Barley's Hoptopus

Style Guidelines: This is a pale wheat that's hopped up. No, not paler that a wheat -- it's a wheat that also includes pale malt, for a slightly maltier wheat that includes a ton of hops. Consider it a spring / summer ale for all you hopheads!

Rotation Schedule: In the spring, sometime after Saint Patrick's Day, when the sun starts to come out.

Food Pairings: Spring sald with rasperry vinaigrette,

Body: medium / full

Color: blonde / orange haze

Grain: Pale, American Red Wheat and Belgian Crystal

Bittering Hops: Amarillo

Finishing Hops: Amarillo

Dry Hops: Amarillo

Original Gravity: 1.055

IBUs (estimate): 65

Alcohol By Volume: unknown at this time

First Tapped: April 2007

The first name for this one was Hoptopus' Garden 65, a nod to the Abbey Road tune sung by Ringo. 65 speaks to the IBU's. If you'd like to see the working art for the complete story, click here.)

We were going to go with an umbrella theme, like the Beatles 65 cover album, and then we didn't.

When we were discussing name options, everyone liked Hoptopus's Garden, and all, but we're all about options. We figured that everyone will order the beer as "Hoptopus" anyhow, so should we shorten it? (The name, not the beer, of course.)

Scott suggested an image of a cat cloaked in hops. You're looking at him above. You've got to admit, that's one cool cat. Cats are cool; sunglasses are cool as well; hops are way cool.

We're still showering the beer with hops, but now, it's a "hip dose." This story is as complicated as the beer is straightforward. That's our story, and we're sticking with it.

Barley's Brewing Company Ale House No. 1xxxxx 467 North High Street Columbus OH 43215

Barley's Smokehouse & Brewpub Ale House No. 2xx 1130 Dublin Road Columbus OH 43215