Opa-Opa Steakhouse Buckwheat IPA

Semi-cloudy pumpkin orange. Nice color, no head. Dark earthy malt with a flowery and grapefruit hop aroma. Roasted rye-like malt balance. Really great scent. Toasted caramel taste. Burnt rye malts; almost stout-like. Decent, flowery hops. Thick and with a little fizz. A good, burnt flavor.

[bottle] Fresh grapefruit hops aroma with some caramel and a touch of lemon. Hazy bronze, with little dots of sediment throughout, covered by a thin white sheet. The flavour is a nice balance of bitter grapefruit hops, that come of a touch salty and, spicy caramel. Dry finish works well with the medium carbonation. Notes of pine and apricot. Light to medium body.

Pours a clear orange/copper color with a white head. Lots of pine on the nose with some hops and citrus. Well-balanced taste with pine, citrus and a bit of hoppy bitterness at the end. Very smooth and good beer!

Tap at ACBF 2009: Pours orange with a thick off white head. Resiny citrus cascade like aroma. Smooth mouthfeel with a resiny and citrusy flavor as well. Simple and straight forward cascade character. Peppery bitter finish. Simple but solid.

12oz bottle. This was a surprise. Awhile back I had purchased a mix pack of Opa-Opa that I wasn’t that thrilled so I wasn’t expecting much. But because of a good sale at my local I picked up a 6-pack of this and found that it is a pretty darn good IPA that I had never tried before. While nothing spectacular it is very well balanced and drinkable. Good beer to have on hand.

growler. Middling clear copper color, thin fizzy off-white head. Muted nose of chewy bread malt with some notes of bitter citrus. Flavor starts with sharp citrus bitterness, notes of lemons and some light spicy pepper. Simple malt backbone of burst caramel and chewy bread. Well balanced though not much depth in the flavor. Palate is slightly on the creamy side with sharp carbonation and a nice finish. Decent IPA, though the weak nose detracts.

12 oz bottle-Bonus beer from a trade, but I’m not sure from who! Orange color w/o much head. Pine hop aroma. One dementional hop bomb, hops on the front, in the middle, & @ the end. I know some people like these, but I just don’t get them. Long, dry, hop finish; I wouldn’t drink this again

In short: An bland juicy pale ale (called an ipa) with no personality.
How: Bottle 12oz (as Opa-Opa Hop Express). Consumed very fresh a few days after purchase
The look: Partly cloudy golden body topped by a small persistent white head
In long: Shy nose of floral and citrusy hops. Light body with some caramel, wet bread and some biscuits. Hops bring a over-ripe citrus fruits and lots of fresh green grass feeling without much bitterness. Finish is juicy. This is a juicy beer with such a light malt backbone that to me it is more a Pale Ale than an IPA. No malt backbone/sweetness and no hops bitterness, but hey! on the positive side it is well balanced.