I don't know much about HopCat. I mean, I regularly see advertisements for them in issues of BeerAdvocate (which I read because my library has a subscription so I can check them out). I like the brewery's name and logo. But I'm completely ignorant in terms of the quality of its beer or what its company practices/beliefs are.

Hopefully after this post I'll (and you'll) have a slightly better idea about what the Grand Rapids, MI brewery's about. Or, at the very least, I'll be able to tell you what today's beer, Beer Right Meow, tastes like.

As you'll note if you read the bit above, HopCat is headquartered in Grand Rapids. They also have a few other locales across the Mitten state (which is what I'll be calling Michigan from now on) and are working on spreading further and further across the midwest. Their "About" page states they believe in the quality offered by craft beer. In fact, the place originally started as a craft bar that soon got around to brewing its own beer. This means they offer more than just HopCats beers on their taps--they pull beer from all around the country and the world. They're also eco-friendly and recycle/compost the majority of the waste they generate.

The official page for Beer Right Meow doesn't divulge much intel on the ale. It's "...an American IPA that practically purrs in your mouth." So, I guess it's pretty bubbly? On the can I have, I find a little more information, namely that it's brewed in Detroit and boasts an ABV of 6.3%.

This is one dank smelling IPA. In the aroma I'm getting big, juicy IPA notes up front--a lot of citrus, a lot of pine. Behind that, though, there's an awful, awful dank aroma which is bad. Maybe there's a certain type of IPA drinker that this'll do it for? I guess I'm not quite there (nor do I ever want to be). And Purrl's in that same boat with me. She gave my open can one whiff and then wouldn't stick her nose near it again.


What I'm getting from the aroma carries right on through to the flavor of the ale. It's a good, juicy IPA on the fore, but the finish is a awful butt-dankness to which I am unaccustomed. But I've just discovered there's a reason for this--it's not a gross dankness that's supposed to be there.

Before explaining my aversion to this beer (because it is aversion I have), let me say that the mouthfeel is pretty spot-on. It's not as bubbly as I may have previously thought, but it's just right for the style.

But, you know, maybe it is supposed to be bubbly. Hell, I'm sure this is a good beer. The problem I discovered two paragraphs ago is this: the can I'm drinking (which was gifted to my dad at the beginning of the month, who then gifted it to me because he dislikes IPAs) was canned in June. Of 2016. IPAs (I was recently told on a recent brewery tour) have a shelf life of around 120 days. That's just under four months.

Given that, there's no way the beer in this can would be good. It's absolutely terrible, but I am 100% willing to bet that that terribleness is owed directly to the ale's age. So, I cannot in any sort of good faith pass any judgement on Beer Right Meow. Unless the Beer Right Meow you're about to drink is a year old. Don't drink that. Year-old Beer Right Meow gets a solid 0/10 from me. It's hella gross.

I'm sorry if we don't have a better idea of the quality of their beer, but my opinion of HopCat (as found through ads in BeerAdvocate and their website) is unsoiled by this can. I'll give the beer another go when I find it again. So, please, look forward to that. But I have to say this: this thirteen-month-old can will forever be the first beer I've sat down to discuss on this blog that I did not finish. I cannot wait to see how much better a fresh can is.