Style: West Coast Pilsner ABV: 5.7% IBU: 35 SRM: 5.0
👀 Appearance
👃 Aroma
Bright citrus and pine leap out first — grapefruit zest, lemon peel, and a clean resin snap. Beneath that sits a subtle floral note and a faint hint of fresh‑cut grass. The pilsner malt supports everything with a light crackery sweetness, never competing with the hops. Fermentation stays clean and neutral, letting the hops shine with West Coast clarity.
👅 Flavor
A crisp, snappy bitterness leads but never overwhelms. Citrus (grapefruit, orange pith), pine, and a touch of herbal spice define the hop profile. The malt character is lean and crackery, adding just enough backbone to keep the bitterness in balance. The finish is dry, brisk, and refreshing — a classic West Coast bite delivered through a pilsner’s clean, streamlined frame.
🫦 Mouthfeel
💭 Overall Impression
A bright, crisp, hop‑forward pilsner that merges the drinkability of a classic lager with the citrus‑pine punch of a West Coast pale. Clean, refreshing, and expressive — a perfect winter‑sunshine beer and a fitting expression of Hop‑cember’s “moment, not a date” philosophy. This year’s January edition tastes a little sharper, a little clearer, and a little more contemplative, echoing the quiet magic of a late winter frost.
❄️ The Hop‑cember Tale
A SheppyBrew Gnome Legend
Every winter, as December settles over the Colorado mountains, the SheppyBrew Gnomes prepare for their annual Hop‑cember Summit. Lanterns are polished, tiny boots are waterproofed, and the gnomes gather to watch for the first true winter frost — the moment when the wandering hop spirit is said to appear.
December came and went with busy days, warm afternoons, and a mountain schedule that refused to cooperate. The gnomes waited for the frost, but the frost waited too. Some say the hop spirit was delayed by mischievous snow sprites. Others claim the mountains simply weren’t ready to release their brightest winter hops.
So the gnomes did what gnomes do best: they adapted.
On a crisp January morning — colder, clearer, and more magical than any day in December — the frost finally settled across the foothills. The hop spirit appeared at last, shimmering in the pale winter sun, carrying cones that had survived deeper into the season than usual. These hops were brighter, sharper, and somehow infused with the quiet stillness of the new year.
The gnomes gathered them joyfully and hurried back to the brewhouse, where snow drifted past the windows and the kettle glowed like a hearth. With mittened hands and renewed energy, they brewed the first-ever January Hop‑cember, a beer touched by winter’s patience and the promise of a fresh start.
Locals say the beer tastes a little different this year — a bit more crisp, a bit more reflective, like the calm after the holiday rush. And if you listen closely on a cold January night, you might hear the gnomes toasting to the lesson they learned:
“Hop‑cember isn’t a date. It’s a moment.”
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