Archive for the 'Opa-Opa' category
Spring Cleaning: Opa-Opa Red Rock Ale
This is another beer from Opa-Opa and another beer in my “spring cleaning” series. This beer was picked up at the same time as the Opa-Opa IPA.
The beer was a nice clear amber color in my glass with a very large head. Possibly too much carbonation in the bottle, not really sure, but the beer would have over flowed from its glass if I had not let the beer sit for a little bit in-between a few soft pours. Out of this head, the aromas segued from a nice, light caramel sweetness to a rather husky grain finish. The sweetness aroma I found quite delectable.
In the mouth the front of the beer was rather harsh with a fresh grain taste. As the beer progressed through the mouth this grain taste maintained its presence but other more subtle flavorings made an appearance. A “tangy” sweetness was found in the middle and some light fruit was found at the back. If the grain taste was toned down a little bit I think the beer would be a bit smoother and more dynamic, which could help it stick out in a very crowded field.
A middle of the road beer for me. I would not avoid it, but then again I would not go out of my way to get it. Your mileage may vary however.
Spring Cleaning: Opa-Opa IPA
With spring finally here, it is time to do some spring cleaning of the beer fridge. The cleaning means getting rid of the single stragglers left over from various six packs sitting on the top shelf of the fridge. None of these stragglers have been in the fridge longer then five months, they have been kept at a constant temperature (roughly 52 degrees) and have received minimal light. This should mean the beers are in fine “drinking shape”.
The first beer in this spring cleaning is the Opa-Opa IPA. I picked up this six pack after a sampling done at a local beer store. I felt the sampling was quite good and the fact a free glass came with a six pack purchase, did not hurt things. (Note to beer sales people: with tastings, include a free glass with six pack purchase… it helps.) Ironically enough I did not use the free glass for this tasting.
Anyway, the easy pour gave a big off-white colored, pillowy head made of small bubbles. There were a ton of these small bubbles coursing through the beer’s clear, amber/orange body. A light grain smell was intermingled with the aromas of pine and citrus. Neither the pine or citrus were dominating each other and made picking either out a slight challenge to the nose.
In the mouth the beer was of medium body and coated the mouth fairly well. I noticed the hop bitterness but not much else. Only after a few sips did I finally notice some citrus and pine, and they were more relegated to the after taste. I enjoy a bitter beer, so I did not find it bad per se, but I definitely found it unbalanced. Some malt to balance the bitterness or a stronger pine/citrus presence would have been nice.
If you enjoy a bitter beer but do not feel like going the high abv route of an IIPA, this IPA could be right up your alley. Some more balance would be a plus though.
