Firestone Walker Brewing Company Opal

**Aroma:** “A strong, excellent aroma with moderate saison spice character. Citrusy orange, lemon, and grapefruit with moderate wheat and Pilsner malt sweetness and some floral notes. Lots of earthiness and some banana esters. Hops seem more American than is typical.” **Flavor:** “Tastes like a lemon Sweet Tart! Malt sweetness with lemon and slightly spicy notes. Earthy without being funky. An almost rose-like hop note and nice, big fruity banana esters. Highly carbonated with a crisp, dry finish.” **Overall:** “Strong flavors, but very nice. Floral, perfumey, citrusy, and insanely lemony. A balanced, complex, refreshing beer. Lots of carbonation: It stings and leaves you wanting more.”

**Aroma:** “Fruit at the front, with notes of banana, plum, pear, cherry, and apple. Slight clove and a moderate malt sweetness—mostly biscuit and a hint of caramel. Slight alcohol note.” **Flavor:** “Biscuity malt and fruit mingle nicely with notes of white bread, cara- mel, red apple, cherry, and plum. Finish is pleasantly balanced, considering the richness of the malt, making it very drinkable. Nice alcohol warmth to help the beer finish dry and medium-high carbonation level. Properly balanced.” **Overall:** “Classic example of the style that is very well executed. Nice play with malt and yeast character, and a surprisingly balanced, perhaps even dry, finish. It doesn’t break new ground, but offers a relaible and tasty experience with appropriate sweetness and nice fruit character.”

**Aroma:** “Subtle aroma, mostly pear, apple, and stone fruit esters with some pale malt sweetness. Just a hint of vanilla and coconut. Sweetness from the malt balances well. A hint of dried thyme. Perhaps some Muscat grapes? Dulce de leche-like soft caramel. Very different than the others we’ve tried.” **Flavor:** “A really well done blonde barleywine: light toffee, bananas, burnt toast, and a bowl of fruit. Light caramel. This is incredibly clean and very strong. Barrel character is complementary and comes through as coconut and vanilla. Some hops character.” **Overall:** “Kind of like a Belgian barleywine, if that’s a thing. This is clearly its own thing. It doesn’t fall into the barleywine box, but it is very much a barrel-aged and strong unique take on the style, with the focus being on the lighter malt and barrel character.”