Op & Top - Brouwerij De Molen

DoubleJ

California

3.94/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bottle consumed at Boudewijn in Rotterdam, and a one-year old bottle at that. On to the beer:

This beer is sunny orange and topped with decent head retention. The nose is fruity; specifics include dried fruits and apricot snacks. It takes a slightly different aproach in taste, which is dry and brings apricot skins first. Quickly following that is floral notes with a little bitterness. It's light-medium bodied and pleasantly refreshing carbonation which cleans the palate.

A likable beer which is made for the afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 23:00:40 | More by DoubleJ

FLima

Brazil

4.21/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Amber orange color, nice head with good retention.
Delicious citrus aroma with notes of orange and not very sweet mango.
It has a pleasant bitterness that lingers forever. And a fruity flavor, also with citric notes, and sweetened grapefruits (if it exists…).
Light body with good carbonation.
Great beer with excellent drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 00:39:56 | More by FLima

kojevergas

California

2.65/5  rDev -28%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Served on-draught into De Molen stemware at De Molen in Bodegraven. Reviewed from notes taken in July 2010.

A: Pours a 2.5 finger head of nice cream, fair thickness, and good retention. Body colour is a semitransparent copper.

Sm: Vague hints of cannabis, bright fresh floral hops, and floral notes. A moderate strength aroma.

T: Very floral and hoppy. Maybe some light fruit esters as well. Complex enough, but uninspired for the style and far from bold or interesting. Balanced but built below average for the style.

Mf: Smooth and wet, yet adequately coarse where it needs to be to bring the flavours out. Too wet, all around.

Dr: Pleasant and light, but limited and bland. Feels catered rather than inspired. Drinkable easily only because it's a bit watery. I've noticed a watery quality to many De Molen beers, and combined with their frequent carbonation issues I'm beginning to view De Molen as a hit and miss brewery.

C-

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2012 20:47:09 | More by kojevergas

CookstLiquor

British Columbia (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 330ml bottle. Pours a deep orangey yellow. There are a ton of floral hop notes (and a hint of orange marmalade) in the nose. So it's not surprising to encounter a very big hop presence on the palate. It's not at all unbalanced and in fact the fine carbonation helps make this very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 23:02:32 | More by CookstLiquor

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle poured into tulip 16/9/12

A hazed golden amber with lots of sediment and tiny particles, fast falling soapy thumbs width of foam leaves just a few random patches of lace

S some citrus and toffee with some dry cereals, slightly fruity but pretty basic stuff

T mimics the smell really, some hoppy notes with lots of cereals, faint earthy notes and although its a decent brew its uninspiring

M another De Molen brew that turns to foam in the mouth, airy would be an understatement and I feel a burp coming on

O I could drink another but only at macro prices, basic stuff but there's nothing wrong with its just not very exciting

Meh, I had no issues drinking it whatsoever, in fact it went down quickly so that says something. With all the selection here in Alberta you could spend your money on something better

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 06:40:57 | More by wordemupg

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

330ml bottle. Another offering with a Danish-only label with granted, an English listing of ingredients, but speaking for we non-brewers, WTF?

This beer pours a hazy medium golden amber hue, with two fingers of loosely foamy dirty white head, which leaves a low ebb of pock-marked lace around the glass as it duly sinks away.

It smells of floral, citrusy hops, bready caramel malt, and some further grassy, weedy bitterness. The taste is more sweet caramel/toffee malt, muddled orange and grapefruit fruitiness, and capable leafy, earthy hops.

The bubbles are fairly sedate, but not out of things entirely, the body medium light in weight, and just smooth enough. It finishes off-dry, the caramel malt quite softened, amongst a still active citrus and leafy hop presence.

A decent enough IPA, old-world style, with a whiff of those new-fangled hops, so all is well here. Nothing overbearing, nothing underwhelming, just a nice, drinkable, somewhat hoppy ale.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 04:39:06 | More by biboergosum

Arno

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

appearance: Yellow, nearly orange and slightly hazy. Has a nice white foam top.

smell: Fllowery, citrus, wheaty, grassy, fruity.

taste: A lovely light flavored beer for a hot afternoon. Floral, hops, wheaty, a nice nectar like sweetness and a light citrus / grapefruit like bitter finish.

mouthfeel: Very soft, nectar like, almost satin. Medium carbonation for a bit of a fresh pop and quite thin and light.

overall: If you're out on a hot day, this is the one you want to drink. It's light, easygoing, but lovely balanced in flavor. It's just has that little zip of flavor that most other beers in regular bars don't deliver. I actually love this one :)

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2012 23:04:32 | More by Arno

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

With experimental ingredients at their disposal, De Molen captures the true essence of artisans with the brew kettle. With no clue as to how or why they name their beers the way they do, the painfully banal labels in no way represent the quality behind the shell. This schizophrenic pale ale is a perfect example....

Op & Top pours with a hazy orange-honey color that allows a serene glow to permit from behind. The beer builds a creamy and densely knit head that retains very well after reducing to a sheet across the glass, but the off white foam laces with pockets of foam that clings to the glass.

Very perfumy as the aromatic hops share a bouquet of flower pedals, citrus and tropical fruit, lavender, cilantro, coriander, and mint. The charismatic scent is backed by the mild honey-like malts that carry and inherent biscuit-starchy scent that gives a glimpse into the British malt complex.

Very fruity to taste as the flavors of tangerine, pineapple, lemongrass, cilantro, coriander, and mild detergent start the bright flavors. Backed by a dry malt taste, the barley provides mild malt support but allows the sharp hops and peach and apricot esters to buffer the developing hop bitterness of grass and herbs. Even a slight and oddly placed peppery note of white pepper and medicine balance the malt and fruit and weave seamlessly into the hop make up.

Mild bodied throughout, the early creaminess quickly morphs into a dry-malt texture to allow the hops and yeast bite to govern past mid palate. Finishing minty, herbal, and with light hop derived astringency, the beer's dryness quite like American ales.

The ultimate perfumy flavor, aroma, and peppery dryness remind me a lot of highly hopped Belgian ales. Oddly compelling, the grass, herb, and flowery character come together in a rather pleasant rendition of pale ale that defies style.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 04:18:43 | More by BEERchitect

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

3.78/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle. ½ Pint glass. Enjoyed on jun´12. Deep golden color, hazy appearance. White, rocky, small bubbled, froth. Not so wide crown. Good retention. Earthy & spicy aromas, citric notes. Gentle clean bitterness, citric fruit touch. Smooth palate, oily texture. Medium body, moderate carbonation. Hints of honey in the middle with citric zest hues. Pleasant session beer. Close to English bitter Style.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 23:59:00 | More by GONZALOYANNA

avalon07

South Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a yellowish color and a cloudy consistency. There was an inch of foamy, long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: A surprisingly big, sweet aroma of hops, citrus, and malt. Different than I expected.

T: Tasted of hops, a little citrus, malt, grain, and a slight grassy quality in the finish (this last element, which I generally dislike, wasn't that noticeable due to the other ingredients). A very solid, vibrant flavor.

M: A fair amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Light to medium-bodied.

O: Not your typical English IPA, but well made, interesting and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 12:12:41 | More by avalon07

pixieskid

France

4.23/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap in Paris at Express De Lyon.

Pours a proper orange color with a fluffy white head.
Nose is grassy hops and some grains. Tastes pretty much the same but with some soft citrus notes mixed in as well.

It's a very simple and straight forward beer but what I really liked about it was it's crisp refreshing quality that I think I have been in the need for. Really hit the spot last night, good stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2012 07:08:24 | More by pixieskid

Caudalie

Quebec (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured in a riedel magnum red wine glass

A: Intense, dark golden color

S: Pretty nice, hoppy, citrus, grassy. Lovely

T: Light, refreshing, all I'm looking for in a beer. I just want to drink this everyday, it's a thirst quencher, with a nice controlled bitterness at the end, and mostly dominated by hop flavors.

O: I love this beer. The Vuur and Vlaam is even more impressive, but this is less of a tasting beer, more like a afternoon pool party beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 00:34:49 | More by Caudalie

mjryan

Minnesota

3.7/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Draught IPA from Holland, in St Paul. Well hazed orange colour with sticky lace. Soft bready malt, lemon zest and wet hay in the nose. Appetizing. Dry, pleasingly bitter with a mild, garden herb and citrus zest hop flavour. No complaints. Yeast character leans a bit toward the atypical strains of Belgium, but not as assertive. I like that. Good beer, no regrets.

Serving type: on-tap

02-06-2012 23:37:30 | More by mjryan

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a dirty beige color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma consists of floral and bitter hops with light citrus notes. Taste is also dominated by quite strong floral and citrus notes with a semi-astringent finish. Dry caramel malt backbone can be felt though is not particularly dominant. Body is about average with good carbonation and no alcohol. Nothing earth shattering but easily drinkable and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 18:50:26 | More by Phyl21ca

rudzud

Massachusetts

2.75/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

From notes taken at the Armsby Abbey on 10/26/11.

A - Poured into a tulip a clear copper hue with a light, fizzy half a finger head that leaves a decent halo.

S - Eh, average here. Alot of wet english hops, kinda cardboard like on the nose. Eh

T - More of the same meh aspect. Nothing to write home about. Taste is rather unimpressive. Yeah, I get it...english hops. Doesnt mean thats all I want to taste.

M - Rather thin and slightly watery. Not substantial at all.

O - Average offering from De Molen, was expecting something much better.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2011 17:09:29 | More by rudzud

TobiasGoth

Sweden

3.13/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance
Dark yellow to light amber. Foggy and murky like a fishersman’s early hours. Airy head.

Aroma
Yeasty, spiky and sweet/tangy, doesn’t leave a single lingering thought.

Flavor
Citric and reminding me of a soda pop I once had. Wheaty and breadlike half way through. A stark finish as the bitter Premiant hops dominate last third.

Mouthfeel
Light medium and carbonated like a spa/jacuzzi.

Overall impression
De Molen is slowly making their name known to beer enthusiasts. A great brewery but truthfully this one didn’t make me bubble with joy. The Premiant hops dominates the last third of the flavor experience and leaves me with too many raised hairs on the back end of my tongue.

I love the label design on this one though, a De Molen-classic . Old school and clean, that’s how I like it!

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 07:34:58 | More by TobiasGoth

rvdoorn

Netherlands

4.25/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the molen. Poured into a the molen taste glass.
Look: the beer pours a light orange-amber color with a nice white head.
Smell: Citrus, grapefruit, pine grass and grains
Taste: Nicely mild bitter hops, malts, grass, with honey. Not too bitter (although I expected else based on the smell)
Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium-high carbonation
Overall: A very nice session beer, very refreshing

Serving type: on-tap

08-11-2011 16:00:01 | More by rvdoorn

Hammarby

Sweden

3.7/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I don't really rate anymore and this bottle had been stored in a much too warm place, so my try out was not ideal in any way. But the tastes was so exceptional I had to share my thoughts about this beer. I would really like to try it again under better circumstances.

Color: cloudy/opac light amber with a white foamy top with big bubbles that stays forever.

Mouthfeel: light to below medium body.Carboration bubbly.

The above can be a result of the beer being stored too warm for a long time.

Smell: Phenols and a hint of honey.

Taste: Lily of the valley! First a touch of pez and sunblock, then more flowery tones. Bitterness. Lots of grapefruity tones. A bit of honey and wax. Aftertaste first of koriander then umami and dill. A kind of soapy quality. Still interesting.

By no means even remotely close to a IPA.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 20:47:10 | More by Hammarby

RuudJH

Netherlands

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My local liquor store has a nice selection of brews from De Molen.
This is my first encounter with Op & Top, from a 33 cl bottle.
I'm expecting a mild but hoppy beer.

Looks amber/orange colour, beige head, very solid fluffy with good lacing. Good carbonation, murky brown when poured completely.

Smell very fresh: a little pine, some apricot, melon, citrus.
Taste is very much the bitterness of hops. Very spicy and strong.
Reasonably smooth, with a dry bitter finish, lingering.
Good body on this. Refreshing, but demanding.

Overall, I would say the aroma has more complex character than the flavour delivers.
Still an good brew in this style.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 16:21:00 | More by RuudJH

Cozzatoad

Italy

3.48/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

330ml bottle, bottled on february 2011

A- Golden to orange, quite hazy. Nice, huge bubbled but somehow enough persistent head

S- A hint of grain and then a very delicate though quite faint hop aroma, with citrus and some floral notes

T- Mild grainy malts and then of course hops: citric, with some pine notes A hint of peach in both taste and aftertaste. Not very bitter, even for an english IPA

M- Quite a big body for a 4.5% ABV beer, with a bit of burnt malts character to it, due in part to high carbonation; not much in line with the beer's delicate character in my opinion

O- An english IPA with some american hop flavours in the mix. Highly drinkable and refreshing; good as a summer beer

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 12:50:35 | More by Cozzatoad

ADZA

Australia

3.73/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

With a gentle pour it leaves a massive three finger bubbly,frothy head and yes the carbonation is very high and the colour is a hazy honey hue,the smell is floral fruity hops,boiled candy and bready malts,the mouthfeel is light bodied and has tastes of honey,boiled candy,candied pears and finished with a floral fruity hop bitterness and overall comes across to me as good english bitter rather than a great EIPA but in saying that very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 07:31:05 | More by ADZA

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.33/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Excessively carbonated, almost obscenely so, this beer forms a head in the bottle as soon as it's opened. Fortunately, it doesn't gush, but it seems that it's a close thing.

Pours a bright golden-copper colour, slightly hazed from a bit of disturbed yeast sediment, with a huge head, fully four fingers deep, of crackling white bubbles that leave sudsy residue as they collapse their way down under their own aerated anarchy. Way, way too carbonated, but the colour looks good at least.

Nose is extremely hoppy and fresh, giving resinous pine characters mixed with green coconut, pineapple, mild citrus and a medicinal hint of ozone. The released CO₂ confuses this all and makes it more effervescent and anarchic, but the base aroma is so good it doesn't matter. Lovely blend of hops.

Taste is very mild by comparison, giving only a slight organic bite on the end to signify any hops. Otherwise, rather thin and light, with just a slight wheaty grain character, thin but round. No bitterness. I guess all hops were extremely late additions, it's all aroma, with very little flavour and no alpha release.

Feel is thwarted by the bloating carbonation after a while, and even then, it's a thin basis on which to build a beer.

I've had much better from De Molen. While this has good things going for it, it ends up a relatively insipid beer overall. Drinkable in its way, and it has its place in the extensive De Molen range, but it has a hard job to stand up on its own.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2011 07:45:18 | More by lacqueredmouse

Sunnanek

Sweden

3.95/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours hazy pale golden with a massive white thick creamy head that sure takes it’s time to sink into really nice lacings.

S: Nice bitter hops as well as floral. Rich citric notes and also with pine – a bit American in smell. Sweetness from the malt.

T: Rich hops, both floral and bitter. Citrus and pine. Rich bready sweet malt, some caramel.

M: Aftertaste is kind of short but holds nice bitterness. Body is medium and carbonation is held back.

D: A nice IPA, but I’m quite surprised that it’s an English IPA. The American hops (Amarillo and Cascade) are quite obvious. Nice though.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 18:08:29 | More by Sunnanek

rinhaak

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a pint glass.

Pours a murky, rich gold with a foamy and thick head that retains its presence all the way to the last sip. There is tons of carbonation in this beer: you can see several bubbles running through the glass like a champagne, and the mouthfeel is as bubbly as a Sprite soda.

The nose is very pleasant with aromas of juniper and pine, hops, and citrus.

A wonderfully complex beer on the tongue, this is super malty - a surprising feature in an IPA. Lots of citrus hops, but the strong juniper in the nose is only in the background in the mouth. Not a very bitter IPA, it has a rich coffee-grounds/malt finish.

Overall a very nice and unique IPA. I appreciate the low alcohol content which adds to the general drinkability. However, though I would readily drink another in the future, its features are such that one is plenty at any given sitting.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2011 13:58:41 | More by rinhaak

rarbring

Sweden

4.05/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer is hazy and dark brass colored, a white head that settles rather quickly but leaves good lacing.

The smell is citric, grape-fruit, floral, pine needles and hay. Some sweet toffee tones as well.

Starting sweet, brown sugar and dextrose, red grape-fruit-juice, some lemon zest and grass.

Little carbonation, soft small bubbles, rather watery feeling, a small body and dry finish.

Not bad, maybe more American than English in the IPA style.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2011 18:45:06 | More by rarbring