Beer of the Weekend #756: Otra Vez
Last weekend’s warm weather, coupled with the deliciousness of Pompeii, gave me quite a case of spring fever. I was wearing shorts and craving a tasty IPA!
Pompeii was just a single bomber so I went to the co-op Saturday on a mission to grab a four-pack of pseudoSue. However, Otra Vez, brewed by the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company of Chico, California, was recommended and I grabbed a sixer of that instead.
The color is very hazy straw. A finger-and-a-half of white head leaves an even skim. The first whiff is reminiscent of radler with that soft and zesty soda aroma. It is sweet, sour, and inviting. There is a nondescript citrus that might be grapefruit. I do not know what prickly pear cactus smells like, but maybe it is there. There is a touch of spice, too. The flavor is sour and the mouthfeel is soft. There is a lot of lemonade-like zest, and the grapefruit is present (but not like it is in an IPA). The sourness works the taste buds and sends shivers down the spine, but it is not lip-puckering tart. It does have a green, floral flavor, so that may be the prickly pear. I’m drinking it to finish it, really. It’s not for me.
Fun facts about Otra Vez:
• Style: Gose.
• Price: $8.99 per sixer at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 4.5 percent ABV.
• Here is the description on the beer’s webpage:
• In Spanish, “otra vez” means “another time.”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.
Pompeii was just a single bomber so I went to the co-op Saturday on a mission to grab a four-pack of pseudoSue. However, Otra Vez, brewed by the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company of Chico, California, was recommended and I grabbed a sixer of that instead.
The color is very hazy straw. A finger-and-a-half of white head leaves an even skim. The first whiff is reminiscent of radler with that soft and zesty soda aroma. It is sweet, sour, and inviting. There is a nondescript citrus that might be grapefruit. I do not know what prickly pear cactus smells like, but maybe it is there. There is a touch of spice, too. The flavor is sour and the mouthfeel is soft. There is a lot of lemonade-like zest, and the grapefruit is present (but not like it is in an IPA). The sourness works the taste buds and sends shivers down the spine, but it is not lip-puckering tart. It does have a green, floral flavor, so that may be the prickly pear. I’m drinking it to finish it, really. It’s not for me.
Fun facts about Otra Vez:
• Style: Gose.
• Price: $8.99 per sixer at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 4.5 percent ABV.
• Here is the description on the beer’s webpage:
On our search for the perfect warm weather beer, we wanted something light bodied and thirst quenching, yet filled with complex and interesting flavors. We stumbled across the fruit of the prickly pear cactus, native to California. This tangy fruit is a great complement to the tart and refreshing traditional gose style beer. Otra Vez combines prickly pear cactus with a hint of grapefruit for a refreshing beer that will have you calling for round after round. Otra Vez!
• In Spanish, “otra vez” means “another time.”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.
