Beer of the Weekend #865: Oja
It's cold and snowy, so I thought I would drink a little of what Bullet-Tooth Tony called "the black stuff": Oja, brewed by the Iowa Brewing Company of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The color is opaque black. About a finger of light tan, bubbly head dissipates pretty quickly, especially for a stout (or porter); I expected it to stick around for much longer.
The aroma is very dark and roasted, but it is not strong or intimidating. It has a light coffee character and there is a strong chocolate element, but overall, the aroma is very subdued. There is a hint of black licorice and scents of toffee, caramel, and toasted malt are also noticeable.
The flavor is weird. It's not as roasted, not as chocolaty. Black licorice is more prominent, but nothing stands out. It is an interesting mélange of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, black licorice, and medicinal rubber. It's really weird and definitely not flavorful enough to justify the price. It has a warming character, but the alcohol is well masked and is not distracting. The second bottle is better, and it tastes more like an oatmeal stout; it has a creamy mouthfeel. It's smoother and much more chocolaty. It still is not worth $11 for a six-pack.
Fun facts about Oja:
• Style: Baltic porter.
• Price: $10.99 for a six-pack of 12-ounce bottles at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: The bottle label says 8.9 percent ABV, but the brewery website pegs the ABV at 8.4. Looks like another brewery could use the help of a certain freelance copyeditor . . .
• According to the label, the beer was named after "our lifelong friend, Kurt Oja. Kurt's parents immigrated to Iowa from Estonia, a Baltic state, during WWII. Kurt passed away in 2014 after a courageous battle with Leukemia."
• There are two other versions of Oja available in bombers: a vanilla version and chocolate cherry version. The chocolate cherry version may be a worthwhile investment for a Valentine's Day tasting. VD (which I just realized is a hilariously ironic abbreviation) is on Wednesday, and it has been a long time since I did a Wednesday, mid-week tasting.
The Quiet Man's grade: C+/B-.
The color is opaque black. About a finger of light tan, bubbly head dissipates pretty quickly, especially for a stout (or porter); I expected it to stick around for much longer.
The aroma is very dark and roasted, but it is not strong or intimidating. It has a light coffee character and there is a strong chocolate element, but overall, the aroma is very subdued. There is a hint of black licorice and scents of toffee, caramel, and toasted malt are also noticeable.
The flavor is weird. It's not as roasted, not as chocolaty. Black licorice is more prominent, but nothing stands out. It is an interesting mélange of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, black licorice, and medicinal rubber. It's really weird and definitely not flavorful enough to justify the price. It has a warming character, but the alcohol is well masked and is not distracting. The second bottle is better, and it tastes more like an oatmeal stout; it has a creamy mouthfeel. It's smoother and much more chocolaty. It still is not worth $11 for a six-pack.
Fun facts about Oja:
• Style: Baltic porter.
• Price: $10.99 for a six-pack of 12-ounce bottles at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: The bottle label says 8.9 percent ABV, but the brewery website pegs the ABV at 8.4. Looks like another brewery could use the help of a certain freelance copyeditor . . .
• According to the label, the beer was named after "our lifelong friend, Kurt Oja. Kurt's parents immigrated to Iowa from Estonia, a Baltic state, during WWII. Kurt passed away in 2014 after a courageous battle with Leukemia."
• There are two other versions of Oja available in bombers: a vanilla version and chocolate cherry version. The chocolate cherry version may be a worthwhile investment for a Valentine's Day tasting. VD (which I just realized is a hilariously ironic abbreviation) is on Wednesday, and it has been a long time since I did a Wednesday, mid-week tasting.
The Quiet Man's grade: C+/B-.
