Oppigårds Winter Ale - Oppigårds Bryggeri AB

chinchill

South Carolina

3.85/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16.9 oz bottle into a Unibroue snifter.

A: This great looking beer is a deep red-orange-brown color, with a large off-white head that is exceptionally durable and leaves the glass well coated.

Aroma: medium malts and a nice splash of hops, with hints of vanilla and light spices.

T: The taste starts out malty and lightly sweet, with some caramel and brown sugar. The hops presence then kicks in creating a fairly well balanced mix. The after-taste is slightly bitter, bready, spicy and hoppy.

M: Quite smooth; medium body; medium carbonation sufficient to render the beer a bit lively.

O: A fine hoppy brown ale that will function as a Christmas Ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 23:25:50 | More by chinchill

TheSixthRing

California

3.56/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a hazy burnt orange color with an off-white, rust tinged head that sits just under 2 fingers thick. Fair retention. Leaves a thin layer of microbubbles on the surface. Solid lacing around the glass with good stick.

Smell - Mild sourness at first. Fades as the beer warms, giving way to moderate cocoa notes and a healthy amount of ester fruitiness.

Taste - Moderate cocoa and hints of caramel character from start to finish, complimented by both sweet and mildly sour fruity esters; red apple and slight grain mid-taste while touches of Eureka lemon can be found near and into the finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium in body with a fair amount of soft carbonation. Near creamy. Goes down well.

Overall - A solid winter ale. That said, I dont feel I'd be missing much if I never had it again. If it were even just a bit more roasty, maybe I'd be thinking otherwise.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 03:59:01 | More by TheSixthRing

UCLABrewN84

California

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a murky dark orange-brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Foamy patches of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, caramel, toffee, and some earthy and herbal hop aromas. Taste is much the same with citrus zest and malty flavors on the finish. There is a very mild amount of hop and roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with some nice barleywine-like aromas but the flavor is a bit unrefined in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 03:33:12 | More by UCLABrewN84

kojevergas

California

2.51/5  rDev -32%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

1 pint .9 fl oz brown glass bottle with okay label and green branded pressure cap acquired at Total Wine Redondo Beach for $2.00 and served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are high. Self-identifies as a "Swedish Farmhouse." Imported by the Shelton Bastards.

Served straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated. This is my first beer from this brewery.

Upon opening, beer quickly surged out of the bottle and spilled on my desk. This definitely seems overcarbonated.

A: Pours a three finger beige colour head of light cream, decent thickness, and pretty good (6+ minute) retention for the average ABV. Body colour is a dull murky dark copper-amber. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Translucent. No lacing as the head recedes. A mediocre appearance.

Sm: Earthy. Light floral hops. Biscuit malt. Caramel malt. A very light aroma; my broken nose can hardly pick up on anything. No alcohol is detectable. Maybe yeast character is detectable; I just can't smell hardly anything.

T: Bland overly sweet caramel malt. Stale floral hops. Stale biscuit malt. Tastes pretty crappy; there's no balance here at all. Lacks complexity and subtlety. A bit earthy, which isn't working for it. Why brew this? I'm not liking this one hardly at all. Too bitter. Lacks cohesion and focus. Messy. Tastes like run of the mill homebrew. It just misses the mark entirely. No yeast character or alcohol comes through. Some light toffee/English style malt is a highlight, but feels completely out of place in the flavour profile.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Horrid presence on the palate. Body is okay. Thickness is far from ideal. Doesn't suit the flavour profile well at all.

Dr: Drinkable but pretty crappy. Not sure what they were going for with this one, but they missed the mark. I definitely wouldn't get it again, decently priced though it may be. Hides its average ABV decently. Mediocre. I'm going to be hesitant about trying other beers from this brewery going forward.

Low C-

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 05:01:25 | More by kojevergas

RickS95

Indiana

3.66/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A thinnish, fairly clear ruby brown pour. The head is pretty stellar, but can't make up for the watery look from the pour. Lots of carbonation leaves a huge head, several fingers thick...offwhite color, the sides fall in before the center. Lots of sticky lace.

Not much scent, it's Earthy and biscuity. A slight spice profile, but you really have to have your nose in it to pick it up. Caramel malts?

There's nothing to indicate this is a winter beer. There's a faint spice character, but little else. Very malty with caramel and pilsner malts providing both some sweet soda flavor and a balancing bitterness. Tiniest bit of cinnamon taste in the finish.

It's got layers of complexity with some sweet, some spicy and some bitter, all at different points. Medium bodied despite the water look upon pour. Lots of carbonation in the pour, but nothing in the way of feel. The savory bitterness and faint spicy feel lasts in to the swallow.

Fairly good beer. Not much in the way of a winter warmer as it lacks any warming alcohol or thick spiciness, but a good beer overall. Goes down easy with good taste and better complex feel.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 05:08:58 | More by RickS95

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.36/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Well, a winter warmer this is not. It lacks the abv and spices. So, points are lost, but...

this beer looks really nice. Deep chestnut clear body. Head is foamy and while it doesn't last long the lacing is crystal-like.

Aroma is semi sweet caramel and bread. Perhaps a touch of yeasty spice, some golden apples.

Flavor is nice, but a bit thin. It just seems hollow at the end when the caramel and bread have gone. Not much of a hop profile here. The flavors are not bad, just a touch weak. Which makes this quite a quaffable beer. Almost like an English mild, but not.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 09:53:41 | More by Mebuzzard

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.65/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Two fingers of tan head on a copper colored body.
The smell is candy, wet grain and lemon.
The taste is a moderate bitter and malt mix. A little unbalanced. The sweetness comes through stronger beginning to middle with dry bitter ending.
Moderate carbonation and medium body with a slight sticky feeling.
An enjoyable drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 04:06:09 | More by Fatehunter

leokbelo

Florida

3.65/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear copper into a pint glass. 1 inch frothy head dissipates quickly into a 1/2 inch lacing.
Pine scent, with a hint of caramel. Yeast also present.
Spicy and piney on the palate, medium bitterness, nice hop feel.
A nice brew, would recommend.
Gott öl från Dalarna!
Good beer from Dalarna (northern Sweden).

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 22:39:40 | More by leokbelo

ohoh

Sweden

2.98/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Had on tap at SMÖF 2012.

Pours a very nice dark amber. Some haziness.

Smells a little of alcohol, otherwise quite dull.

The liquid is light, and doesn't leave me with the impression I was looking for. There is, however a satisfying, long lasting bitterness.

Looks nice and is nice to drink, but the taste and aroma leaves me disappointed.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2012 16:11:42 | More by ohoh

Viciousknishs

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Very English tasting and smelling brew with caramel malt and herbal English hops. Medium body with good carbonation. Smooth with a touch yeast as well. Solid brew with subtle blended flavor. Not something that is going to. Low your mind but more than drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 02:30:21 | More by Viciousknishs

gopens44

Virginia

3.35/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I thought this would be love at first sight. Deep amber color with a nice thick foamy beige head, reduced to a nice layer of foam constantly repopulated by the generous lacing. Then the aroma. Nice hoppy bite mellowed by toasted molasses and a hint of spice. Much to my surprise, the taste went to a fairly pedestrian or, run of the mill, bitterness that didn't carry anything truly distinctive. Especially when compared to what the aroma carried. Please understand that the taste is not at all bad, but it just doesn't set itself apart from what I believe would be a typical black ale. The only sign of defiance from a black ale was upon the finish where a hint of tartness is apparent. The carbonation tends to take away from the body, so it comes across as being lighter than it was probably intended. If given the choice between this and lesser labels, there wouldn't be a hesitation. But - i would pass this by for either a more balanced winter warmer or a more vibrant black ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 04:13:34 | More by gopens44

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Oppigårds Winter Ale
Oppigårds Bryggeri AB

Thanks to OWSELY069 for this one.

Appearance: Murky yet fairly light amber color. A sturdy pour into a tulip snifter yields a solid bubbly foam. Spotted lace.

Smell: Spicy nose full of holiday spice and spicy alcohol. Toffee, butterscotch, and euro malts with their distinctive lageresque smell. There are traces of herbal noble hops.

Taste: Unassuming in the looks and smell, the taste reveals a great deal of complexity. Toffee like malt sweetness and dark fruits from the yeast upfront giving way to some earthy and spicy notes. Orange peel and lemon zest, some bitterness, mild tartness, and dirty cinnamon (dig). A pinch of alcohol, discernable oak and semi dry clove.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied but fairly light on the palatte. Elegant finish with some tartness and bitterness, with pepper, ginger and cinnamon sticking with you long after the partaken sip.

Overall: A world class beer. This tasty concoction manages somehow to be a Winter Warmer, Euro Strong Lager and Saison all with moderate to very good success.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 07:51:57 | More by Stinkypuss

oberon

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a becker a russett brown with a thin wispy slight off white head.A good mix of chocolate malt and leafy hops,well rounded and appetizing.A tad thin the feel,I would have liked a fuller feel to compliment the flavors.Chocolate malts and leafy hops match together well on the palate,with a fuller mouthfeel this would be really top notch.I liked this beer it seemed to be a hopped up American brown ale,again with fuller mouthfeel it would be great,as is its solid.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 22:59:21 | More by oberon

Nerudamann

Arizona

3.95/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Look – dark brown with about a finger or a finger-and-a-half’s worth of khaki-colored foam that dissipates somewhat slowly.

Smell – malty, dark-roasted, a little syrupy and biscuity.

Taste – very much like the smell, it’s malty and has a deep roasted quality. But also right from the off there’s a sharpness and bitterness from the hops, which you can’t taste…only feel. Interesting taste. The bitterness lingers in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel – pretty well balanced in general, not leaning more toward one side or the other in terms of wateriness vs. creaminess.

Overall – very good tasting and thought-provoking brew!

4 Overall – very good tasting and thought-provoking brew!

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 18:28:57 | More by Nerudamann

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy deep amber to brown-ish color with a light tan head. In the aroma, sweet tarts, small yeast and earthiness. In the taste, earthy, spicy cinnamon, and notes of fruit and tartness. A small spice bite and medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry spice in the aftertaste. Quite different and a bit of everything, being a winter and a saison too.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 16:58:40 | More by OWSLEY069

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.13/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear dark golden amber with a pale golden tan head. Aroma is not strong, is malty with a hint of apple. Malty flavor is rather plain, with a woody hint and not much else. Texture is fizzy and just a teenzy thin. I’ve had better - but I’ve had worse.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 18:50:39 | More by Cyberkedi

Gobigvt7

Oregon

4.05/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

16.9oz bottle into a british imperial pint glass

deep amber caramel with a fluffy white collar head. big bubbles trapped in the foam. cakey legs.

wow, a lot more hops on the nose than I anticipated. Can't ID the specific hop, but it's pretty green. some caramelly malt and just the slightest tinge of funk round it out.

and after the nose, I expected some more bitterness and resin, but nope! A curveball again with a much maltier body with some hops for edge. about 6 or 7 seconds into the swallow, melts in to a very pronounced and delicious burnt caramel/honey taste. Toffee.

light body for sure, this beer would be dangerous at a lower price point, it goes down easily.

Pleasantly surprised by the dynamics of this beer. described as swedish farmhouse winter ale, I expected more funk. Expected more body and color. Expected fewer hops. But in the end, I'm really digging how it came together.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 01:47:16 | More by Gobigvt7

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Got this one as a throw-in to a sampler and then tried it again when Half-Time in Poughkeepsie had it on super sale. Have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than I anticipated.

The beer is dark orange/amber, fairly clear, nice big head, good, clinging lace.

Slightly boozy, malt, spiced (clove?) aroma. Very faint hop presence here. Flavor is nicely balanced, with spices and malt dominating the hops. Vaguely oaky. Moderately sweet. More complex than you might think...I like it. There's a suggestion of gingerbread or something akin to that...cloved malty breadiness in here.

Good carbonation. Moderate finish. Drinkable, with a modest ABV...not sure how much of a winter warmer this is, definitely on the lighter side of the style. Give this one a try though. Nothing earth-shattering but pleasant enough.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 15:14:33 | More by tobelerone

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16.9oz light brown bottle. No freshness date.
Served in a nonic tumbler.
It pours a teaky brown color with a fast-fading off-white head.
A sweet caramel and honey smell rises at once. A light citrusy and pear smell peeks through. A background smell of wood and distant flowers fades in.
A substantial honey-sweet malt is direct and forward. Mixed fruit cup with sweet grapefruit lie beneath.
The body is slick and almost oily. Goes down real easy and smooth. Could use a bit more alcoholic punch as a winter offering.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2011 21:48:05 | More by BeerResearcher

OldIronLungs

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Random sale pickup at my local - it's a particularly cool evening, so this'll do.

Into a pint glass a maple syrup brown with minimal head that quickly dissipates.

Nose is dark sweet malts, a bit bready.

Thin and very malty with a slightly toasty caramel presence. Prickly carbonation, some hop earthy bitterness that's almost gingery at the end. Malt really dominates, would have liked more spice from the hops to recognized it as a winter warmer. Also, almost too crisp for a warmer. Still quite drinkable.

Malty and clean but ultimately a little too light for the style I think.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2011 01:34:56 | More by OldIronLungs

9InchNails

New Jersey

3.13/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Off white light khaki frothy head leaving soap-like foamy lacing on the sides. Hazy crimson color body. A very weird but beautiful looking beer.

I get bread, grain, grass and a little bit of spice. Really not that good of a smell. Hope the taste is better.

Starts off very bland and after swallowing the tastes come out. Toffee, caramel, burnt toast, spice, smoke, some bitterness but nothing in your face, a hint of alcohol.

Medium mouth, leaves the mouth feeling dry, carbonation is kind of on the light side.

A very attractive looking beer with a boring smell and average taste. If this beer flowed better with the flavors, this would be a A+ beer. The flavors are kind of weak and bland.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 05:55:19 | More by 9InchNails

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear with beautiful red highlights and a short cap of light beige foam that left solid sheets of lace on the glass. Malty aroma, reminiscent of a bock, but with light eatery character and a bit of citrus. Medium-low bitterness with mild hop presence. Malt sweetness was the major player, a bit toasty, caramel, faintest hint of burnt malts. Full bodied and not heavy, lowish carbonation and slight slickness. A bit dry too. I enjoyed the balance and thought it was pretty good overall.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 21:57:21 | More by DrJay

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.55/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From the 25 fl. oz. bottle. Sampled on April 14, 2011. The pour is amber-brown with a pretty decent fluffy head. Overall it tends to be cloudy. Sweet malts, yeast, and even a tiny whiff of fruit come out in the aroma. Medium body. I kind of liked that hop bite that accompanied the beer throughout as I drank it.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 01:37:49 | More by puboflyons

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark amber with a cream colored head that does not last. No lace.

Toasted malt and some burnt caramel in the nose.

Dark toast, toasted malt, some burnt sugars, but no sweetness. No real fruit. No alcohol. Lingering bitterness is pleasant. Malt forward, with little else. Simple, but good.

Fuller bodied with limited carbonation.

I liked this because of its simplicity, but this is not something that you'd look for waves of flavor in. Very drinkable. Smooth brew, and worth a shot. Got this well out of season at $1.49/single, as opposed to the $6 they were asking around Christmas. If cheap, grab one.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 21:16:28 | More by OtherShoe2

Offa

California

3.7/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

red-copper, med-small off-white head soon thinning to a foamy ring and foamy wisps.

Aroma is nice toasted caramelized barley, bread crust, leafy-citrus, hint of baked apples, grain and overall very nice, firm, standard "beer" character.

Taste is rather like a firm, American amber ale that is very good, but not great. It has nice fruity-apple, light carmelised barley, some leafy-spicy hop with hint of citrus - faint caramelized grapefruit, some faint dark toastiness. Gentle in character, sweetness and bitterness, pretty balanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 21:14:12 | More by Offa