Hello craft addicts. The high gravity beers from Caldera Brewing Company are now hitting the Nashville shelves thanks to the good guys at Bonus Bev. I hope to review all of them, but I only picked up this and the Vas Deferens (hilarious name) on this beer run.
Hopportunity Knocks Ale
Caldera Brewing Company - Ashland, OR
Style: IPA
ABV:6.8%
SMITTY'S REVIEW:
Sampled at 50 degrees. Pours a medium orange amber with a light beige head. Pleasant yet assertive floral nose. Medium bodied with average carbonation, with a very slight chalkiness in texture. Flavor has a caramel and Germanesque malt backbone that is countered by an aggressive citrusy hop bitterness, heavy on the grapefruit rind with a hint of orange. Finish is bitter and dry, with a tea like astringency at the tail end.
Overall, a very enjoyable beer. I am a big fan of Centennial hops, and this beer is loaded with them. I am not a BJCP beer judge, but I would guess this is in the 80-90 IBU range. However, I think this beer would be even better by backing off the Munich malts a tad, or by having another hop variety to added for some complexity. But I am a very very picky person when it comes to this style, so just ignore me. This is worth trying, and if you are after a citrus bomb, this should make you a hoppy camper. Yeah, that was a bad attempt at craft beer humor huh?
Rating*: 8.5 out of 10
Recommended Food Pairing: BBQ, Cajun Food, Spicy wings, Tex Mex
Value: As far as bombers go, moderate at $6.99 per 22 ounce bottle.
Beer Audience: Hopheads
Where To Buy: Midtown, Red Dog, J Barleycorn, Frugal MacDoogal
Low gravity Caldera beers to try: IPA, Pale Ale
* rating system based on aroma (1 pt), appearance (1pt), palate (2 pts) flavor (3pts), comparison to other commercial examples of the style (3pts)
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