Oppigårds Amarillo Spring

Oppigårds Amarillo Spring (Bottle) 11%
This beer was part of the spring news release in the beginning of February 2010. It has previously been known under the name 7th Anniversary Ale when it was released on tap at several pubs. I know my father tried this and urged me to rush there and try it. However when I finally got there they where all out. They have only used Amarillo hops while brewing this beer and they also used it why dry hoping.

Style: American Pale Ale

Cost: 19.90 SEK

Bitterness------Sweetness-----Sourness-----Intensity-------Body

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Appearance: 3/5

Clear copper liquid with a medium sized white foam that left some lacing.

Smell: 8/10

Lots of hops and very fresh, almost like smelling a bag of hops, also some grass, grapes, grapefruit and citrus.

Taste: 9/10

Fresh hops, grass and grapefruit are most noticeable. High bitterness but not overwhelming and some left over sweetness. Feel very well balanced, specially for a single hop.

Mouthfeel: 5/5

Smooth with a medium body. Easy to drink.

Comment:

What can I say? I love hops and this has plenty of it. Very fresh and while it has a fairly high bitterness it isn't really overwhelming. The commercial description says Amarillo character that is more related to berries then citrus. Which I haven't thought of but I have to agree. It actually has some flavours that I relate to wine.

I think this is a beer that would work great on a hot summer day. It probably has some foods that it would work with but I think it works just great on it's own.

Oppigårds has done a fantastic job with this beer, definitely one of the better Swedish beers I've tried and since it's priced at 19.90 (5 SEK cheaper then SN Torpedo) it's a definite buy. I'm personally going to buy a couple extra bottles.

Total: 4,3/5