Beer is best close to home, so while visiting Florida one should enjoy beers brewed in the local market. Two Henrys Brewing is named for railroad tycoons Henry B. Plant and Henry M. Flagler, two men that had a big impact on the state of Florida. Like the folks the brewery is named for, Hop Tycoon Double IPA looks to be the tycoon of IPAs.
Hop Tycoon Lays Tracks
Florida may not be known as well for their huge hop bombs as those on the West Coast, but that doesn’t mean they can’t pack a hop-filled punch in their double IPAs.
Hop Tycoon pours a hazy deep amber color with just a bit of off-white foam around the edge of the glass, which quickly dissipates and leaves little lacing on the walls of the mug.
The nose is first and foremost made up of sweet caramel and muddled malt. Fruity esters blend with notes of passion fruit and mild berry, once you’re able to see through the malt sweetness upfront.
Plenty of fruity character appears at first sip thanks to loads of Amarillo, Simcoe, and Galaxy hops. The malt bill makes itself known with a big dose of sweet caramel and crushed grain come through, almost overpowering the hops in the Hop Tycoon. Warming caramel and fruity notes ride out the aftertaste and leave a bit of sweetness some time after each sip. The 8.2% ABV doesn’t really come out, as the malt sweetness really covers up most in this brew.
While the combo of American hops present in Hop Tycoon should railroad your tastebuds, the malt really overpowers and would become a bit more like a barleywine if left to sit more than a couple months after this brew is canned, as the hop character falls away. Even a month after canning this double IPA leans far more towards malt than hops.
Gone Like The Great Railroad
We turn to double IPAs with hopes of getting the hop fix we’re really looking for. Sadly, not all can make it big like the railroad tycoons. Hop Tycoon hits the switch track and travels more towards the malt forward than the hop heaps that most seek when looking for a DIPA. It’s worth a try but like the railroad, Two Henrys Brewing Hop Tycoon may have already seen it’s best days.