3.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 12/20
UPDATED: SEP 27, 2007 The look: Cloudy golden-yellow body with a small off-white head.
The style: Belgian Ale with an English pale-ale twist
The stuff: Nose is very yeasty with a hard to identify fresh aromatic floral something (lavender but not quite). I think the attempt here is a bringing together the yeastiness of a highly drinkable light Belgian Ale with the herbal hopping of thirst quenching Engilsh Ales or Pale Ales. It actually does just that but in an unexceptional way. Omnipresent yeast doesn’t develop much fruity flavours or anything, and just remains basic floury/doughy with pleasant fluffy mouthfeel. The mild bitterness is a bit papery. A little white pepper here and there. This Oppale is not a gem.
The how: Back from Japan tasting at MartinT. Bottle from Cathschlag
The conclusion: Ok light session beer, nothing more.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
My Bottom Line:
This authentic Belgian-style Ale seduces with its inherent spicy and herbal hop character and its masterfully carved, comfortable mouthfeel. Its doughy yeast and extremely delicate personality make it very drinkable, yet somewhat unmemorable.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A sumptuous head of foam garnishes the cloudy blond.
-Some fruitiness develops in the white grape/pear range.
-Perhaps the bottle we had was not as fresh as the previous two raters’ as the nose and flavor profile were quite tame.
-Appearance and body though are without reproach, a quintessential Belgian-style creation.
Bottle.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
[bottle] Orange body, generous off-white head. Strong herbal and floral aroma. Fruity notes with some tarty apple and white grapes. Good maltiness and full bodied, long finish. Rather heavy yeast deposit in the bottom of the bottle. Sugar is indicated as an ingredient - maybe in order to achieve a better balance. Anyway, this is a great hopped ale and the best Italian brew I’ve come across in a while.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
UPDATED: JUL 12, 2009 2009-05-10, 8-4-7-4-15=38
Golden color, small head. Very nice malt and cereals aroma, deep, sweetish medium body, with good malt flavor and very strong biterness, light residual sweetness that balances well. Very good.
2008-12-24, batch 20, about 2 years old, 7-4-7-4-14=36
Hazy deep blond color; big frothy head. Nice Belgian aroma. It has a strong, dry malt flavor, spicy (coriander), with strong bitterness, light bitter oranges and pine needles, some Belgian yeast character too. Probably with the age it loses the freshness (it’s the same batch as my first tasting) and the bitterness is more evident.
2008-05-30, blind tasting at Yespr’s, 6-3-4-2-9=24
Cloudy deep blond color; big head. It has some hoppy aroma. It has a dryish mouthfeel, with some malt and strong bitterness, reminding me too much the Pilsners brewed with kits (malt extracts and possibly powedered hop); and there is too much yeast; the final therefore, between yeast and bitterness, is unpleasant.
2007-03-23, bottle at Salone Della Birra Artigianale e di Qualità, Milan, 8-5-8-5-17=43
Not an IPA, but a Belgian Ale, with hops from Poperinge
Cloudy golden color; creamy head. Delicate aroma, fruity, pears, orange, flowers. Even if the alcohol rate is low, it has a good malt flavor, lasting, with an interesting hopping, and still some sweetness till the end. Excellent!
My favorite beer at the Beerfest and the biggest surprise; brewed with the perfect Belgian art, a masterpiece from the West Flanders. And it’s a real pleasure talking to the brewmaster!
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