Lil' Opal | Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

3.48/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

4/5  rDev +1.3%

4/5  rDev +1.3%

4/5  rDev +1.3%

4/5  rDev +1.3%

4.2/5  rDev +6.3%

3.74/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

4/5  rDev +1.3%

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

3.99/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Light gold in color with just a faint trace of head. There's abundant carbonation bubbles erupting from within. The aroma is of tart wild yeast, tart raspberries, plum, and woodsy oak. The mouth is reminiscent of carbonated seltzer water, but is somehow watery and fairly quaffable for a wild ale.

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4.56/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

On Tap

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

Hazy golden with a finger of creamy near-white head. Not great retention or stick, but this is a very low ABV beer. A pretty color. Looks inviting.

A cornucopia of bright, juicy fruit character: lots of peaches, apricots, and maybe even some mango. A tiny bit of wheat grain and mild grass with a bit of wood. Interesting, complementary, earthy and fruity yeast as well. This is a really wonderful beer.

A juicy, delicious, complex, but incredibly drinkable beer. Peach and apricot character combine nicely with mild funk and grass, a little bit of oak, and some citrus zest. Somewhat dry.

Thin to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

Fantastic creation. I really want to see this in bottles.

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4.42/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Bottle into teku:

A vigorous pour leaves a small, weak, soapy, quickly-dissipating bright white head that has medium-large bubbles. The beer is quite effervescent overall. A beautifully vivid, moderately hazy, golden orange hue paints the body.

The nose is a luscious combination of peach, tangerine, lemon peel, and an earthy breadiness that shows a hint of vinegary acidity (the faintest) surprisingly intermingled with a luscious orange-peach marmalade sweetness.

Everything else comes along with no surprises (except a surprising amount of carb), following the previously mentioned attributes, but with perhaps with a touch of wood, and a surprisingly firm level of sourness. It's complex, it's delicate, yet intense. Notes of peach, lemon, apple, and a touch of a honey-like sweetness, yield near the end to a smoky, oaky, barrel-driven funk that finishes dry, but more woody than one might expect.

Overall, an exquisite beer. Complexity is the name of the game here. I appreciate this, considering my recent string of quite one-dimensional sours. I think this is an underrated brew.

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3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

3.64/5  rDev -7.8%

3/5  rDev -24.1%

3.58/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Deep, clear, golden yellow with no head.

S: Flowers, brett funk, and a faint tartness.

T: Rich light malts, a quick wash faint tartness, then a very funky finish. Aftertaste is of strong wood flavors.

M: Medium body, light carbonation.

O: Interesting but not my favorite saison.

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3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

4/5  rDev +1.3%

4/5  rDev +1.3%

4.07/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4