade.

World Beer Cup Gold

0 thoughts on “NoDa Brewing Hop Drop ‘N Roll IPA

    1. He also tossed in a Heady Topper. But I’d already had it so I gave it to a friend who really wanted it.

      Also, it’s not really the “Best” but the most “correct to style guidelines.” I read a great article by Mitch Steele of Stone Brewing on how the judging works at WBC. I’ll have to post it.

      1. Yeah you are right there. With the more strange styles it’s a little more open like American Brett Beer. But with styles like this it does come down to that. I personally don’t think that should be the final decider. It should have to also be the best.

          1. I totally agree it is subjective and that is why you need guidelines for styles but I think judging purely on style guidelines removes creativity. Many of my favorite beers completely rewrite what a style should be or cross the style boundaries into mash ups of styles. But yes if a beer is not entered then it can not be judged.

          2. If a brewery can consistently make a recipe and make it spot on to specifications, I’ll give them my respect and I’ll trust their creativity way more when they go that direction. There are far too many poorly made beers hiding behind the flag of “creativity.”

          3. I’ve just always felt that if you can’t make the same beer several times in a row and have it taste the same, you’re not a good brewer; you’re sloppy and sloppiness isn’t creativity.

          4. No no I totally agree with that. I just get board of style guidelines. That is all. I don’t care if it is something crazy as long as it’s is consistently good.

          5. True. And style guidelines aren’t that incredibly rigid. The bronze medal IPA winner at world beer cup for IPA had citrus in it. You can come to Portland and drink dozens of IPAs that fit in the guidelines and they’ll all taste different and fun.

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