Beer Review – Michelob Brewing Hop Hound
May 25, 2009
Liz picked up a six pack of this Michelob Brewing Hop Hound ‘Spring Seasonal’ beer for one of The Brew Club recent beer exchanges.
I’m always curious to see what the macro-brewers are up to in their quest to recapture some of the excitement that the micro brewers are creating in the industry. I thought that Budweiser’s American Ale was OK, but I would probably never have it again given a choice. How would this Hop Hound for Michelob compare?
First, I thought the label was pretty stupid looking. A dog with a Frisbee. I know Liz is attracted to stupid labels so I guess it works to a degree – I would have never bought this beer based on its packaging alone.
Still, we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover right? Let’s explore this 5.3% ABV beer itself and toss the bottle into the recycle bin.
As you can see in the picture, the Hop Hound poured a loose, foamy head that actually stuck around for awhile.
Looking at the beer in the glass, it seems to be slightly unfiltered, and that is also indicated on the label. There are not chunks of stuff floating around in the “unfiltered American amber wheat ale”, but there is a bit of wispy cloudiness that I found fascinating to watch. (I’m easily amused) According to the Hop Hound label, the beer “gets its tawny hue from a blend of wheat, caramel, carapils and pale barley malts“. There ya go.
This beer is also made with both imported and domestic hops. The taste of this beer closely follows the smell. The aroma had a touch of sweetness like caramel, some wheat, some malt – but generally speaking its hard to pick up much else that is distinctive. My taste sensors indicated a lightly fruity (apple-ish?), lightly hoppy ale that was very smooth, and easy drinking. Not much in the way of carbonation and there was no sting, burn or general unpleasantness. I thought this beer was surprisingly good!
Strangely enough, with a name like ‘Hop Hound’, one might imagine a beer that was more like an IPA or perhaps even an ‘IPA Light’ (is there such a thing?) In reality, the hops were not emphasized to the point that warrants the Hop Hound name. What’s up with that? I think the marketing people were just obsessed with getting a cartoon dog with a Frisbee on a bottle of beer somehow regardless of what was in the bottle.
Although this Michelob is under the Anheuser Busch umbrella of beers, I thought Hop Hound was actually decent- despite the super stupid label. I think Hop Hound would make a great ‘gateway beer’ to introduce your macro beer loving friends to something new that isn’t too extreme or fancy. I guess what I’m saying is that it would be a safe bet in its relative blandness and its also not a bad replacement for the cheap beers stuffed in the cooler at your next BBQ. I’d have it again.
Rating: 
Scott-TheBrewClub
Posted in 2 Star Reviews, Ales, American Beers, Seasonal Beers, Wheat Beers
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May 25th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
They did their homework…The stupid label concept seems to be a prerequisite for a lot of micro and so called “craft” beers.
The label for HopHound seems downright dignified compared to a lot of the labels out there these days! LOL!
May 26th, 2009 at 9:26 am
I’ve been wanting to give this a whirl for the very reason you cited. The beer in the glass looks way better than any michelob product I’ve had. I think I’ll wait till I’m out to eat at a restaurant and hop hound is the best they can do for me.
nate’s last blog post..Chateau Jiahu – Review of a Time-Capsule
May 27th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
I’ll admit, I am a slave to marketing… The crazier the concept of the label, the more it makes me want to pick up the beer or at least give it a glance and then read the ingredients and description… The reason I picked this one I thought it had a weird eye-popping label and it sounded quite good… I found it to be a pretty decent beer coming from Michelob… I would have given it 3 stars!
Liz – The Sports Bra Reports’s last blog post..Lebron James Buzzer Beater vs. The Magic (Game 2)… He’s Amazing.. So Amazing!
May 27th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Yet another said and extremely fallible attempt to get their stinking mitts into the craft beer world.
Michael Reinhardt’s last blog post..Goose Island’s Matilda Review
May 27th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
I have no problem with Inbev-AB, Miller-Coors, or any big company making “craft” beers. I certainly have never been a fan of Anheuser-Busch, but I agree with Liz about the beer reviewed here and I think that A-B has lately made some other pretty good beers in the “craft” line. The notion that the big companies can’t make decent beer is just silly; and they are starting to prove it.
I am a HUGE fan of the “craft” beer movement and I have been since it started (and actually, I could make a pretty good case for the fact that I was a fan of it before it started, but that’s a longer story).
Anyway, the bottom line for me is that if the beer is good I could care less if it comes from a brewery the size of my backyard shed or a mega-plant like the one in Golden, Colorado. The big brewers have made some crap over the years, but they have made some very good stuff too, and even a few world class gems. And the same goes or the smaller brewers…they’ve made some great stuff, and they’ve made some beer that is frankly an embarrassment to the art. The micro or “craft” brewers are not immune from making lousy beer, not by a longshot.
I can’t buy into the micro industry’s hype that smaller is _always_ better, because it just isn’t true. If anything, I frankly think that the big brewers’ foray into the “craft” segment is a good thing. It will nudge the smaller brewers into upping their game.
The craft is in the making of the beer and in the end result…not in the size of the brewery.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Right on Professor! Right on! Keep on preaching brother!
Liz – The Sports Bra Reports’s last blog post..Lebron James Buzzer Beater vs. The Magic (Game 2)… He’s Amazing.. So Amazing!
May 27th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Some interesting topics popping up around this beer! Great points and some things to consider. One of the things that is cool about The Brew Club is we really only have one rule regarding beer, and that rule is that it is indeed BEER. Not near-beer, not alcohol free beer, not ginger beer or root beer, but BEER.
That’s it.
We don’t care who makes it, what country it comes from or if its craft or macro – members bring in what they want and we go with it.
Its been really cool so far, because personally, I would have never bought this Hop Hound beer for two reasons. 1 – the really dumb label. I mean it is super dumb. 2 – Its from Michelob. But, Liz did buy it and so I had it, and you know what, it wasn’t bad! So, as the Professor professed, maybe I (we) need to change my assumptions about macro beers a bit and not be so judgmental. I’m sure we’ve all had some crappy craft brews too, right?
Liz, I almost did give it 3 stars except that it was just good. Nothing really stood out as making it special or memorable to me, but it certainly was not bad at all. Nice pick!
Thanks to all for the great comments! Scott
Scott-TheBrewClub’s last blog post..Beer Review – Brewery Ommegang Witte
May 28th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Scott “the peace keeper”
That you only gave it 2.5 stars because it was just “good” resonates with me. Often, I feel that people look at a review I’ve done and assume because it gets a 2 star review, the beer in question was “disgusting.” Far from it! Just because a beer gets a low review doesn’t mean I hated it. Typically, if it’s beer, I can find some enjoyment in the product.
I see where the prof is coming from. However, I too see where Mike is coming from. Truth be told, Michelob is unable to truly put out a craft product due to the scope of their consumers, who for the most part go after that American Lager flavor. they are not so interested in craft beer. And craft beer nut will hardly be persuaded to switch to Michelob. So to reach the in-between guy/gal, Michelob has to use inferior grains (a lot of two-row malt) and scrimp a bit on the hops, in order to not charge 12 bucks for a sixer like the craft brewer.
I applaud the fact that Michelob is trying to put out a better product. I do hope their motivation is not strictly profit related, but “for-the-love-of-beer” related. Their products just might persuade someone to try something new: transition beer.
I’ll try any beer. In fact when the economy hit me last year and I was without work, I had to forgo beer. A cold molson ice at my dads house was a treat!
nate’s last blog post..Getting Started – Beer Trading (Part 3 of 5)
May 28th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Good points, Nate, and we can agree to fundamentally disagree about A-B’s forays into the craft world.
…but one other thing: when did 2-row malt become an ‘inferior grain’? I’m guessing that perhaps it was a typo, because the opposite is actually the case. Most of the best beers in the world are made with two row…a lot of them with ONLY two row and nothing else.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Prof,
I too use 2-grain in my homebrews (although I’d shy away from a strict 2row or 6 row recipe…ew)…the point was the scrimping on specialties in their “craft” recipes. That’s why I used the term “a lot.”
nate’s last blog post..Getting Started – Beer Trading (Part 3 of 5)
May 28th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
I have to respond in regard to big breweries making good beer. My contention is not that they can’t, it is that they won’t. They skimp! It’s that simple. Good beers require good and good amount of ingredients. I also agree that some craft breweries don’t make very good beers, but it can often be attributed to skimping. That’s all I’m driving at Professor.
Michael Reinhardt’s last blog post..Getting Started – Beer Trading (Part 3 of 5)
October 12th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
There is enough room in this country for the biggest of the big breweries, and the smallest of the small. I doubt any of the smaller brewers feel seriously threatened by AB’s foray into so called ‘craft beer’. And I think we should applaud their finally coming around and paying attention to what many of us want; good beer. And when you get down to it, it’s about the beer. Doesn’t matter who brews it, so long as it’s good. And many of AB’s newer brews, particularly Michelob’s, are in my opinion downright impressive. Sure, they seem to have basically brewed some unoriginal standard fare, but it’s good. Nothing wrong with taking the best example of an English ale, and copying it true to form. From what I’ve seen of many reviews, they are not getting a fair shake. But we need to consider this; if the big guys can brew quality beer for the masses, it benefits all. The more Bud and Coors drinkers that come around, the greater the market for all brewers, and the greater selection and variety that will result. When it comes to really good beer, I’ve not seen too many people who are brand loyal. They like to try a variety. So I don’t think AB is going to pose a serious threat to anyone else’s market share. Let’s give credit where credit is due.
October 14th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
This is an interesting thread, and I think that there is something to be said about both sides. Where I come down is this, craft beer is more than just flavor it is a spirit of brewing that is at stake. Craft brewers whether you like their brew or not, there is an artisan behind the brew. It is an expression of an ideal that a brewer had and is bottling.
Any time you have a brew from a mega brewery like Michelob or A-B, it is about mass appeal. What can they brew that can appeal to the most people, because the bottom line is what they are all about. Of course the craft brewers are interested in this too, but their motives are more for the true advancement of the craft, not just making a profit. At least that is what I would like to think, and the few brewers I have spoken to seem to fit that profile.
So the question is does purchasing of a mega brewery product that is posing as a craft brew ultimately help or hurt the craft brew industry? I would say it hurts more than it helps, because ultimately what they want is to crack the craft brew market hold and pull those buyers back into the mega brewery fold. That is their intent. They have seen the craft brew market reach growing and cutting into their profits, so their movement into the craft brew is not to do anything but to break up the craft brew buyers and get some of them to switch back to macro brew products.
It won’t take too much of this until they begin to break some of the craft breweries. Their margins are much lower, and if they can pull away 10% of their market back to mega brews that might be enough to see many of the craft brewers fold. That is corporate america, and that is what is motivating them. Not making better beer. If they can crack this market they will jack the prices up on the fake craft brews and the rest of us who can’t afford it can go back to drinking their swill. I really didn’t feel this strongly when I began this comment, but as I thought about it, it became clear that their greed is at the center of this and their agenda is clear.
Support you local craft beer makers. Don’t buy the mega crap. Just don’t do it.
-Don
Don´s last blog ..Keep your Pumpkin Beer – I’m a Yam Man!
October 14th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Don, I have have to say thank you for a great, and also the officially longest comment on the whole blog. You have a compelling argument and in my heart I know you are right. Still, playing the devil’s advocate here, there are several examples of very good beers that were bought up by InBev that still are in the business of making very good beers.
Two that come to mind are Leffe and Hoegaarden. While European, and not Craft brewers, they are certainly not mass-produced swill for the grovelling masses either. Possibly, they are even better because they now benefit from larger distribution channels, allowing more people to have the beer than before. Again, devil’s advocate – but I get your point completely.
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Blue Moon Beer – Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale
October 14th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Again I would say there is a difference between bringing in an import that is a smaller brewer than posing as a craft brew like some of the Michelob and all of the Blue Moon products are doing.
Don´s last blog ..Keep your Pumpkin Beer – I’m a Yam Man!
October 14th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Lots of good arguments throughout this thread…a thread that keeps coming back to life! I’ll probably ramble a bit here and go long, but please bear with me…
I guess it all really boils down to what your definition of “craft” beer is. The problem I have is that I feel that the prevailing arbitrary definition which specifies that the size of the operation determines the “craft” designation is a mis-use of the term. Remember that this designation is basically a marketing tool used and promoted by a segment of the beer industry, the same as any other marketing tool which would be used by bigger trade interests.
I feel this way about the “craft” moniker because as small brewers grow (as the better ones surely do and will continue to do…as the less skilled ones mercifully die off), does that mean that the products of the newly grown companies are no longer “craft” beers?
I hardly think so. Again, and I can’t emphasize enough…the ‘craft’ is in the making of the product. Sierra Nevada and Boston Brewing are certainly no longer small companies and I doubt that anyone would consider their beers as anything other than “craft” product (at least, I would certainly hope not).
Most of all, I disagree with the notion that the Michelob products, Blue Moon, or other such special products made by the bigs or their subsidiary companies are “posing” as “craft” products or anything else. They are special products made by big companies that are looking to recapture tradition and –make no mistake about it–also to cash in on a hot new trend. Nothing at all wrong with that; after all, the growing army of small brewers are doing that too.
I’ve never been an AB fan or apologist, but I’m actually glad InBev-AB is recognizing the growing niche market for specialty and legacy beer “styles” and hiring a new young breed of brewmasters to create these products. Some of the products Michelob line (including the Classic Lager) are fine examples of the brewing arts and beer traditions of years gone by.
Fortunately, the so called “craft” brewing segment has firmly entrenched itself. I have been, and remain a fan (albeit a slightly jaded one lately).
They have proven themselves and the good ones will continue to grow and thrive. There are some great “craft” beers, and some really crappy ones. And also, I don’t think that the smaller brewers are immune from the idea of ‘greed’…there are quite a few “craft” brews out there commanding unwarranted and incredibly high prices, and I suspect that some are priced that way because the brewers know they _can_ charge those prices because of the prevailing hype and consumer trends (though I suspect that the recession is having some impact on the bottom line).
I still maintain that the big breweries re-entry into the making of quality beer is a good thing for both segments of the industry…the big and the small. The small guys will push the boundaries with their sense of adventure and show the bigs that there is no reason to fear flavor, and the big ones will continue to refine the quality control aspects and add consistency and balance to the mix, as well as a finesse that a lot of the really over-the-top-for-the-sake-of-it “craft” brews lack (although that assessment starts getting into the territory of individual taste… A whole ‘nother barfight).
Finally, the bigs will also obviously continue to do what they do very well: cater to the vast majority of the beer drinking public. But with their branding now appearing on new “craft” brews, they will also be introducing new flavor horizons to some beer consumers who perhaps in the past were locked into Light Lager mode…and in turn, they are opening a wider audience to the smaller, local brewers.
So in the end, it’s all good.
It’s pretty simple. Tastes vary, and people will buy what they like and sometimes hopefully will try something new. These days, with so many new small breweries popping up, buying “craft” beer is a real crap shoot (literally, unfortunately).
If the beer is good, and folks like it, people will continue to buy it, regardless of who makes it.
Just my humble opinion. Your results may vary…
October 15th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Well Don, I think The Professor now has the longest comment so your reign was short-lived! (but enjoyable)
The Professor offers some points that are worth considering regarding the use, or mis-use of the ‘craft beer’ concept – with Boston Brewing and Sierra Nevada being good examples of large operations still being able to make quality product that is still considered craft-beer.
So then is anything that is not brewed by Miller-Coors / In-Bev considered craft? Is that the threshold? It certainly aids the craft industry to perpetuate the ‘us vs. them’ mindset like its some kind of holy warfare for the souls of millions, but maybe we’re all being duped in a way by clever marketers on both sides of the issue.
I mean, think about all these beer review blogs out there (like this one). They are essentially FREE exposure and advertising for the craft beer industry. How’s it feel to be working for free? Who benefits from a glowing review of a beer that hundreds or thousands of people might read? The blog? Nope.
Still, I agree that people will buy what they like, and hopefully given all the choices available now they will once in awhile try something new.
Great comments!
Scott-TBC´s last blog ..Flying Fish Oktoberfish Beer