Hopportunity Knocks - Caldera Brewing Company

brentk56

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber color with a sturdy inch of a head that leaves a few shards behind

Smell: Malt forward, with caramel and nuts backed up by piney hops

Taste: Caramel and nut flavors, up front, with a burgeoning piney character that takes over by mid-palate; after the swallow, the malts return to add more sweetness to the profile while the hops turn a bit metallic

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation; a tad sticky

Overall: More malt forward than I like my IPAs, still a well-constructed beer for those who prefer a big malt IPA

Thanks, PretzelCity, for the (h)opportunity

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 23:12:25 | More by brentk56

oberon

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into an imperial nonic a clear copper with a great one finger sticky white head that nver really leaves,a frothy mass is there during the whole duration of the glass.Big caramel malt in the nose with subdued citric hops,a little hop oomph and it would be great.Citric and herbal hops play against a big caramel/biscuit malt base with neither getting the upper heand really.There is a little lightly roasted nuttiness in the malt profile as well.A beer thats oh so close to being stellar,just bump up the hop profile and there you go,as is its pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 01:08:28 | More by oberon

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer poured out as a nice golden color, almost copper. The head was fluffy and white, left behind a strong lacing too. The smell of the beer was floral and citrusy. The taste of the beer has a sweet bitterness, plenty of citrusy grapefruit flavors and a touch of malt in the back end. The mouthfeel has a good bite to it, with a dry aftertaste. Overall it's a good IPA, I am glad I tried it for sure.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 23:08:10 | More by Knapp85

Halcyondays

California

3.63/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bottle,

A: Pours amber with a good frothy white head, good lace, nice looking IPA.

S: Classic Centennial, northwest hop nose. Grapefruit, tangerine, assorted citrus, with a hint of pine and malt.

T: On the maltier side, this is definitely not San Diego. Strong pink grapefruit, cantaloupe rind, with the strong crystal malt flavour, bordering on amber ale.

M: Fairly light-bodied in this style, soft carbonation, moderate aftertaste.

D: A solid IPA, reminded me a lot of Ranger or Union Jack in the hop flavours. Not my favourite hop tastes, but a well made beer I'm happy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2010 23:03:26 | More by Halcyondays

barleywinefiend

Washington

1.68/5  rDev -52.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

A: Poured a hazy amber color with a nice white cap

S: Faded piney hops, caramel

T: Caramel and faded hops battle for dominance while the metallic and old Earthy notes fight for second place. Bad.

M: Medium to full body and not one I would recommend hiolding on your palate

O: Poor IPA, drainpoured after two sips

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 08:44:46 | More by barleywinefiend

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A pretty orange and auburn color scheme going on, head was very doughy with good retention. Aroma was hoppy to a degree, but wasn't anything to write home about. The appearance was like a 4.25 and the aroma 3.75, so it all evens out.

Intense bitterness when you drink this. Seemed to be chinook, cascade and centennial combo, maybe with some willamette's thrown in for good measure. At times the bitterness just overshadows anything going on. Really, I can't see this being worth delving into the bottle world, it doesn't add anything that I can't get in the can for an ipa. Would have to lean on grapefruit the most to describe the hop and bitterness feel (moreso) in this beer.

Comes off a little more like a PacNW ipa than west coast. A degree of wood, not super piney hops.

This was my first Caldera brew that was not in a can.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2010 04:10:08 | More by Beerandraiderfan

mactrail

California

3.2/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Attractive amber in the tulip glass with very nice head and lacing. Modest aroma. Initial taste is promising. A touch of sweet malt but mostly it's the heavy hand of hops. Sharp and acidic on the palate. Some aromatics with a flowery touch, but mostly just bitter. Aftertaste goes on and on. Unrelieved bitterness with not much interest to go with it.

Not very drinkable. I am trying to find something good to say about this beer, since it's clean and well made. But for IPA lovers, it's definitely in the zone.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2011 04:54:19 | More by mactrail

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.55/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 picked up yesterday at the COOP.. Poured into my Old Guardian goblet.... pretty deep cloudy orange verging on amber.. nice enough 1 finger off white head has pretty good retention and lacing.

Nose is pithy grapefruit hops and some back ground floral hoppiness... the pale malts are pretty prevalent.. so is some toasty malts.

Pretty big up front.. bitter and bracing citrus hops move slowly but surely into pale malts that push the grapefruit back out into the middle... the toasted malts show toward the finish and combine with the biting hops... grassy floral elements show with warmth.

Body (and hops) verge on DIPA territory... carbonation is good but it doesn't scrape away the toasty malts that I find a bit distracting.

Good.. but not great....

3.5/3.5/3.5/4/3.5

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2010 02:57:40 | More by JohnGalt1

ccrida

Oregon

3.63/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bomber (with a cool label) poured into my large Gulden Draak tulip, Hopportunity Knocks is orangish pale amber with a huge light sand head that is very tight and creamy, slow to subside, leaving big chunks of foamy lace. Very nice head, but the body's a bit dark and murky for an IPA.

Smell is skunky, some citrus, earthy spice too. Nice floral sweetness, but not the blistering hops I expected from the label.

Taste is pretty citrusy, spicy hops, but not to strong. Big bready malt backbone, moderate bitterness, definitely on the malty side or an IPA, more like a hoppy amber or pale ale. Marketed as such, I'd have scored it higher. I don't really like big malty IPAs.

Mouthfeel is slick and oily, there's a thinness to this, almost cask like, in spite of the chewiness of the malt.

Drinkability is okay, but with a name like Hopportunity Knocks, I was expecting a much hoppier brew. This one is a new release and I bought it from a cooler so I'm sure it's pretty fresh. OK but not special.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2010 01:08:14 | More by ccrida

RoyalT

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - This is a dark malty brownish-bronze in color with a good, off-white head that pitted well.

Smell - The pine and citrus here is very tight and wrapped in a malty toasted base. The hops are very raw and fresh.

Taste - The malt gets bigger at the taste but the hops are still, well, hopping. The malt adds some sweetness here, maybe caramel, and the pine actually seems bigger as well which is the exact opposite of most every other AIPA.

Mouthfeel - This is medium-bodied with some bitterness but nothing heavy. The carbs are very light but well done.

Drinkability - This is a quality but uneventful drink. You won't impress anyone by serving this but you won't disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 00:49:17 | More by RoyalT

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.9/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a pint glass, the beer has a deep red-copper color with a small, thin 1/2" head that dissipates quickly. The beer is heavily smelling of hops and floral, with a little bit of a smokey background. The hops flavor hits the middle of the tongue, and there is a very short lasting, bitter undertone to it. There is a bitter and at the same time sour aftertaste to the finish, and the bitter portion of that will linger from some time after the beer is gone. It's a heavy IPA that is full of flavor in mouth, but the lingering aftertaste makes this a "one and done" for me. I thoroughly enjoy this beer, but one bomber at a time.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2010 01:06:18 | More by GarthDanielson

Reidrover

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle from Fred Meyer, N.Salem store. $5.19 Darker than the typical IPA..almost amber beerr with a large thick and frothy cream coloured head. Aroma seems balanced between resiny hop and nice toasty malts. Again the taste is balanced with nice caramell,toasted hops blancing a nice resinous hop bite..lasting after bitterness. Quite nice and thick for style on the palate. Overall i liked this one more than i thought i would.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2011 19:46:53 | More by Reidrover

cjgator3

Florida

3.73/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle

A- Pours a hazy amber color with an off-white head with decent retention and lacing.

S- The aroma is sweet malt and some citrus notes from the centennial hops as well. The aroma is good, but a little more subdued than I was expecting. 

T- The taste like the aroma is smooth and malty up front with the hops coming in and lingering well into the finish. 

M- The mouthfeel is light bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation.

D- Overall, I enjoyed Hopportunity Knocks but I isn't a beer I would likely seek out again. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2011 04:15:54 | More by cjgator3

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Patrick (Jctribe25) for brining this bottle back from Cali for me. Thanks man.

Good looking beer. Thick, creamy head that rises well above the glass and has a great deal of structure. It eventually collapse upon itself but leave a sheet of thick lacing in the glass. The beer is a deep dull amber color with a light haze. No visible carbonation. Some orange tones in the color.

Aroma is more toasted malt focused with some slight citrus notes in the background. This is certainly starting off more like a Northwest IPA vs. a "West Coast" Ipa.

Focuses more on balance vs. a hop blast. Fairly sweet and a lot of toasted malt. The bitterness is early then lingers late with some sweetness and fruit mid palate.
What's interesting is that this taste likes a freshly drawn ale. As noted above, this is a classically Oregon IPA. The aftertaste is an interesting combination of dark, crispy bread crust and a bit of grapefruit peel.

Fairly bold on the mouth and with a thick body. Light carbonation and almost oily on the tongue.

A touch too sweet for me, but still a decent IPA. Glad I had the Hopportunity. (sorry)

Thanks Patrick!

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2010 20:28:40 | More by Reagan1984

flexabull

California

3.73/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice clear and bright amber color with a decent head, and a bit of lacing.

Aromas are pine like, earthy, pungent and resiny. Smells a bit funky, but not bad.

Taste is crisp, biting, with some sharp brewed tea flavors up front. Hint of hard candy sweetness, and light creamy malt flavors. Finish is bitter, earthy, grassy, and dry.

Mouthfeel is very good. Very full, smooth, and nicely carbonated.

Overall, an interesting and tasty beer. A but different than most IPAs brewed on the West Coast, unique, and rough around the edges, but I like it.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 15:49:41 | More by flexabull

ClockworkOrange

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 22 ounce bomber bottle picked up at Abe's for $5 and change. Uncapped and poured into my Imperial nonic pint glass. Appears a crystal clear deep copper color with a good inch of sticky off white foam. The head leaves a thick lace in its wake. Nose and flavors are of caramel malt, white and red grapefruit peel, pith, and juice, plenty of floral notes, some other citrus such as orange and lemon, a good amount of bitterness here. Medium in both body and carbonation with a lingering bitter finish. Fans of Centennial hops should check this one out.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2010 04:32:51 | More by ClockworkOrange

ktrillionaire

Florida

2.8/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Big thanks to G311 for this one.

A - Nice big IPA appearance: deep amber with a rich head, though lesser retention and lace.

S - Really a very muted nose. It is nearly astoundingly so.

T - The taste is quite a bit more, well, existent... because there is really nothing but a ghost of and IPA there in the aroma dept. A bit floral and grassy, and some caramel; tastes good, just not exceptional.

M - IPA. A little flaccid.

D - Doesn't measure up to the Red Racer IPA that preceded it (not that it was world-class, either). Probably not even as good as the regular Caldera IPA.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2010 00:31:56 | More by ktrillionaire

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Very cloudy dark orange body is opaque. Two fingers of slighty rocky, mostly level white foam.

Very piney aroma, with a bit of biscuit and a faint whiff of cleanser.

Big swath of sweetness splatters across the tongue. Mix of hop tastes follows - grapefruit citrus, earthy, pine.

Medium plus mouthfeel. Ok drinkability.

An ok but unexceptional IPA or IIPA. No date to be found, so unless I encounter one I know to be very fresh, I won't be revisiting.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2010 23:04:43 | More by RonfromJersey

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle.

Pours dark copper with an inch-plus head of biege. Plenty of webbed lacing and a solid skim coat on the surface for the duration of the glass.

Aromatics are laced with dank tangerine, pine, caramel, and grapefruit. Somewhat pungent. Sweet malt follows through.

Medium bodied with a slightly chewy, tacky mouthfeel. A bit grippy.

Plump malt and pithy tangerine lead off the palate. Pine-rubbed grapefruit and a firm bitterness step forward. Plenty of dank, herbaceous resins. Almost woodsy.

Finishes with a lingering, drying bitterness that balances the sweet malt and plenty of chewy resins.

Tasty one. On the malty side of IPA's, and the nose could be ramped up, but plenty of dankness and pine dew to go around.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2010 01:34:59 | More by brewandbbq

Gobzilla

California

3.85/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: poured a caramel brown with a thin head that left a little bit of sticky lacing on the glass.

S: at first I get caramel aromas with a underlying floral hop notes which had a good malt presence. There was also some citrus and bready notes as well.

T: some nice piney hops pop out on the taste with caramel and citrus grapefruit accents that help out on the bitterness. It seems to have a decent malt backbone that helps out the balance.

M: medium body with a low amount of carbonation that still works out but had a slight sweet and bitter hop finish.

D: pretty good IPA that drank well and had a good amount of sweetness but lacked on the hop punch. It was still a tasty brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2010 02:19:36 | More by Gobzilla

Alieniloquium

Florida

2.28/5  rDev -35.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

650 mL bottle poured into a pint glass.

Appearance - Purs a murky amber with a sizable head. Lacing is minimal once the head dissipates. Doesn't look bad.

Smell - Some citrus hops. Not overwhelming. There's a background smell that reminds me of homebrew. Like a musty smell.

Taste - Taste is initially hoppy, but not all that hoppy. Behind that is a nutty maltiness, maybe with a hint of spiciness. Finally, however, is an awful grassy bitterness that renders the beer just about undrinkable. It coats the mouth and doesn't go away.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with medium carbonation. After the hops and malt it dries out quickly, leaving the bitterness just hanging. It emphasizes the awful flavor.

Overall - The first half of the flavor is decent, but the finish is very bad. My brother-in-law and I both drainpoured our glasses once I finished the review.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2011 22:39:15 | More by Alieniloquium

augustgarage

California

3.93/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bomber into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass. Kind of a creepy label with big hop cones banging down your door out in space...

SAE/ECE Amber liquid, not quite clear with brighter amber highlights. A pale buff/cream crown of soft peaks recedes to a lasting finger, leaving behind crazed webs of fine sticky lacing.

Brewed with 100% Centennial hops at all stages and this shows - the signature C-hop bitterness is hinted at in the aromatics along with a blast of citrus, spicy evergreen, and floral scents.

The palate is likewise suffused with whole-cone dank hemp-y goodness with hints of orange zest, grapefruit, and an almost cedar-like woody/earthy element that is at least as much a contribution of the hardy (hearty?) malt backbone as it is derived from the hops - an unapologetically NW-style IPA, malt forward with a suggestion of wet stones and cocoa in the bitter, fruity finish.

Medium-full bodied, oily, almost sticky mouthfeel with moderate carbonation and a touch of warmth from the alcohol.

Some astringency in the finish makes it a sipper, and overall I think it does better with food (grilled salmon comes immediately to mind) than all on its lonesome.

Not as well balanced as their regular canned IPA, but that isn't the point of this series.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2010 01:36:18 | More by augustgarage

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I like this label. Looks like a 10th grade art class project.

Appearance. Slightly hazy, copper orange. One finger of sticky, pale yellow-orange head.

Smell. Lemons, sweet grapefruit, floral hops, nice hint of caramel malt.

Taste. A little lightly roasted malt in the front then bitter pink grapefruit and pine with a finish like chewing on a yellow grapefruit rind.

Mouthfeel. Medium-bodied, medium smooth carbonation.

Drinkability. Pretty good drinker. A slight bit more malt than I like in an IPA, but the great finish almost makes up for it.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2011 03:36:30 | More by Rutager

Cresant

Kentucky

3.1/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served this beer in a Sierra Nevada hops glass. No date. 22 oz. bottle. The body was deep orange/copper, clear body. The head was parchment colored and creamy, leaving clumps of lace and a solid cap that stayed.

The smell was sweet and bread. Citrus.

The taste was more balanced than I like. Centennial hops leave a fresh grass aftertaste. Not much else to say about this one.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied with plenty of carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 02:57:09 | More by Cresant

jdense

Oregon

3.95/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Horse Brass, 7.9.2010, $4.75 imperial pint.

One finger creamy white head, medium-fast dissipation with some lacing. Reddish amber clear body, no visible carbonation. The nose is spicy, piny hops and caramel malts, battling for attention, nicely balanced. Taste is a bit of malty sweetness upfront, firm malt backbone in the middle, and a lingering fairly bitter resiny hop finish. Mouthfeel is pretty full, not much effervescence, fairly dry, resiny and a bit sticky. There is some pretty serious hoppiness in play here, not overly bitter. Looking forward to comparing this with the bottled version.

Serving type: on-tap

07-11-2010 17:26:29 | More by jdense