Watermelon Lager
Opa Opa Brewing Company

Had on tap at New World Tavern--Plymouth--served into a pint glass ABV listed at 4.9

Appearance: low carbonation, 1/4 inch head, clear, gold in color

Smell: watermelon and other spices

Taste: watermelon jolly rancher with grass and grain

Mouthfeel: sweet with a bitter backbone, light body, medium-high carbonation

Overall: I see this as way more of a fruit beer. This one is not quite as sweet as 21st Ammendment's and also not quite as good. That said, if you want watermelon, this is a fine beer. It is sweet but not overly so. I could see myself downing a couple of these as the weather gets warmer.

 

I just read the watermelon lager at opa opa is retired but I have been to the brewerey several times recently and the watermelon brew is alive and kicking,,,Its pretty darn good for a watermelon,,they now have a restaurant and brewery in Williamsurg Mass.,,just down the road from Northampton,,I would recommend this place ,,

Ron

 

I understand that Watermelon beers aren't always the best tasting thing in the world. The fact that I had this one heading into the closing minutes of the 2010 ACBF and found it to be a really tasty beer shocked me. I'm actually a little bummed that this one has been retired but what's done is done and I cannot change that. I am glad I got to try this one and maybe I'll try to mimic something like this in a home brew one day. When I got my sample they were filling the glasses pretty high at this point so I probably got double the amount I was supposed too. The cup was handed back to me with a wedge of watermelon on the edge of the glass and it actually sparked my interest. I took the wedge and just put it right into the beer. It fizzed up and settled once again releasing lots of watermelon flavors into this brew. The color of the beer was golden yellow with a white head on top. The smell was obviously watermelon with a hint of pilsner malts in the mix. The taste of the beer was very refreshing to me, the additional wedge of watermelon worked like a charm in my opinion. The mouthfeel was light and fresh. Overall I feel that this is the best Watermelon brew I've had as of yet. This could be just because of the wedge that I tossed in, but either way I liked the creativity behind it all and enjoyed the small amount that I got to have that day.

Cheap growler. Packie probably trying to offload the Opa batch as it wasn't selling so who knows how long this has been on the shelve. Pretty flat, no head, mild beer and watermelon is not overpowering but is there. Pretty much a microbrew Bud Light Lime. Won't buy again, was a "what the heck" purchase.

Growler.
A) Pours with a thin head then settles quickly. Clear body. Mellow upward carbonation. Gold in color with red hues. Lacing is nearly non-existent.
S) Subtle watermelon. Some hints of malt but overall not very aromatic.
T) Watermelon is noticeable but is mixed with toasty malt flavors. Earthy. Grainy. A quick hint of hops in the finish.
M) Light bodied. Dry. Fizzy.
D) Just alright. The watermelon flavor is artifical and doesn't seem to mesh well with the beer style.

From the moment the growler was poured, Steve and I were mystified. We were mystified why the guy at the liquor store would recommend such a brew.

A-Golden/amber hue, zero turbidity, 1/4" head with a hard pour white as cotton, poor lacing.

S-Obvious watermelon, but not a natural watermelon. More like medication or bubblegum. Overpowering.

T-Hold your nose, had to struggle to get this one down.

M- Coated your tounge with sickening sweet watermelon taste. Aftertaste stck around and served as a consistant reminder that I must be a glutton for punishment to keep trying to like this brew.

D- While the lager is easy to drink with a low viscosity, the lager is not recommended even for the most adventurous beer drinkers.

Served on-tap at Delaney's Pub & Grill, New Haven, Conn.

A: Poured a golden yellow with a chilled haze and slightly red sides. A frothy head of foam fizzled rather quickly to leave a thin film of lace.

S: Smells mostly of toasted grains and musty honeydew.

T: Taste is a bit thin and watery, but the watermelon is definitely noticeable. It's not a bad lager, but it tastes like it was mixed with watermelon Kool-Aid and water. Brisk grain and a bit of bitterness are the off-sets.

M: Mouthfeel is light and crisp, yet watery.

D: It's a light lager, though pretty well crafted, just made odd tasting by adding watermelon. It's different, unique, crisp and clean; I'll give it that. I just can't get used to the flavor.

I couldn't put down more than one of these, and felt odd having it indoors at night. Maybe your girl and her friends might get a hoot out of a fruit beer with a malternative flavor. Not me, however.

Growler filled at the brewpub yesterday.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/2" bright white head over the slightly cloudy golden brew. Head is down to film in a reasonable amount of time, with good lacing. Aroma is fruity with a light malt character. Taste is well-balanced malt sweetness coupled with controlled bitterness, and the watermelon comes in mostly in the close. Watermelon seems to be an accent, not a dominant focus here, and I think that works pretty well. Mouthfeel and drinkability are quite nice, but don't except something heavy here, rather along the lines of a summertime drinkable commodity.

Had this on tap at the Sunset Grille last night. Came in a tall pilsner glass, with no slice of watermelon or anything like that. It looked pretty nice, a golden reddish hue color. But that was about all that was good with it. It had a musty melon smell to it, and the taste was like burnt watermelon. Not the easiest to drink. My friend threw half of his away, but I managed to drink the whole thing. Though you won't see me ordering another one of these again.

Chick beer gimmick, with a slice of watermelon sticking out of it. Apologizes from the brewer, and the poured without the chunk. Golden head. Crisp, fizzy carbonation. Not bad lager, and a change of pace, different and bolder than say their blueberry. Sweet.