Disclaimer: We will come clean. This review was, unfortunately, written at a time when we were not aware that mats of bubbles are symptoms of a dirty glass. Just because we are Drink Me Dirty, it does not mean it is acceptable to drink from a dirty glass. Clean and rinse your glasswares properly. As better informed drinkers, we now vow to spread the gospel of clean glassware. Read more about this topic here. #DirtyGlassMafia
Name: Opshaug (2019)
Brewer: Madbul Cerveza Artesana (Philippines)
Style: Specialty IPA: New England IPA
ABV: 6%
Review Year: 2019
Our first review about Madbul Cerveza Artesana centers on the Opshaug Hazy IPA– a flagship beer that Eric de Jesus brewed in 2019 with a Norwegian yeast strain.
In the Philippines, 2019 was the year the Norwegian Kveik yeast strains took over. While the Voss Kveik became a staple for several craft brewers in the country such as The Marc’s & Tony Brewing Co. and the Half Baked Brewing Collective, Madbul was quietly fermenting beers using a different strain, the Opshaug Kveik Ale Yeast. This particular strain, which was just released in April last year, is noted to be ideal for IPAs and pale ales due to its hop-forward and clean characteristics.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Specialty IPA: New England IPA (21B) in the context of the provisional guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) for the said beer style. The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website. Note that this beer was fermented using a Voss Kveik yeast strain.
“Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale,” “Juicy or Hazy IPA,” and “Juicy or Hazy Double IPA” are beer styles from the 2020 Brewers Association (BA) Beer Style Guidelines. These styles are noted to represent what enthusiasts and brewers refer to as New England IPAs or Hazy IPAs.
Recommended Reading: ‘Juicy or Hazy’ Ales Debut in BA Beer Style Guide, Representing New England IPAs (CraftBeer.com, 2018)
TASTING NOTES
We were fortunate to taste two versions of this Kveik-fermented Hazy IPA: fresh on tap at a festival and a bottled version. Opshaug has a hazy orange-yellow color, with the bottled version having a slightly darker shade. The nose evoked a basket of fresh tropical and citrus fruits (e.g., papaya, rambutan), together with striking notes of lemon and orange peels.
Aside from its medium body and a silky mouthfeel, this Hazy IPA showcases a mosaic of malt and hop-derived flavors. In particular, for the perceived malt flavors, we noted graham crackers and toasted bread. For the possibly hop-derived flavors, we noted fruit-like (e.g., oranges, slight wine acidity, and papaya) and spice-like (e.g., star anise) characteristics. In both variants, Osphaug manifested as a beer with a very dry finish of star anise and bread.
THE VERDICT
Overall, Madbul’s Hazy IPA is a complex, full-flavored beer with a very notable mouthfeel. While we are unsure of a 2020 appearance for the Opshaug Hazy IPA, this beer is one of the underrated and memorable beers we have tried in 2019.
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