Dry Hop Orange
Caldera Brewing Company

 

I was never disappointed with Caldera and this beer is no exception: pours with a beautiful, slightly hazy amber color with decent head and an immediate aroma of oranges - which was achieved only by the combination of Cascade and Amarillo? No wonder why Cascade is THE hop of the US, it is what started it all back in 1979 with Sierra. Anyway this session IPA has a really nice and firm body to it unlike most of your watery and thin sessionables and this is actually much closer to how I would imagine a sessionable beer! With full flavor and lacking nothing. It's almost as if you were drinking a full IPA with a bit less bite (at 5.2% ABV). Hops are full on and orange peel flavor is present, in the end with some hop/orange peel/orange oil bitterness to it, just good balance. It has a quite unique feeling to it, not belonging to any of the predefined categories and not being artificially fruity or orangey. It was perfectly good on a Sunday afternoon. You might think I overrated this beer but this is how much I appreciated the experience it gave me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BBD 2/27/17

Pours an effervescent amber with some chill-hazing & 3 fingers of rocky cream colored head. Good head retention & lacing

S: Oranges and grapefruit, some leafy hops once warm

T: A little pomelo, some breadyness & dryness up front. Leafy hops once warm, flinty dryness as well, a little citrus as well. Finishes dry, with orange peel bitterness, & slight grassyness

MF: Medium body with fairly firm carbonation, alright balance

Drinks easy, nothing special, but not bad

 

Orange in color, thin 1/7" head. Nice orange, tangerine like citrus hop notes.

Good mix of older Cascade with the new Amarillo hops give good aroma and decent bitterness. Plenty of crystal malt. A neat beer, definitely drops that orange into the nose and tongue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange color for a beer with orange in the name. Minimal head, its all good. Definite citrus (orange?) hop impressions here. Pleasant.

Dry taste, moderate bitterness, full hop mouthfeel. Easy to drink. Not overpowering hop presence, but good nonetheless, gives it the delicate and on point treatment moreso than just simplistic bitter brutality. Crystal and caramel malt seem to be kicking it here. Stayed away from sweet territory. Definitely gets its orange name from the hop impressions, not the addition of fruit.

This was at the newer Caldera Tap House in Ashland (Rogue Brewery's old, original spot....) It was a little dark on the patio outside, but it certainly had an orange glow and appropriate lacing. Aroma had lavender, clementine, grapefruit pith, scented geranium and thai basil exploding from the glass. Delightfully potent hops without the poison-like bitterness or tannin. Don't get me wrong, I like big beers, but drinkability for a pitcher with friends is crucial and this fit the bill.

Tried this beer recently on-tap at Tugboat Brewing in Portland, a pint glass at Happy Hour - May 1, 2007. Pretty sure I've had this before...

Here's the description from Caldera's website for this year-round offering:
"A conundrum in the world of beer styles. This ale does not fit any conventional beer style. Orange in color, this beer has hop characteristics of oranges and tangerines. Grist: Premium Two Row, Crystal; Hops: Amarillo, Cascade, Horizon; Original gravity: 1.052; Alcohol by volume: 5.4%."

A: Beautiful, slightly hazy honey-orange color. Light to moderate fast-rising carbonation. Topped with a creamy, off-white head, about 1-1/2 fingers, gently fading. Good lace.

S: Malty caramel, a touch sweet. A piercing hop sting - definitely orange/citrus-smelling.

T: More toffee-maltiness than I'd expected, but offset with that 'orange' pith taste the hops contribute. What starts sweeter ends more on the side of bitterness. Good flavors and nicely balanced overall.

M: Creamy, medium mouthfeel, carbonation seems a little light. Ends with a little sticking malt and a slightly metallic hop bite on the back of the tongue. This analogy may sound weird, but it felt like a quarter was being pressed down on my tongue...

D: For a beer without a definitive style to grade against, I can really just say that - yes - it was enjoyable and - yes - I would get it again.

On tap tonight at the Horse Brass.
Nice looking orangy amber ale with a tiny white head that lasts no time, some lace left.
Aroma is pleasant but nothing special ..of hops and malts with a touch or orange peel zest.
The taste was exhilarating to start with the hops blending well with the orange peel falavours but after a while it bacame dullish,but themalts held throughout.
Mouthfeel was rather on the thin side and average for style
This is a nice beer but for once I think this would be better served quite chilled.

I'm guessing a bit with the style on this one. I suspect it is intended as a fruit beer. The orange in the name is certainly reflected in the taste and nose as well as the colour.

I found this on-tap at Kelly's Olympian and certainly hasn't been there for more than a fortnight.

This brew works well. It is dry and hoppy as the name suggests, and the orange doesn't ruin this by making it too sweet. Think peel rather than juice.

It is surprisingly refreshing and drinkable for such a dry beer. Not frou-frou.