Fort George Vortex IPA

Fort George Brewery, Astoria, Oregon – Vortex IPA

Stars: 4
Date sampled: Feb 11, 2014
Format: 16 oz. can
Where I found it: Metropolitan Market, Sand Point Location, Seattle

Ahh, now that’s better. Our last beer review was of Fort George’s rather disappointing OPA (Oatmeal Pale Ale). But the folks at Fort George have totally redeemed themselves with today’s brew – the Vortex IPA.

Immediately upon cracking the can on this one, you’ll notice an incredibly pleasant and impressively intense hop aroma with strong notes of melon present.

One of the most interesting things about this brew is the way in which it evolves over time. The mouthfeel has a medium consistency, and the beginning of the finish is pretty crisp and clean. But soon after the initial finish, a bitterness creeps in and continues to grow in a surprising way. Those who are a fan of the bitter will want to seek out this one if not just for its impressive linger.

An all-around solid IPA (and one that doesn’t taste quite as big as its 7.7% ABV)…and the nice golden amber color certainly doesn’t hurt the experience either.

Nicely done, George.

-Sam

Stats: 7.7% ABV / 97 IBU

Fort George Sunrise OPA

Fort George Brewery, Astoria, Oregon – Sunrise OPA  

Stars: 1.5  
Date sampled: Feb 10, 2014
Format: 16 oz. can
Where we found it: Metropolitan Market, Sand Point Location, Seattle

Having tried Fort George’s Vortex IPA several months ago and having loved it (we’ll be reviewing a can of Vortex in the near future), we had high hopes for this one. I had never seen or tried an OPA (Oatmeal Pale Ale) before, so I was intrigued from the start - I was expecting to experience a nice standard pale ale with some unique and uncharacteristic smoothness from the use of oatmeal in the mash. I was further intrigued after taking a whiff of the strongly hoppy and spicy nose before my first sip.

And then…I was sorely disappointed. As far at the oatmeal part of this beer is concerned, I found it hard to detect its presence at all - the mouthfeel of this pale ale is pretty standard for the style. And the flavor leaves much to be desired. The spiciness from the hops (mainly Amarillo) is interesting but it completely overpowers the beer. Combine this with an impressively long-lasting metallic linger and you’ve got one beer I think most people would do well to steer clear of. The only reason I felt compelled to give this beer a touch more than one star is that there is a distinct earthy spiciness (perhaps, in part, a result of the elusive oatmeal?) that comes through for just a moment, right before the metallic linger, that is really pleasing. It’s just too bad that flavor is so fleeting.

Megan, my father, and I all sampled this beer at the same time and the reactions were pretty unanimous. Three thumbs down.

- Sam

Stats: 5.2% ABV / 49 IBU