Opa Raspberry Wheat
Opa Opa Brewing Company

 

 

 

Raspberry soda
Bubbles dry and citrusy
Wanted more wheat spice

A: Light golden very clear and quite bubbly, well-retained though thin head(3/3)
S: Woah, raspberry with a light citrusy spice (9/12)
T: A little tinge of wheaty spice to balance out what is essentially a raspberry soda (16/20)
M: Medium-high bubbliness and dry on finish. Quite crisp. (4/5)
O: Quite refreshing, but a little one-dimensional. I would have preferred more wheat flavor or hop character to balance the raspberry, but it’s pretty much just a raspberry soda. (7/10)
39/50

 

 

 

Draft pint at the steakhouse with dinner last night.

a: Cloudy gold with a finger thick white head which receded to surface foam and a little lacing. Crushed raspberry fragments floated on the surface and lined the bottom of the shaker pint glass.

s: Nothing notable.

t; A very pleasant wheat ale maltiness and yes a tinge of raspberry flavor, especially when bits of raspberry were included in the sip.

m: Medium, full of body.

o: I chose this for my wife, in another desperate attempt to get her to like beer a millionth as much as I do. This time it worked! She liked it, and actually drank most of her pint. Hallelujah! And it's local, so no problem buying more if she can ever tear herself away from her favorite, Wild Vines Blackberry Merlot.

I liked it too. Raspberry is a favorite flavor, raspberry pie a favorite dessert. But it's the mild yet thickish wheaty malt body that made this one different and so good. The raspberry bits were a bonus which may or may not be in the bottles and growlers.

BTW I liked this better than Rubeus, which I found too sour coming from the bottle, although I had enjoyed the tiny sample I had at a brewfest in June.

 

 

Had on tap at New World Tavern, Plymouth--served into a pint glass

Appearance: minimal head, hazy, medium carbonation, pale yellow in color

Smell: big perfumy raspberry

Taste: raspberry--both sweet and tart and light wheat

Mouthfeel: crisp, sweet, tart, very light bodied, high carbonation

Overall: A nice and light perfect summer beer. Enough beer taste to let you know it is beer. On a hot day, I would certainly look for this on draft.

 

 

Poured a hazy golden color with white, well-retained head with lacing. Smell was blueberries with a little bit of hops and taste was the same. Mouthfeel was medium to light and very refreshing and crisp and I was able to drink the whole growler in one sitting. A great fruit beer!!!

Growler. Consumed on 10/01/2009
A) Pours with a wispy head. Sticky, big bubble lacing. Hazy. Bronze-orange in color.
S) Prominent raspberry. Subtle notes of grain and wheat.
T) Raspberry. One the raspberry subsides, light wheat. Not much else to the taste of this brew.
M) Fizzy. Light bodied. Mellow grainy feel.
D) A nice beer. Pretty fruity. A casual drinker.

From notes:

Perfect summer beer. Pours like a golden lager/pale ale. Smell is faint malt and raspberry. Taste follows the nose. Mild hop crispness and pale malt body provide perfect backbone for the raspberry flavor. Beer is highly refreshing and drinkable. Perfect for a hot summer day, this beer is highly refreshing and a joy to drink. Thanks for the $7 growler, OPA OPA, I'll buy more for sure!

meet all my expectations for appearance, light hazy yellow color, big three finger foamy white head that held up very well. and large patchs of lace on the glass. aromas of raspberry were mild but had a nice smell with some wheat and yeast detected. raspberry blends well with the wheat so that you taste both, the raspberry does not over power the the taste. smooth mouthfeel and good body to it. carbonation is light which gives you that smooth feel. overall very enjoyable.

Gold body with a big fluffy white head. Leaves a little bit of lacing.

Smells like raspberries, real raspberries. Some wheatiness in there.

Taste is once again, like real raspberries, which means a good tartness that is balanced by wheat flavors. A slightly creamy mouthfeel. This is a really tasty wheat ale.

Very easy to drink on a hot day, my growler didn't last very long at all.

L: Poured a light amber color with a medium bodied tan colored head. Nice lacing down the glass.
S: The smell is of lightly toasted malts and then some nice tart raspberry aroma at the end of the nose.
T: The taste follows the nose pretty well. Lightly toasted wheat malt underneath a sweet and tart raspberry flavoring.
M: Very light, fresh, and refreshing with a nice amount of carbonation.
D: Pretty drinkable as it is a lighter fruitier beer that isn't overwhelming in any of the areas.

Served on-tap at J. Timothy's in Plainville, Conn.

A: Poured a cloudy, blonde-amber color with a thin layer of off white foam which retained well and left behind some sticky lacing.

S: Smell is faint, but certainly of fresh raspberries, with a funky yeast aroma and some mild floral hops.

T: Taste is mild in the fruit department, but is certainly there. Aside from that, it's a steady drinking wheat flavor, with that unfiltered, chewy wheat and yeast thrown in for good measure. The hop profile is low, but fares well by drying the brew's finish.

M: Mouthfeel is light-medium bodied, and a tad chewy at mid palate.

D: This is a solid drinking fruit wheat beer, one to be enjoyed on a hot summer day or with a BBQ meal, such as the pulled pork sandwich I had with it.

Not a bad brew to have on hand, probably in the growler form, I'd have to say. They threw a couple of fresh raspberries in the pint glass at the restaurant, which I wouldn't recommend at home, unless you're trying to be a showman, in which case, why the hell not.