Opus Mega Alpha
Coopersmith's Pub & Brewing

very citrusy and light ipa, that they call a double ipa at the brewery. it pours golden in color, maybe yellow, perfectly clear with a lasting 2 inch white head. nose is bitter lemon and grapefruit rind, with lemony hops. major high alpha varieties here. flavor though is not bitter really at all, despite the advertised ibus. a nice fruit flavor from the hops and a resiny finish. its way less intense than the server made it out to be, but it is also an excellent summer ipa because its got lots of hop flavor without the weighty body of some of thse. could lead to a heavy buzz with enough of them, but as a slow session ipa it works for me. feel is good, lighter body, especially for the style, with upbeat carbonation. overall a nice ipa, short of a double, but sturdy and delicious.

From my notes of May 14th, 2010.

It poured a hazy orange gold colour, usual 1 finger head of foam that cascaded for quite the while...this *is* cask ale after all. The lacing was equally as impressive.

The smell had lots of grapefruit and spicy notes with a wee bit of grass. I could not sense any malt but maybe that will show up in the taste.

The taste Grapefruit....big, a hint of tropical fruits, a dash of pine, and there was a light malt presence in the background. Hops rule big time and are well represented and make for a long pleasing bitter aftertaste. The only negative thing I can say is that after you sip, there's a short, thankfully, dead zone of flavour before the tastes start kicking in.

Silky smooth mouthfeel, again typical for cask ale. Ooh, I just noticed a hint of cinnamon that I didn't notice before. Interesting.

Drinkability? I had 2 pints(18oz) back to back, enjoyed with their excellent fish & chips, to make sure I got out of it what I think I got. Not a hard task at all. Quite drinkable and a real contender to my fav...the cask Punjabi.

From the menu notes: "This American style IPA is bursting with citrus and pine hop flavors and aroma. The big malt backbone balances the hop intensity. Hops are added at each step of the process for ten total additions. . . 85 IBU"

In this case, the menu hype matches the product. This is truly a hop-bomb, so take note that my numbers may be a bit lower than some others, since I still struggle with such dominant hop flavors.

A: Clear amber body under a minimal head. Obvious streams of carbonation. So much hops it looks a bit oily.

S: A hint of malt struggles through the overt citrus floral metallic pine bitter hop load. MEGA ALPHA is exactly right.

T: Floral sweet metallic pine bitter hops. Oily buttery-acetyl.

M: The evident hop-oils make this almost slick, but it's still floral crisp.

D: For me, this is pretty drinkable. This style is far from my favorite, but for the style, I guess it's drinkable, though I'm not sure I would want two in a row.

If you like hops, you should love this. Hop-bomb lovers, go give it a try.