Sticky Zipper - Oakland Brewing Company

kflorence

California

4.03/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a deep golden, copper with a thick, frothy head atop. Lots of lacing as you drink. Carbonation levels look spot on. A beautiful and inviting beer.

S: Pine, citrus and grass with sweet, butterscotch malts lingering in the background. Hop dominant for sure, but with a good malt balance.

T: Resinous and bitter up front with lemon peel, pine and grass. The malts sneak in towards the middle with hints of butterscotch and caramel, but the bitterness wins in the end with a lingering hop stickiness. Not much complexity, mostly an all-out hop assault on your tongue.

M: Sticky and resinous from all the hops, it comes off a little bit thin and oily but manages to pack enough body to have some chewiness.

O: As a fan of Cascade and Columbus hops, I quite enjoyed this brew. However, if you're looking for a balanced or complex IPA, look elsewhere as this one is relatively straight-forward and hop dominant. Sure to please a hophead near you. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 03:24:49 | More by kflorence

AngusOg

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -11%

06-19-2013 18:53:14 | More by AngusOg

danipp

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +9.6%

05-30-2013 23:55:37 | More by danipp

tehmalakai

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

02-18-2013 16:33:04 | More by tehmalakai

dwtyler

California

3.25/5  rDev -11%

02-04-2013 04:17:14 | More by dwtyler

jwluvsIPA

California

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

01-17-2013 02:19:46 | More by jwluvsIPA

vfgccp

New York

3.65/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - An awesome looking IPA. Tall, fine white head with nice retention and killer lace. Bright, crystal clear orange body.

S - Malt forward, pine, orange creamsicle.

T - Really interesting profile. Honey, bready malt, dry green plant bitters, earthy pine. The hop profile starts slow and ramps to a huge dry, bitter finish. After a few sips, the bitterness builds into a continuous flow of resiny pine and grapefruit.

M - Full body for the style. Ok carbonation. Bone dry, pithy finish.

O - Aggressive, almost Campari like bitterness isn't for everyone, but it's delicious if that's what you're looking for.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 18:27:05 | More by vfgccp

millerbuffoon

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -11%

12-23-2012 01:02:01 | More by millerbuffoon

DaveHack

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -11%

12-20-2012 01:29:12 | More by DaveHack

CA_Infidel2o9

5/5  rDev +37%

12-07-2012 22:23:47 | More by CA_Infidel2o9

drewone

California

2.75/5  rDev -24.7%

12-05-2012 09:19:15 | More by drewone

UCLABrewN84

California

3.55/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to drewone for sharing this one at his tasting.

Pours a hazy orange with a foamy khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus zest, and herbal hop aromas. Taste is much the same with a mild hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is fairly tasty but nothing groundbreaking.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 23:15:59 | More by UCLABrewN84

cletusdog

California

2.5/5  rDev -31.5%

11-14-2012 08:47:40 | More by cletusdog

ccrida

Oregon

4.05/5  rDev +11%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber poured into my Heretic Brewing shaker, Sticky Zipper is dark burnt gold with a big off-white head that leaves Belgian-style rocky chunks of foamy lace. Awesome, the last so tenacious my snout is foamed!

Smell is earthy, wood, stemmy hops. I get a lot of peanut butter notes from this kind of hop profile. Sweeter as it warms, more citrus, sugars.

Taste is big hops, bitter and earthy. Nice little malt sweetness. Solid, but I'd like some of the fruity end of the west coast hop spectrum.

Mouthfeel is a little thin, super slippery from all the hop oils!

Drinkability is pretty good, this is clearly in the range of big, bad hoppy west coast ipa (who gives a f* about an oxford comma?), well made and smooth. Good price. Grab one, or a few, and watch the frank and beans....

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 06:44:22 | More by ccrida

OBeerMeGreatOne

California

4/5  rDev +9.6%

07-31-2012 01:27:17 | More by OBeerMeGreatOne

Nugganooch

California

3.88/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Thanks to my bro for grabbing me this bottle on his NorCal trip. Lovin’ the name & label!

Consumed yesterday - Bomber to my Alpine pint glass. (no bottle date)
*Contract brewed by Hermitage for Oakland BrewCo. Dry hopped with Columbus, Cascade, and Falconer’s Flight.

A: Sticky Zipper pours a rich caramel amber color with some orange hues and good clarity to it. A heavy pour garners up a sloppy beige foam head with light retention that leaves soft lines of dotted lace down the glass.

S: The cap releases an aromatic spike of fruit punch and pine resins. Citrus zest, tropic floras, and sticky pine needles. There is a bit of spice and earth mixed with grains. Some sweet caramel notes elevate as the beer sits a bit. First few smells are quite nice and punchy with hops.

T: Taste is juicy and resinous to start. Sappy pine cone with bitter melon rind meets concentrated lemon peel. There is a distinct herbal spice and hemp note towards the end. This is quite bitter and somewhat astringent, leaving a long lasting pucker to the palate. Malts provide a nice light grainy flavor with some sweet caramel candies to balance. A touch of ABV warmth. Pretty tasty but I will say the flavor profile starts to fall apart a bit after the first few palate numbing assaults. Leaves you wanting more of that initial depth and unique hop character.

M: Moderate feel with a decent texture that teeters somewhere between smooth and gritty. Crispy light finish with a dry astringent pucker from copious dry hop additions.

D: This one is oozing with hop oils and will definitely satisfy the hoptarts. I really enjoyed it for the most part and would have again. Caramels and malts are just enough. ABV’s well masked. The flavors do tend to get a bit lost in the sauce leaving you with a run of the mill hopped up IPA. You start to lose some of the intricate Sorachi Ace lemon qualities as the palate gets pummeled a bit.

Worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 23:22:27 | More by Nugganooch

terence

California

3/5  rDev -17.8%

07-20-2012 23:50:01 | More by terence

lacqueredmouse

Australia

2.78/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Picked up from Ledger's Liquors in Berkeley, CA, just up the road from Oakland where this is (supposedly?) brewed. (I lie, I see it's brewed under contract at Hermitage in San Jose...)

Pours a pale orange-amber colour, with a solid fine head of white, flecked with larger bubbles. Lacing is solid, as is the body. Carbonation is fine and languid. Looks good.

Nose is pleasant with generic, but sharp West Coast hop characters, giving a bright citric fruit freshness. There's not a lot of depth to the character, though, meaning there's little else for the hops to bounce off and create complexity.

Taste is, unfortunately, downhill from the aroma. Sharp bitterness through the centre (although strangely absent on the back), and a hint of green leafy, slightly herbal hop characters on the front, but very little structure to the palate, meaning it feels empty and pointless by the end. Malt is woefully underdone, meaning that the hop character sits ashy and lonesome above a watery baseline beer. Feel is very light.

Overall, no, it just doesn't work. I mean, really, this is a relatively poor example of an American IPA, and it's up against some damn strong competition. Frankly, I feel a bit embarrassed for it.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 01:55:12 | More by lacqueredmouse

potownbill

New York

3.93/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a bottle at City Beer in San Francisco on a recent vacation in California.
Appearance: Beautiful clear orange yellow with a nice off-white head that left some decent lacing on the hotel bathroom glass.
Smell: Pine hops with some tropical fruits.
Taste: Definately has a pine hop taste. Bitterness lingers, which is the only drawbacl.
Mouthfeel:Overall, pretty decent, although it is a little thin.
Drinkability: Happily, drank the whole 22 ounces.
Liked it.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 01:23:54 | More by potownbill

cosmicevan

New York

4.5/5  rDev +23.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

big thanks to beermebaby89113, split this with the wife. enjoyed from a hill farmstead tulipy wine glass.

a - brew poured a semi transparent orange with a generous 2 fingers of frothy ipa head. as it dissolved, it left chunky lacing on the side of the glass.

s - smells wonderful. sitcky piny hops. nice citric sweetness, pretty balanced.

t - YUM. tastes just as good as it smells. finishes a bit bitter...great pine cone tasting hops. really balanced and tasty. everything i look for in an ipa.

m - medium to full bodied, finish is a subtle bitter. great brew.

o - overall, this is a winner. smells and tastes like the style should. nice abv, bitterness is just right. would definitely have again.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 22:35:14 | More by cosmicevan

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The nose on this one seemed really promising, but the flavor profile didn't follow through. It seems like this beer just pours on the hops for the sake of it. Sure, it definitely has a balance to it. But the balance is an over-hopped one-dimensional ale that doesn't really do as much as you'd want an IPA to. I mean, hey, it still works pretty good. I'd just like a bit more subtle character instead of the big punch.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 07:11:39 | More by RblWthACoz

Wowcoolman

California

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Highly drinkable offering from Oakland Brewing picked up en route to Santa Rosa. No bottling date, though the Ledger's price tag was dated 3/12. Let's assume it was shipped promptly from the town next door. The label and name seems to reference the Stone's Sticky Fingers album with a large zipper being pulled down (or up?). Appealing golden/copper color with sticky lacing, the aroma is biscuit, tangerine-citrus, and pine. Taste is on the crisp side; the malt backbone lets the hops take the lead. Piney-hop flavors give way to white grapefruit and ends on a bitter note- the label promises that the hop profile (Columbus, Cascade, Falconer's Crest) won't strip your tooth enamel. Pairs nicely with Indian food (tested). I would certainly seek out a pint of this on-tap next time I'm in the Bay Area.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 00:58:59 | More by Wowcoolman

largadeer

Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bomber with no freshness date.

Golden body with amber highlights. Pours with two fingers of head that recedes to a film after a few minutes.

Mild but fairly enjoyable nose. Citrus and pine, butterscotch, a touch of crystal malt.

Palate is good but underwhelming. There's a fairly even mix of bready Munich and caramel malts that support a citrus and pine hop flavor that could use a lot more depth and punch. It's well attenuated and pretty crisp, with mild herbal hop notes in the finish and a gentle bitterness.

A solid offering that hides the ABV well, but I can think of dozens of better IPAs from California.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 04:33:16 | More by largadeer

ngeunit1

California

4.23/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a clear copper-orange color with a finger of frothy white head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some nice lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of citrus, pine, and grapefruit hops with some sweet caramel malts and a bit of biscuit and some light fruit.

T - Starts off with some sweet caramel malts with some biscuit, citrus and grapefruit hops, and some bitterness. Through the middle, more bitterness comes through with some pine hops and touch of fruit and floral flavor. The finish is a mix of sweet caramel and biscuit malt with some citrus hop, lemon peel, and some bitterness.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a bitter and sweet finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice hop profile from start to end with a good malt backbone. Really nicely balanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 05:01:48 | More by ngeunit1