OMB Copper - The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

It may not be en vogue. It may not be sexy. It may even get lost in ambitiousness. But the versatile ancient German altbier has found a home at Mecklenburg.

The effortless hybrid beer kicks off with a charming and rustic bronze color that projects garnet highlights through brilliant clarity. The beer is capped by a confident white froth that stands most of the session and laces the glass lightly.

Medium aromas of freshly kilned barley, bread crust, and an almost-caramel note that proves appetizing and very inviting. The light spicy note of noble hops carry an inherent floral undertone that balances and complements the malts and begins to insinuate fruit aromas.

Dry malt complexes reveal in taste with a accute and understated sweetness from malt that's more of medium toast, toasted pecans, barleycorn, and something that carries the taste of caramel with very little of the sweetness that's associated with caramel. It's simply a dry malt taste that invites a balance of grass, wood, and spice from historic German hops and a light iron-like smack to finish. Though the balance achieves balance, I'd really like to see the hops projected a bit more.

Medium-light in body, the grains and light sweetness allow for a rounded texture to rise first. But the carbonation recedes and the drier, toastier elements promote a crisp and clean finish that's aided by hop crispness and light alcohols.

Mecklenburg's flagship Copper Ale does Dusseldorf proud with a very versitile beer with an array of entrees or as a rather satisfying session unto itself.

Serving type: on-tap

11-28-2012 17:52:15 | More by BEERchitect

MrMcGibblets

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to gehenherzog for this extra!
A: mahogany/chestnut and clear. Nice off white head.
S: nutty w/caramel and toffee. Somewhat subdued.
T: lightly sweet nutty malts are washed out by an underlying smooth hop bitterness and co2.
M: light bodied, frothy and a touch thin.
O: not a bad take on the style. Would like to try it on tap.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 23:58:09 | More by MrMcGibblets

mikeg67

New Jersey

3.48/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap. Pours copper hue with a thick,medium lasting white head and a lot of lacing. Very fruity aroma is of cherry, red current and caramel malt. Medium, smooth body. Herbal hops, caramel malt fill the mouth. Easy drinking light brew. Finish is medium lasting and dry.

Serving type: on-tap

01-01-2012 17:20:26 | More by mikeg67

dgfair

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice copper color (as the name implies) with a pretty sturdy off-white head. The head dissipates rather quickly leaving a thin layer of bubbles on top.

The smell is a nice mix of biscuity grain with a solid nutty backbone. It's a very clean, fresh smell, and definitely invites you to have a sip.

The taste is pretty thin...a light non-descript malted graininess, with a sweet underpinning. There is a faint hoppiness, but a very mild one at that (true to style). Overall, just not a whole lot here. It's not a bad flavor, but I was looking for a little more punch.

The shining point on this brew is the drinkability. It goes down very smooth with a very pleasant palatability. I could certainly have a number of these in one sitting. It would be nice to have these in bottles, because they would be great to crack open at a summer cookout.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2009 03:27:04 | More by dgfair

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.4/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from tap into a New Belgium Fat Tire shaker. Poured copper (surprise, surprise!) with a half finger white head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, wheat, bread, and grain. The flavor was of sweet malt, wheat, banana, bread, and grain. It had a light feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a fairly decent brew. There were quite a few nice flavors and aromas going on in this one, but it really didn’t stand out over some other brews I’ve had from the same style. While this was unfortunate, it wasn’t disappointing. If this one were a little more complex it could have been something special, but it just feels as if they held back some. Hopefully they will go for it in the future and truly shock all the craft beer drinkers out there in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2012 11:42:35 | More by thagr81us

devilben02

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Being the local option at a nice restaurant in Uptown Charlotte, I was interested to sample what Olde Mecklenburg has to offer.

The first thing I notice is the rich, copper-amber color that is provides a good start, but as the ale nearly fills the entire glass (thanks for the overpour, I guess?), there is room for only a thin, foamy head that receded within a matter of minutes. The aroma is weak at first, so I must have looked like a pretentious beer snob to the rest of the restaurant crowd as I strained to sniff any discernible characteristic out of my pint glass. What I was able to eventually identify was merely a crisp graininess with a touch of sweetness. This one is similarly mild on flavor, with only the subtle sweetness on top of a bed of grains.

Where this one lacks in flavor, it at least somewhat makes up for it in texture and finish. Crisp and nicely carbonated, the Copper serves almost as a palate cleanser with how clean it finishes. Overall, certainly not the most complex or adventurous beer, but this one is inoffensive and easy to drink, making it highly drinkable although also highly forgettable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2010 15:49:23 | More by devilben02

ebeard2

Virginia

3.38/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I was recently in the Charlotte, NC area for a wedding so I figured I would seek out a local brewery to give it a try. I discovered the Old Mecklenburg Brewery. This brewery had four beers on tap, of which the OMB Copper was my favorite.

This is an Altbier style brew. Amber in color, hence the "copper" name. It has a medium body, and goes down quite smoothly.

After sampling the beers on tap I purchased a growler of OMB Copper to enjoy back at the hotel. The beer has a good flavor and color, however nothing about this beer really wowed me. It was good, don't get me wrong, however there wasn't anything super special about it to make it stand out from the crowd.

All in all a good local brewery with some good beers, however OMB Copper is not anything I would go out of my way to try. If you happen to be in the Charlotte, NC it is worth a tasting, but other than that I wouldn't bother.

Serving type: growler

08-03-2011 02:06:15 | More by ebeard2

Jslay77

South Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A. Copper. Not much head lingering around

S. Metallic but not strong. Fairly unoffensive and unimpressive.

T. It tastes like it's labeled. Very very metallic. Even the aftertaste is metal. Not sure if it is the hops used or what but is overly "copper" in taste.

M. Great mouthfeel. Light and crisp.

D. Its easy to drink despite it's pitfalls. The atmosphere of their taproom is good and it is easy to stick around and kill these beers. Nit a bad session beer if you can get over the metallic taste.

Serving type: on-tap

11-06-2010 21:47:18 | More by Jslay77

craytonic

District of Columbia

3.05/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a copper-amber with a chill-haze, not much head or lacing. Smell and taste of caramel up front, followed by bread and light hops. Needs much more flavor. Mouthfeel is decent, nicely creamy. You could drink a few, but wouldn't want to. Glad to have a new brewery in Charlotte, hope it grows up and branches out.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2009 14:10:43 | More by craytonic