Three, count ’em, three beers from Hopworks Urban Brewery to review! These are the late spring and summer seasonal specialties from the Portland brewery, which were sent out as samples. Let’s get straight to my notes.

Ace of Hearts Imperial IPA

I received this beer (along with Cactus Attactus) a month ago, and wasn’t sure what to expect; Ace of Hearts is something of a brown IPA (HUB’s description calls it “eccentric”), owing to the dark Munich and biscuit rye malts used in the grist. The description says:

An eccentric IIPA with a subtle aroma of dried apricots that precede warm notes of strawberry gummies, Juicy Fruit, and pomegranates before shifting gears to finish with a dry, old school IPA bitterness.

I really didn’t get much of the fruitiness described there, though your mileage may vary. It’s 8.9% ABV with 90 IBUs, and brewed with Waimea, Rakau, Eureka, and Chinook hops.

Appearance: Chestnut brown color with amber highlights, moderate clarity. Light tan head, with a whipped look, slightly rocky and finely laced.

Smell: Resiny hops with forest floor loam and some underripe currants. Dried grass, tree bark, spicy almost like tobacco. Nutty malts.

Taste: Nutty, earthy bitterness with a rich maltiness that meshes with the hop bitterness extremely well; peppery spike like a shaker full of hop powder sprinkled liberally over a caramel-rich slice of rye bread. Rye malt adds a nice dimension that keeps any crystal-type malts in check, and it’s just really nice, long hoppy-earthy bitterness into the end.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body with a nice lightly spicy bite and dry finish.

Overall: Really nice, the amber/brown character works really well here with the hop profile. There’s some old school nostalgia here in a modern recipe.

Cactus Attactus Sour

This kettle soured ale was brewed with prickly pear fruit, which is described as sweet and melon-like; I don’t believe I’ve ever tasted the fruit directly, though I’ve had other beers and ciders made with it. HUB’s site says:

This delightful Kettle Sour is packed with ruby red prickly pears and balanced with bright melon and lemony citrus notes.

It’s 5.3% ABV with 3 IBUs.

Appearance: Semi-translucent pink-orange (salmon?) color. White head with a pink tinge to it rose at first, then falls quickly.

Smell: Tart lactic notes with a hint of aspirin and delicate floral, fruity notes that are kind of cherry-like and bright.

Taste: It’s bracingly tart with a pop at the back of the tongue, with a spritzy, hibiscus-like fruit (flower) that’s slightly earthy, flowery, with unripe berry that’s lightly puckering and very slightly astringent. Subtlety in the fruit is the main takeaway.

Mouthfeel: Light, tart, crisp, spritzy with a light lingering tart finish.

Overall: It’s nice, and quite subtle with the fruit but it works as a lightly fruited Berliner weisse.

Totally Chill Hazy IPA

HUB’s summer seasonal returns in 12-ounce cans, of which I received two. It’s a straightforward hazy IPA, brewed with malted wheat and oats, and Azacca, Mosaic, El Dorado, and Amarillo hops. The brewery’s description says:

Loaded with Azacca, Mosaic, and El Dorado hops, this summer Hazy IPA has intense notes of pineapple and mango suspended in a super cloudy body and mouthfeel.

At 6% ABV and 45 IBUs, it’s relatively easy to drink, important for this hot summer we’re being hit with so far.

Appearance: Hazy, orange (goldish) color with a touch of tan (clay), and a loose white head that’s lacy with bigger bubbles.

Smell: Fruity with passion fruit, melon, a bit of pineapple—the usual suspects, though there’s a nice candied note that’s reminiscent of sweet dried fruit—pineapple, papaya, like that. Touch of savory greens and some doughy wheat.

Taste: Spicy and zesty and savory, with white pepper, scallion stalks, mustard greens, dried grass, and a pop of fruit peel, guava, and pineapple skin or rind. An herbal bitterness derives from all this. Raw wheat, grainy, doughy. It’s quite savory as opposed to the fruity promise from the aroma.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and prickly with some peppery, green savory notes into the finish.

Overall: Decent, though I’m not sure how it’s so fruity in the nose and savory in flavor. (Or that’s just the usual flavor profile I get from Mosaic-type hops.)