Small Batch Series No. 1: Oak-Aged Rye OPA - Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling

brentk56

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a cloudy honey color with a very nice foamy head; plenty of squiggles of lace are left behind

Smell: The spicy rye aroma dominates, with grain and an earthy hop element, underneath

Taste: Tangy and spicy rye, up front, with lemony hops and a Bretty aspect that dominate the profile; underneath, there are subtle fruit flavors, such as papaya and pineapple but they appear mainly in the middle as the beer finishes as it starts

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: An interesting beer, but I think I would rack it up as an experiment that didn't quite work out; the website doesn't mention Brett but it is clearly in the yeast profile; somehow it doesn't all come together though it is not objectionable

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 03:59:19 | More by brentk56

elNopalero

Texas

4.13/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

UPDATED: May 2013

With a year on this the color and appearance are impressive as it pours a solid auburn amber hue with thick creamy foam.

There’s a subdued aroma with some floral notes come out.

Because of some of the criticism I’ve read I was surprised how well the flavor held up, with a filling spiciness from the rye and a noticing contribution from the French oak. A surprising winner. Makes me wish I had another to check out in four more years.

Original review:

The first thing about this beer is the horrendously nasty smell of … the wax. Yes, the wax. People have commented elsewhere about how the wax smells. I laughed it off—and then I smelled it for myself. Honestly, I thought something had rotted in my fridge. Turned out it was just the wax on this bottle. Cut it out, peel it off, wash your hands, and don’t let it touch the beer.

Ahem.

All that said, this poured a warm golden amber color with lasting foam. It has a floral character to it, with a light aroma that hides some hints of tropical fruit under the floral, spring-time aroma. It has a real pleasing flavor with a pleasant effervescence that keeps the flavors lively on the palate. Lightly hopped, in many ways reminiscent of a Belgian IPA in that the hop presence is balanced or complemented by the characteristics of the yeast (in a ‘Belgian IPA’) or, most likely in the case of this beer, the qualities from barrel-aging. That barrel-aging in French oak imparts a good deal of zestiness, some spice, and the floral notes. Finishes dry.

Not a bad beer. The 375 mL bottle was about $6. Which is more than I tend to pay—but, ironically enough, if this was in a 750 cork and caged bottle I wouldn’t think twice of paying $12 for it. Go figure. Stink wax aside, the contents were really enjoyable. It resembled Ranger Creek’s Uno, which resembled their OPA, but this beer was distinct enough to stand on it’s own. Like a relative where you catch the family resemblance but realize it has its own personality.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 07:16:34 | More by elNopalero

jl28r1

Texas

2.75/5  rDev -21.9%

05-10-2013 00:53:05 | More by jl28r1

rph97

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +27.8%

05-09-2013 22:25:00 | More by rph97

jheezee

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

04-23-2013 01:20:35 | More by jheezee

SavvyStudent

Texas

4/5  rDev +13.6%

04-21-2013 19:08:31 | More by SavvyStudent

t0rin0

California

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

03-30-2013 22:45:36 | More by t0rin0

SmellsofMahagony

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

03-27-2013 02:51:47 | More by SmellsofMahagony

JeffSuttonTX

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

03-10-2013 20:50:43 | More by JeffSuttonTX

LambicKing

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%

02-24-2013 01:05:43 | More by LambicKing

Hanzo

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

02-23-2013 19:06:06 | More by Hanzo

drummermattie02

Texas

3/5  rDev -14.8%

02-20-2013 16:45:03 | More by drummermattie02

markmcconv

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

02-13-2013 18:34:44 | More by markmcconv

Jspriest

Maryland

3/5  rDev -14.8%

01-22-2013 01:13:03 | More by Jspriest

KKB

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A – Body is translucent orange/brown/copper with two fingers of white head that cling a little bit to the glass I’ve seen better looking beers for certain, but this looks pretty nice.

S – There is a wonderful spicy rye aroma in the head backed up by hops, and an earthy/grass clippings element as well. It smells very nice actually.

T – Very fine! Very interesting! It comes on tangy, sweet and fruity, before the bitter and spicy rye/hops overtake it and gradually provide you with a dryer finish. The beer changes dramatically in your mouth. I haven’t tasted anything quite like this before though and I have to say this is pretty gosh darn good...as time passes though it becomes a little bit cloying and I don't really love it. Not bad though.

M – The mouthfeel is medium with about medium carbonation as well. Nothing special though.

O – This is definitely a very interesting beer, and a hell of an attempt. There are parts of each of the individual aspects that I really enjoy, but overall it doesn’t quite come together for me. Bravo for the effort, and with some tweaks this could be really good, but for the moment I’m just going to say it’s at least good and definitely interesting.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 04:43:32 | More by KKB

ThirdEyePA

Texas

1.5/5  rDev -57.4%

01-01-2013 20:30:25 | More by ThirdEyePA

roblowther

Texas

3.13/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours cloudy golden in color with a dense, thin off-white head that settles quickly. Smells of hops, oranges, and leather. Taste is slightly funky, with peppery notes and a sharp finish. The rye shows up but the whole affair is a bit astringent. The aftertaste gets a bit harsher as the beer goes down, hops and slight barnyard. ish. Mouthfeel is nicely slick but a tad less carbonated than I would prefer. Overall, not one of my favorites. Tastes like they were going for an interesting combination that just didn't quite gel.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 00:16:46 | More by roblowther

DRyan

Texas

3.95/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Ranger Creek tulip. Bottled 4/9/12, opened 11/26/12.

A: Pours a ruddy orange/gold with some thick white head that lasts for a bit and then laces
S: Reminds me of a Jester King Boxer's Revenge. Very "wild ale" barnyard funk sourness to the scent.
T: Opens with some funk, followed by a hop bite, and a little maltiness on the exit. The funk is very heavy in the aftertaste as well. Having had the fresh OPA on tap at Ranger Creek, I am completely surprised how much this is NOT like that! SB#1 is a completely different animal than the OPA on which it is based. A little bit of that is the addition of the rye, but the majority of the difference is from the aging in barrels and the introduction of some wildness from those barrels.
M: Spicy, zesty, it has fine bubbles that tickle the tongue.
D: Not one to be chugged. It is a fine sipper, and highly recommended for fans of wild ales.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 03:02:39 | More by DRyan

dumptruck81

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +20.7%

10-20-2012 18:07:54 | More by dumptruck81

FosterJM

California

3.48/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

1562nd Review on BA
Bottle to Woodshop Snifter
375 Ml Waxed Bottle

Bottled 4-9-12
Thanks to Shoky01 for this

App- A bit of a multi-colored orange with some popping colors. A bit clearer in the glass with a small 1" head that was a bit quick to leave. A nice bit of lace and cling down the glass.

Smell- It was okay. It was a bit of an off malt with some stinging booze. The deep citrus was a nice touch, but overall these aromas seems to work against vs. with eachother. The barrel added a good depth of a charred wood and the rye added a decent spicy nose.

Taste- I thought it was alright. Glad it came in a 375 vs. a 22 or a 750. I think that wouldve been too much for this beer. Similar to the nose, the flavors of this one compete to much. A big rich caramel base battles with the hops and citrus flavors and the barrel adds like the nose a bit of char and the rye seemed to be an afterthought.

Mouth- I didnt really care for the feel on this one. It was a bit too light and prickly. The body was a lighter-medium with a pretty steep carbonation level. Residual flavors were of the spice, malts and deep citrus zest.

Drink- It was okay. Not something I would revisit.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 14:37:58 | More by FosterJM

JohnBender

Texas

3/5  rDev -14.8%

09-27-2012 00:51:09 | More by JohnBender

ReyG006

Texas

2.25/5  rDev -36.1%

09-17-2012 13:26:24 | More by ReyG006

CelticAleMan

California

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%

09-04-2012 06:53:30 | More by CelticAleMan

bum732

Maryland

2.5/5  rDev -29%

09-04-2012 02:10:26 | More by bum732

GRG1313

California

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

09-03-2012 07:23:51 | More by GRG1313