So I logged on tonight to do a quick review of OPA. I drank my original bottle last week, but didn’t take notes and felt it was worth buying another to get something detailed. However tonights bottle was an entirely different story. Either this bottle is so very bad, or this brewery is having trouble. So to be fair I did a from memory review of the first bottle, and a while I torture myself review of this second purchase. Both bottles were bought at the same store within a short time of each other, so I’m eliminating that as a factor. If you’ve had the OPA mutiple times, please tell me beer 2 is not it.
Bottle 1
Aroma
Some biscuity/bready aromas, hay
Appearance
Copper color, just the slightest haze. Decent head
Flavor
I remember lot’s of bready malts, some grassyness.Almost no bitterness. Slight citrus note if I remember right.
Overall
A good beer, and very drinkable. The phrase pale ale has little to no place in the name though. Neither enough hop flavors nor enough bitterness to tip the scales away from the malt flavors. Would buy it again.
Bottle 2
Aroma
buttery, caramel, leather
Appearance
Very dark amber color. Slightly opaque, no head, very little carbonation.
Flavor
I’m afraid to try it, but here goes. Sharp bite up front, but not from bitterness. Not sure how exactly to describe it. Sickly sweet, with little malt flavor. Fruity finish with a light lingering bitterness. Medium mouthfeel.
Overall
Get it away from me! Never going neer this beer with a 10 ft pole. Thought it’d be worth stocking again, but one bad bottle is enough. Still might stock their stout.