Seattlest Beer of the Week: Rock Bottom Hop Bomb IPA

We know what some of you are thinking: "Rock Bottom? Really? Isn't that a corporate chain that makes all the same typical beers at their locations?" Well, yeah, that's pretty much them. But, each location has its own brewer that gets to experiment and brew their own seasonals and special release beers. In other words, it's in these beers that the brewer really gets to shine. Think of it as that special project you get to work on at your corporate job where you usually do the same shit every month (yeah, that's us).

You can find the Hop Bomb at the Seattle Rock Bottom, and it is exactly what it sounds like; a glass full of beautiful, tasty hops. It comes to the table with an amazing citrus & spicy hop flavor and aroma. Surprisingly, with all those hops it manages to be fairly balanced and not too bitter. If we had to guess, Cascade hops are the main focus here. This beer is a clean IPA, with just a touch of malt sweetness to balance those hops.

Here's where we get confused: Rock Bottom Bellevue won a Silver Medal for their Hop Bomb at last year's GABF. But, the bartender at the Seattle location guaranteed us that this brew was made by Seattle brewer Josh Dalton. We're guessing the two are the same recipe passed over.

Stop on in to the Seattle location downtown for a pint, or fill your growler for a measley $7.95; now that's one of the best values in town. It is not part of their normal line of beers, but it has been so popular that they try to keep it on tap as much as possible.

Image thanks to seregmcw on Flickr