Opus Two
AleSmith Brewing Company

(review from December 2019) Cleaner, lighter, uniquely flavored 2x ipa with nice aroma & subtle citrusy, herbal, piney notes. Very smooth fooler of an 8.5%er that drinks like much less. Slight bitter, resiny aftertaste.

Can't knock this beer it's exceptional for what it is. Balanced hop to malt ratio along with a fairly balanced ABV even though we're clocking in it over 8%. Pick this up on a whim only charging about 250 for the can. probably one of the better double ipas I've had lately to tell you the truth.

Poured from 12oz can into tulip glass. This is a heavy one. Looks very inviting in the glass. Mouthfeel and warmth down the gullet makes it feel higher than it's 8.5%. Personally, I'm getting a lot of maltiness from the smell and taste, less citrus and pine as mentioned on the can. Smell is a little skunky, to be honest, but actually not in a bad way. This is a good one for those (well, me) looking to take a little break from all the "juicy" IPA/NEIPA offerings out there. More of a grown-up, night-time, by the fire sort of IPA. Very nice.

AleSmith Brewing Co. "Opus Two"
12 fl. oz. can, canned on 10/29/19 and sampled on 02/12/20
$2.99 @ Roger Wilco, Pennsauken, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: It's a hazy but not too hazy deep golden in color bordering on becoming amber. The head is an inch and a half or more of creamy off-white foam that's taking a long time to settle down. The aroma is resinous, floral, and fruity over a sweet malt base. It's more complicated than that but I just can't recall what exactly the specific fruit I'm smelling is. The flavor is similar but much fuller as is often the case. The resins remain, and there's a piney note that wraps itself around the fruitiness. For that, I'd say it's citrusy with orange, and maybe some grapefruit pith, but there's something else. I'm getting some apple as well, but I think the note I was smelling is the same here, and I'm thinking that maybe it's concord grape. How weird is that? It doesn't come across as clear concord grape of course, but it's muddled and muted. Ahhh, maybe I'm completely off. At the very least I'd say it's like candied plum or some kind of jam. There's a fair amount of sugar here and maybe that's throwing me off.It's also a touch acidic as well though, and that helps to balance it. I'm also getting a little bit of earthiness and spice, and a spritz of alcohol. How strong is this? 8.5%... OK. It finishes dry and spicy as the sweet malt passes quickly. In the mouth it's medium-full in body and crisp. The head has held up remarkably well and I still have a solid surface covering beneath plenty of torn and ripped sheets of lacing. In the end this is a kind of a weird beer. Normally I'd give it credit for being unique, and I guess I am, but it's still weird.
6,947

 

Golden and mostly filtered with no carbonation and two fingers of off white head.

It smells fruity with hints of pine and citrus.

The taste is of white grapes, grapefruit pith, and pine resin.

Medium body with little carbonation.

I got this in Sacramento and I’m drinking at Redding January 14, 2020.

This is widely available in Tokyo. The paucity of reviews suggests it was a limited release Stateside.

Opus Two is a rich, resinous, creamy, slightly sweet hop bomb that harks back to the west coast glory years of the mid-aughts. Not the kind of thing I used to go for back then, but it makes a pleasant change from the hazy-everything present.

Some citrus, a lot of blood orange. Almost entering imperial red ale territory. Heavy. The sweetness keeps threatening to overwhelm everything, but never does.

A good but not great beer.

 

 

Handsome clear orangey amber brew with piles of white foam in the St. Bernardus globe. Malty and rich with a luscious mouthfeel. Aromatic with lime peel and a mango note.

The flavor is a distinct papaya, with the usual dark DIPA undertones. Tangy and even a little acidic but it balances the sweetness. Really a pleasant fruit flavor, but IPA fans will like the deep bitter aftertaste. From the 12 oz can in the six-pack purchased at Liticker's Liquor.