Sunrise OPA (Oatmeal Pale Ale) - Fort George Brewery + Public House

alexrichman

Oregon

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

Comes in a pint size can which is pretty awesome. The beer poured with a small 1-2 finger head but had nice retention and lacing. Mostly hazy, burnt blonde in color. Over all a nice looking beer.

The smell opens up when this beer warms up a bit, lots of hop comes through in bursts of grapefruit and spice.

The taste is pretty similar to the smell. A small amount of sweetness from malt upfront, a nice spicy/ juicy, citrusy hop follows the malt, finally I taste a lot of the oats on the finish which really rounds the beer out nicely.

The feel is a bit thick, but not in a way that detracts from the style. Just enough to give the brew a bit of a presence but not enough to make this unsessionable.

Overall this is a nice beer. For being a pale ale, it has quite a bit of citrus like bitterness to it. This may be a turnoff for some, however I think it's a great Pacific NW APA. Tasty, complex, and highly drinkable. I'll have to try more from Fort George in the future.

Serving type: can

05-04-2012 02:59:30 | More by alexrichman

LXIXME

New Mexico

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

05-15-2013 19:47:50 | More by LXIXME

sharpski

Oregon

3.25/5  rDev -11.7%

05-11-2013 20:24:41 | More by sharpski

strongaf

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

05-10-2013 02:32:30 | More by strongaf

jmccraney

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

05-04-2013 05:47:04 | More by jmccraney

crewfan1952

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

04-08-2013 01:22:21 | More by crewfan1952

joefc

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

04-06-2013 03:27:21 | More by joefc

CaseyAmber

Washington

2/5  rDev -45.7%

03-16-2013 04:10:36 | More by CaseyAmber

CommonRider

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

02-28-2013 01:21:24 | More by CommonRider

mdaschaf

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

01-13-2013 21:43:44 | More by mdaschaf

NickThePyro

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

12-24-2012 03:49:48 | More by NickThePyro

Lethargy99

New York

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

12-11-2012 01:25:51 | More by Lethargy99

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.13/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16 ounce can into a Unibroue tulip. Huge fluffy with large bubbles. High retention. Soapy, suddsy lacing. Hazy, apricot colored body. Aroma is very floral and grassy (with a dash of lemon). Taste is nicely bittered with a very unique sweetness. After reading the can, I suppose that the oats are responsible for this unique flavor of smoothness and sweetness. But make no mistake, bitterness dominates in a delicious way. Very tasty, unique brew.

Serving type: can

11-11-2012 03:53:06 | More by KickbacksSteve

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This came to me from long-time long-distance trader, msubulldog25, who knows that The CANQuest (TM) welcomes new beers in a CAN and helps to further the madness when he CAN.

From the CAN: "Oatmeal works in our beer the same way it works fro breakfast: sweet but not cloying, satisfying but not heavy. Pleasurably hoppy and bitter, Sunrise OPA offers a flavorful and uncommon twist to the pale ale profile. Oatmeal adds fullness to the body and smoothness to the mouthfeel, forming a nice, dense head that lasts a good, long time."; "Brewing with oats is a delicate process ... the mash turns sticky and unworkable if you don't strike the right balance like the one we've carefully devised for Sunrise. We also use crystal, caramelized malts with a light hand for a sweeter, richer beer. Fort George Sunrise OPA is the perfect pint to compliment a glorious dawn, whether you're heading to breakfast or never made it to bed last night."; "Unfiltered - Expect sediment at bottom of CAN - Drink Fresh - Do not age - Keep refrigerated."

Aye aye to all of the above. I will attempt to maintain clarity in this beer, unlike the wit (which I think should be stirred up anyway). Also, big ups to them for letting me know that their graphic designer was in a bike accident and once he finishes mending, he will post the Quick Wit Brain Teaser answers. I may have been the only one to inquire, but I love both rebuses and puzzles and this gives me a little more time to work on the answers.

I had grits for breakfast, so it fits that I will follow that up with some oatmeal. The Crack revealed yet another brimful craft CAN, so an inverted Glug seemed to be in order. Whoo-ee and Yee-ha! This got me the fluffiest, densest two-plus fingers of bone white head with great retention that I have seen in a while. Color was a cloudy orangish-yellow. The nose had a minty, grassy aspect and I was ready for that first sip. Man, only the west coast would call this an APA! The bitter hops were immediate on the tongue and I have to admit, I was not quite ready on that first draught. The second sip was great, heavy with grapefruit hops initially, but allowing a caramel sweetness to cut through. The mouthfeel was prickly, very carbonated along with the intensity of the hops. Finish was dry, but not overly dry, but more than I might expect from the style. I am neither a style maven nor a clarity junkie, so it was all good with me, but others may not be of a similar mindset.

I have to admit - I am very impressed by Fort George's beer and their customer service, responding very quickly to my E-mail inquiry. I will be ordering a beanie from them shortly and perhaps paying them a visit this summer.

Serving type: can

10-30-2012 14:59:50 | More by woodychandler

craigreno

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

10-01-2012 03:36:35 | More by craigreno

caskstrength

Minnesota

4.58/5  rDev +24.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Several of these sent my way from Oregon. Thanks Frank.

Pours a radiant yellow/orange. Vibrant hazy glow with a fluffy white head. I don't think appearance matters much, but this is one of the best looking beers I've ever poured.

Smells are IPA style, which is My-P-A-style. Citrus, pine, bitterness tempting me....a bit of honey sweetness.

OPA is clearly a riff on IPA. This is a bitter, dry, and pithy explosion of hophead goodness. Grind up some grapfruit rinds, throw in some pine needles, add some bitters, and there you go.

Pithy dryness on the feel, mouth smackingly rewarding. The oatmeal thickens it up just enough to keep it from being thin/watery. Good call there.

What are all you yahoos doing rating this so low? This beer is awesome.

Serving type: can

09-25-2012 16:00:13 | More by caskstrength

harrymel

Washington

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Canned: unk

pours very carbonated golden with a couple fingers of fine creamy foam. Nose is nice, grapefruit, peach, pine, sweet malts, hints of honey and oranges. I like this nose a ton. Flavor is plenty bitter with some biscuit malts, some gun powder flavors, a bit of tea and oxidation - too bad the flavor doesn't meet the presence of the aroma. Medium bodied with moderate carb and an off dry finish, a little too dry for the style IMO. Nice beer, could use some tweaks here and there.

Serving type: can

09-14-2012 08:01:35 | More by harrymel

tone77

Pennsylvania

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

Another beer from woodychandler's seemingly bottomless box. Thanks, man. Poured from a 16 oz. can. Has a cloudy golden color with a 1 inch head. Smell is bursting with citrus, hops. Taste is big on grapefruit, same bitterness, hoppy, oatmeal seems to be missing from both the aroma and flavor. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a high quality beer.

Serving type: can

09-08-2012 13:13:06 | More by tone77

Birdlegs

Washington

3.25/5  rDev -11.7%

09-02-2012 04:25:49 | More by Birdlegs

sanford_and_son

Washington

5/5  rDev +35.9%

07-23-2012 20:09:25 | More by sanford_and_son

Nightrain87

California

4.25/5  rDev +15.5%

07-18-2012 04:07:23 | More by Nightrain87

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

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

From notes while camping last week.

Appearance. Pours a hazy straw-amber with half a finger of whitre head.

Smell. Grapefruit rinds and piney hops with some toasted grains.

Taste. Sweet roasted malts, big bitter hops and lots of citrus.

Mouthfeel. Medium+ body, medium carbonation.

Overall. Nice and hoppy ipa ...err OPA, with a little bit of sweetness.

Serving type: can

07-09-2012 01:47:15 | More by Rutager

Phelps

Arizona

3.58/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed in a can, poured into a wine glass. A pale ale made with oatmeal. Cloudy apricot in color, hazy with tiny particles. The can states that no filtering or fining has been used on the beer, so there you go. Atop sits a half-inch head of pure, sticky white foam that soon becomes a silky top layer.

Brewed mainly with Amarillo, the beer’s aroma gives off notes of orange and grapefruit pith, a touch of grass, a little honey and a hint of oat. Pleasant, but a little soft.

Flashes of sweetness are interspersed with bitterness in the flavor. It begins with oats and honey, but these are quickly overtaken by spicy hops. A little floral character mixes with the citrus pith. Surprising bitterness lingers on the sides of the tongue. Very clean, snappy flavor. Oatmeal emerges more as it warms,

As promised, the oats have given this brew a nice, creamy body. It’s a smooth medium with gentle pokes of carbonation and a little silky fizz. Alcohol is nonexistent, but bitterness gets bigger with each sip.

Not a bad brew. I like what the oatmeal adds to it.

Serving type: can

07-02-2012 19:34:31 | More by Phelps

KajII

North Carolina

3.15/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

[Best served in a Lager glass]

The pour was a cloudy medium orange with an average sized (1-2 finger) white fluffy head that had great retention, eventually reducing to a thick film with a medium collar which created some excellent sheets of lacing.

The aroma was of a cereal malt, citrus and floral hops and a sweet earthy yeast with notes of citrus (grapefruit peel), caramel, oats and a mild fruity ester (peaches).

The taste was mildly sweet and a tad bitter with a mild fruity sweetness and a hint of caramel early on, becoming a bit hoppy and rather creamy (due to the oats, I’m sure) with a bitter citrus peel presence towards the end. The flavor stuck around for an extremely long time with a strong bitter citrus taste that laid on the taste buds for what seemed like forever.

Mouthfeel was just beyond light in body and had a nice creamy dry texture with a medium carbonation.

Overall a very tasty, quite drinkable creamy brew with a mild ABV. This is a great session brew with a nice bold bitterness...

Serving type: can

07-02-2012 13:35:05 | More by KajII

doughanson78

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +22.3%

06-30-2012 18:29:16 | More by doughanson78