Beer reviews: Proper Concerning Hops and RoHa Brewers Select (Zamboni) 

• Mike Riedel

Our theme this week is New Zealand hopped IPAs. These Southern Hemisphere hops feature big melon flavors along with berries, citrus and tropical flavors, plus notes of diesel fuel. The diesel is not an aspect of the alcohol, but more of a compliment to the melon-like flavors and aroma.

Proper - Concerning Hops: Named for the tune "Concerning Hobbits" by composer Howard Shore derived from the soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (which was filmed in New Zealand). This beer pours an opaque pale but cloudy straw-yellow, with a thick head of satin white foam that laces the glass exceptionally well. Grapefruit peel, pine tar, chamomile and diesel emerge on the nose.

First sip is quite bright and tasty. (I'm drinking this fairly fresh, within a week or two of it being tapped.) The hops still come across as very fresh and are quite bright for a beer with a 5.0 percent ABV. The flavor is reminiscent of ripe melon upfront, then very softly transitions into tantalizingly bitter flavors of citrus that are almost grapefruit gelato- or grapefruit sorbet. Finally, it goes slightly bitter, with long, protracted flavors of pine needles mingled in between peppery notes of diesel and even just a hint of ground mustard seed (not the condiment, but literally the ground seeds of mustard flowers). As it warms, it develops a sort of pretzel/soda bread type of note—pillowy and rich. There are soft but noticeable levels of carbonation, ensuring that it's not flat or tepid.

Verdict: Like I said, beers like this benefit from their freshness. Do yourselves a service by checking this one out sooner rather than later.

RoHa - Brewers Select (Zamboni): NHL fever is catching on around Utah, and breweries are on top of it as well. This New Zealand hopped IPA features Galaxy, Motueka and Ahhhroma (yep that's the name) hops.

You get plenty of subtle radiance with this one, as the golden hue has a glow from the get-go. Enough head topped it off, and the lacing left behind covered nearly all of my pint glass, serving as an indicator of what was to come.

The nose was full-on Motueka, with its characteristic melon-ball fruitiness; think cantaloupe or honeydew. Deep and dank Galaxy, cattiness and earth appear on the nose as it drew me into this beer and never quite let go.

The taste was ballin'—melon ballin', that is. It was not your typical Southern Hemisphere tropical fruitiness, but instead, cantaloupe and honeydew, with some peach thrown in for good measure. It feels like I'm a born-again Motueka virgin while drinking this one, as if I had never had Motueka before. The finish was semi-dry, with diesel notes but right on the cusp of semi-sweet. The fruitiness was unabating, and had it been the usual tropical suspects, I might not have enjoyed it as much as I did.

Mouthfeel was medium. This had such an earthy feel to it combined with sweetness or bitterness—a "rough around the edges" sensibility that was quite endearing—along with some deep melon and cantaloupe, that had me wanting more from the first sip onward.

Verdict: Enough booze was in this 7.0 percent ale to keep it on par with everything else that was going on, but the ripe tropical fruits, recessed carbonation, and deep, dank hops were what this beer was about. If you like your beers to be green, reach for this one. You won't be disappointed.

These offerings are not part of their respective breweries' regular lineup, and thus are in limited supply. You can find Zamboni at the RoHa Brewing Project in 16-ounce cans, while Concerning Hops is only on draft, and can be found at all of Proper's pubs and restaurants.

As always, cheers!