10 Barrel Brewing revamped its main lineup of India pale ales late last year, both in brewing process and in branding, pulling them into its new HopBurst family line. HopBurst is named for the “hop bursting” method of only adding hops at the end (and after) the boil to extract intense aromas and flavors while minimizing the bittering. It’s not a new process, but is apparently new to 10 Barrel, and I wrote a bit about it here when the company sent me samples of the new HopBurst family beers.

The brewery’s three main IPAs—Apocalypse, Cloud Mentality, and All Ways Down—are all being brewed with this method now. A new fourth beer, Juicy Drama, is slated to come out in 2024, an imperial IPA that’s entirely new. I don’t know when that is supposed to happen, but a can of the (presumably experimental) beer was included in the press kit, so in addition to the main three I’ve got a review of that below as well.

So without further ado, let’s review some beers!

Apocalypse IPA

This is the 10 Barrel’s flagship IPA that’s been brewed since very early in the company’s history. It’s a fairly straightforward west coast style IPA with 6.8% ABV and 70 IBUs. Somehow over the years I seem to have never reviewed Apocalypse here, but it’s also been awhile since I’ve last drank it. So it’s a fresh approach.

Appearance: Orange colored and clear; bright. Thick off-white head.

Smell: Hops with a muddled tropical fruit note and a savory herbal character a little bit like tarragon. Some orange peel with a spritz of orange juice.

Taste: Soft, tobacco-like bitterness with a dash of citrus oil, almost minty; some earthiness (meadow soil) and a cooling character that I want to call rainforest leafiness. Earthy and lingering at the back, with smooth bready malt body.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, smooth, clean, well attenuated.

Overall: It’s been ages since I’ve had this, it’s definitely different from what I remember; there’s a nice overall character with a long, soft bitterness.

Cloud Mentality Hazy IPA

A much more recent beer, relatively speaking, than Apocalypse, Cloud Mentality is 10 Barrel’s flagship hazy IPA, brewed with Strata, El Dorado, and Simcoe hops. It’s 7% ABV with 55 IBUs.

Appearance: Translucently hazy, yellow-orange juice color. Mostly white head that started out billowy then collapsed.

Smell: Fragrant with a medley of fruit characteristics, tropical and some berry-like aromas. Juicy but also savory notes that have some cattiness (tomato plant) and some bell pepper.

Taste: Savory-spicy-dank but in a mellow way, and I’m getting flavors of melon, melon rind, some super super subtle hints of coconut, some light mango, and some spicy dankiness. Mellow malts that don’t seem too protein rich, it’s more hazy from the hops I think.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a light spicy note; well attenuated.

Overall: It’s decent and drinkable, not too “hazy” like some, and juicy.

All Ways Down Double IPA

Originally brewed with Rome Snowboards in mind (the name is Rome’s tagline), All Ways Down is another relatively recent addition to the lineup, starting as a winter brew before graduating to year-round. It’s definitely a big beer, with 9% ABV and 75 IBUs.

Appearance: Burnt orange color, nice and clear, bright, dense off-white head falling to lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell: Tropical fruit nose, with papaya, passion fruit, and ripe pineapple notes, sweet and juicy. Light spicy-floral alcohol with a deep saturation of hops that are fruity.

Taste: Big and hoppy and slightly boozy; not too bitter considering, but it’s got overripe fruit and fruit skins, resin, a kind of hop tea thing going on. Some residual maltiness along with the alcohol to make it slightly sweet and warming, with some related spiciness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full bodied, some sweetness but fairly well attenuated, and a bit of warming booze.

Overall: A perfectly decent and big double IPA that will scratch the DIPA itch.

Juicy Drama

Finally, Juice Drama, an imperial IPA with “natural flavors” (according to the label, though I don’t know if that suggests adjunct additions or just required labeling), the strongest of these four with 9.5% ABV. There are no other details on this brew, so I suspect it’s probably still in an experimental stage while the recipe is worked out. No word yet either on when this will become generally available.

Appearance: Deep golden color, with good clarity, and a brief fizzy white head.

Smell: This smells like… candy? Sort of like juicy, fruity gummies or something similar. It’s bright, and yes, juicy, and the first of these beers that makes me buy into “HopBurst” as a name. Citrus and berry and maybe papaya. Pipe tobacco?

Taste: A bit of that fruity character in the flavor, along with lemony hops and an alcohol note that’s estery and floral. Herbal and almost sweet, with a big “green juice” character that I can’t quite get a handle on, but it’s bright and it pops. Despite the alcoholic strength it doesn’t drink like a 9.5% beer; smooth.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, drinks a touch lighter, smooth, hints of warming alcohol but hidden.

Overall: Different and good, not at all what I expected.

Conclusion

The first three are all well-brewed, solid beers, but I don’t know that anything “HopBurst” stands out for me for them. Juicy Drama, on the other hand, really pops and pulls that label off. It’ll be interesting to see how that one is received when it’s finally generally available—and if the recipe will have been tweaked.