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

barleywinefiend

Washington

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

A: Poured a light yellow color with good carbonation leaving a nice white cap and some bubbles

S: A little bit of lemon, some other citrus notes and a light floral note

T: Initial citrus with a note of light oats, some grain and some floral notes has a light but noticable oat finish with a light bittering hop

M: Light to medium body

O: Very tasty, easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2012 19:25:22 | More by barleywinefiend

cbarrett4

Oregon

3.73/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A very good yet pretty simple and straight to the point beer. It's nicely along the lines of the other oatmeal pale ales I've recently tasted (props for Burnside and Mash Tun for also doing this style).

Rather to the point nose of citrus and oats. Some hops in the mix as well. Flavors also pretty simple yet pleasant enough. Again, more hops, some oatmeal, citrus, some malts too.

Texture is great, nice viscosity, wonderful balance and a lovely finish. It's all about the finish. A very solid pale ale that has that little extra grain kick that seems to (as it usually does) mute some of the hop and citrus aromas but adds a lovely texture.

Serving type: on-tap

09-07-2011 23:21:37 | More by cbarrett4

Docer

Washington

4.35/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap last night at their brewpub in the great Astoria.. it's still very much brewed.. and just random. They stated it's the same as their beer #1 but w/ 12 lbs. of oatmeal in the batch.

- Very cloudy straw yellow brew with a thin creamy head that leaves some nice bubbles and lace all about.

- Lovely honey sweet grain and oat aroma with fresh floral and bitter pine hop. This brew smells perfectly balanced and fantastic! Just the way I like it.

- Lovely meaty grain and oats.. but zesty and light.. balanced with great hop bitterness and pine, citrus. Bready, biscuit...

- Dry and bitter, yet zesty and mouth watering.. light to creamy med. bodied.

- This beer is good.. damn good. I wish I could brew something like this as my everyday go to beer. Just the kind of light pale I like.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2010 01:30:49 | More by Docer

beagle75

Iowa

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Draft pour into a half-pint mason jar at the pub.

A: Pale yellow color with significant haze. Thin, bright white foam head diminishes to a meager patchy residue. Heavy lacing remains toward the top of the glass, with little present lower down.

S: Fresh, effervescent, slightly lemony.

T: Pleasantly spicy initial burst of aromatic hops transitions into faint mint. Malt flavors are difficult to detect. Finishes with acidic, robust bitterness. The bitter aftertaste lingers long after the last sip.

M: Initially light and seltzery viscosity and carbonation. As this beer coats the mouth it blankets the palate is an unexpected and sensuous way, likely emphasizing the flavors present in the finish. Instead of offering hop-oil stickiness, it is more similar to a velvety-smooth slick.

D: This beer is undoubtedly an experimental interpretation of the style. There is definitely a similarity to kolsch, but the hops are American and fairly unrestrained. It also bears a resemblance to a light spring-time saison, such as Dupont Avril. This beer is a hit-and-miss hybrid that may surprise even an experienced drinker.

Serving type: on-tap

08-18-2010 21:31:59 | More by beagle75

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

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

A very grapefruity IPA that is well puit together and looks pretty good in a canning jar all orange gold in the sun. Once the beer warms up all sorts of nuances show up and make this a real nice sessionable APA. The oatmeal part makes this slightly smoother in the finish

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2008 04:09:57 | More by canucklehead

cjhofelt

Washington

2.7/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

First, let me say that there is nothing technically wrong with this beer, it's just that I personally don't like it.

Served in a canning jar filled to the lip with absolutely no head. Clear light amber.

Nice hoppy aroma with some fruity ale hints.

Quite thin in the taste department. This is what I would imagine a pale ale would taste like if I added club soda. Some hops in the finish after a hint of malt, but hard to find it. I would imagine that this beer would be popular with the BMC drinkers that show up here.

Very thin mouthfeel, too.

It's drinkable enough, I just feel a bit cheated in the taste department.

Serving type: on-tap

07-25-2007 12:43:27 | More by cjhofelt

RedDiamond

Oregon

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

With its identical color to the Pi Beer I had just described as “sunny gold”, I’d say FG’s Sunrise Oatmeal Pale is well named. An aroma of cannabis hops, black tea, and soft fruitiness sets the stage for a beer that drinks cleanly with full body and notable lacing. Sunrise is gently sweet with modest carbonation and bittering. A clean and approachable session ale.

Serving type: on-tap

07-12-2007 06:16:43 | More by RedDiamond

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

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

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

TheEarl

Washington

2.45/5  rDev -33.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I had a can of Sunrise OPA in a standard pint glass on May 31, 2012.

Appearance: OPA is a bright orange with a white and quite durable head.

Smell: The initial aroma is of citrusy hops with a light yeasty note.

Taste: OPA’s taste is faintly vegetable-like with astringent bitterness.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is light/medium with lots of very fizzy carbonation.

Overall: Sunrise OPA just isn’t very well balanced. There’s no evidence of the oatmeal and the bitterness that hits in the taste is not really a hoppy bitterness. Maybe my palette just isn’t sophisticated enough to appreciate this beer but I suspect is just isn’t very good.

Serving type: can

06-01-2012 21:25:46 | More by TheEarl

Trout

3.85/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Aroma:
After warming, aroma of dank and spicy/citrus hops...definitely new American varieties. Subdued malt aroma and bready / yeasty notes.

Appearance:
4 oz sample pours somewhat bright( clarity) golden marigold(color).( balance of beer poured couldy/yeast&hop sediment)...average white head of small bubbles...somewhat persistent...average lacing.

Flavor:
Big hop flavor..vegital...with medium isomerized bitterness. long, bold hop flavor continues thru finish that is spicy citrus zest. Medium supporting malt is subtly sweet and smooth.

Mouthfeel:
Mild carbonation produces a medium body with little carbonic sting. Oats produce a silky smooth roundness...a departure from the dry finish characterized by the APA style.

Overall:
At 5.2% the beer is verging on sessionable and the body is not too heavy for drinking more than one...But the bold hop character is a little over the top for style and is in that ground between IPA and APA. A very dynamic blend of aroma, flavor and feel...I really liked the brew...but it's not quite refreshing enough for more than 1 or 2...

Serving type: can

06-01-2012 19:52:42 | More by Trout

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

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

First had: can in a trade from msubulldog25. Thanks!

An aggressive pour into a shaker yielded almost a full glass of golden-white foam. Oops. When it settled down, there was a very creamy cap of said head on top of a cloudy, vibrant, honey-colored liquid. Aroma of fresh citrusy hops; gladly I could tell this beer was still well within its prime. Taste was good, but extremely bitter up front, and I needed a few sips to acclimate to it. Biscuity malts beneath a shroud of intense citrus and leafy hops, pine needles, still pretty bitter all the way through, and upon taking a rather large gulp at one point, I actually shuttered a bit at the bitterness. Good, but a little unbalanced, bringing down the drinkability somewhat. Glad to have the opportunity to try this one as I'd surely never see it over here on the East Coast!

Serving type: can

05-28-2012 21:04:47 | More by Rifugium

gkunkle

Oregon

2.93/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy goldenrod color with a sense cream colored head. Retention is very good. Okay lacing. Aroma is of "C" hops, very citric and fresh. Taste slightly sweet at the beginning, then I get an earthy/piney bitterness toward the end. Mouthfeel is appropriate for an APA, slightly soft feeling. My only complaint about this beer is that the anima and the taste don't seem to match well. Individually the aroma is good and the taste is okay, but together they don't work together well at all.

Serving type: can

05-22-2012 02:09:53 | More by gkunkle

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

loren01

Oregon

2.93/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: I recently purchased a 4 pack of their cans at a local bottle shop. This beer poured into a mason drinking jar a clear yellow color with a nice sized frothy white head down the glass.
S: Grassy, piney hop scent. Also some caramelly malt scent in there
T: Very slight malt up front followed by the grassy/herbal style hop bitterness. Its ok at first but the lack of balance makes it hard to drink after a few initial sips.
M: Light to medium bodied beer, carbonation seems a bit high
O: This is kind of a strange beer, not one of my favorite Ft George offerings, I'm a bit surprised this one was chosen to can. I guess maybe it would make a good summer session BBQ beer or something. This one isn't my cup of tea.

Serving type: can

04-28-2012 01:13:38 | More by loren01

vkv822

Oregon

3.88/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

16oz can into tulip snifter.

Pours a clear, golden orange with a foamy white head, leaves a lot of lacing.

Citric hops with a pleasant, sweet oat malt balance.

Sweet oats balanced with citric fruit a light, bitter hop finish.

Full bodied mouthfeel, light carbonation.

A fairly simple beer, but quite enjoyable for a basic Pale Ale.

Serving type: can

04-03-2012 08:13:04 | More by vkv822

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.03/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a cloudy caramel straw amber. Nice two finger head with good retention and massive lacing. Looks very good. Aroma dominated by herbal hops with faint bready malt and lemon. Flavor is subdued citrus hops and light malt with the hops increasing dramatically in intensity to a very grapefruit and hop finish with long lingering bitterness. The oatmeal gives this an increadible medium, almost creamy body for the ABV. I'm very impressed with this, I think the best APA I've ever had.

Serving type: can

03-31-2012 04:08:56 | More by LiquidAmber

mfavoino

Washington

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

16 oz can poured into a pint glass on 3/28/12.

Appearance: Hazy straw colored and looks a lot like a hefe. Aggressive head recedes to the body of the beer and provides some lacing on the glass.

Smell: Citrus hops with a lemon scent that is backed by a sweet, grainy aroma.

Taste: Muted citrus hops are balanced by a hearty oat and grain flavor. Finishes with more of a lingering bitterness than I was expecting.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and coats the palate. Full-bodied for an APA because of the oats, but still highly drinkable.

Overall: This is a unique example of an APA that is worth giving a try.

Serving type: can

03-29-2012 01:37:26 | More by mfavoino

beertunes

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into pint glass. Poured a cloudy pale yellow color with about an inch of white head that had good retention and lacing. The aroma started out with a sweet, grain scent then followed up with a nice blast of citrusy hops that complemented, not overpowered, the malts. There was a nice bit of a yeast scent in the background as well.

The flavors were pretty similar, good grainy malts, a touch of yeast and a crisp, dry, citrus hop finish. The body was full, even and smooth and wasn't heavy or sticky at all. Drinkability was wonderful, I could drink can after can of this tasty beer. Overall, a very nice brew that I see becoming part of my regular rotation, especially during baseball season. A must try if you see it.

Serving type: can

03-24-2012 20:22:20 | More by beertunes