Fegley's Brew Works: Hop'solutely
by
Mike Lorenz on Jun 27, 2011 in
Beer
Fegley’s Brew Works out of Allentown, PA has been serving the Lehigh Valley with craft beer since the opening of it’s first brewpub in 1998. After going through many changes in their first decade, the company has come into focus in its recent history with wider distribution, a bottling facility and a roster of impressive brews. In 2010 the brewery made a big splash with Hop’solutely, a big, bold, boozy triple IPA that has garnered quite a bit of attention.
Poured from a fresh 12oz bottle, Hop’solutely has a dark golden amber color with a thin white head. A quick whiff of the beer’s nose lives up to the bold name given to this brew. A bite of grapefruit citrus hits you first followed by a lot of candied malt scents. Each sip has a bold, chewy hop flavor that sits nicely in the middle of tons of malty sweetness, balancing out the hoppy bitterness. As you work your way through the beer, there is a great warmth brought about by the high alcohol content, although in terms of flavor this isn’t a boozy alcohol bomb like many other high ABV beers. Sweetness certainly lingers but is in no way unpleasant or cloying to my palette. Considering the high alcohol content and strong flavors I can’t imagine drinking more than one or two of these, but the brew does make a great nightcap or a fitting accompaniment to a strongly spiced meal.
Spending four years going to college and living in Bethlehem, PA (less than a mile from Fegley’s first brewpub), I am really happy to see the brewery opening up into bigger markets and offering some great brews to boot. Visiting either of their Lehigh Valley brewpubs is a worthy weekend excursion for any craft beer enthusiast looking for a day trip.
Back to Hop’solutely - this beer is obviously for the hopheads out there. However, its malty backbone balances out the flavors enough to potentially entice those uninitiated to turn a new leaf. Brew Works has been in Philadelphia a lot in the past few years, popping up at many events and can be found on tap or in bottles at lots of fine establishments dedicated to craft beer.
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