McNeill's Sunshine India Pale Ale - McNeill's Brewery

JackieTH

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Gold orange with a sticky, persistent cap of foam. Muted orange citrus pith with sweet caramel, honey oat cake nose. Assertive carbonation and mild bitterness, citrus pith and pine resin flavor elements appear briefly but are washed away by lightly sweet caramel biscuit malt body. Not enough bitterness is established and thus is very balanced probably a little too much so for my IPA preferences. Mildly sweet finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 03:51:15 | More by JackieTH

PieOhMy

Minnesota

3.84/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured into pint glass

A One finger head. Hazy amber/orangeish.

S Potent. Orange, lemon, and grapefruit peel. Floral - dandelion, tulip. Hops. Nice smell.

T This definitely mirrors the smell. Lemon/citrus zest. Nice malt backbone. Good hit of hops. Got a little soapy aftertaste. This doesn't linger though.

M A little watery, but also some breadyness. So, medium.

O I like this IPA. It is kind of off balance, but it works. The flavors are subtle and smooth. Very refreshing. Hides the ABV well. Drinks like a session.

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2013 02:40:30 | More by PieOhMy

jontron

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -19.8%

04-29-2013 03:13:12 | More by jontron

Hendry

Vermont

4.3/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

$9-$12 bombers are plentiful and a gamble: so many times the price doesn't meet the quality,
so when you grab one in the $4-$6 price range the expectations tend to be much lower. Vermont has proved itself worthy in the arena of fine beers, and McNeil's Sunshine IPA is an underrated beer worthy of closer attention in the $4-$6 bomber class.

Pours a cloudy golden orange with a pleasing nose that is simple, clean and crisp: grapefruit and tangerine rind with a biscuit background. Nice 2 finger head in the imperial pint glass lasts a good long time with very impressive lacing for a lower to moderately priced IPA bomber.

The carbonation is slightly aggressive but not displeasing, mouthfeel is medium, and the flavor follows the aromas pretty closely. Not overly complex, but the simplicity is enjoyable and straightforward. Nice bitter aftertaste, but again not overly aggressive with some oily resins in there.

Bottom line: a very solid and thoroughly enjoyable IPA that competes solidly with the $6 West Coast bombers that have lined our Vermont shelves. Outshines the overrated and bland Bear Republic Racer 5 as well as Gigantic IPA, which has a slightly soapy aroma and aftertaste. Sunshine IPA offers strong bang for the buck with regard to quality, drinkability and overall enjoyment. Well worth a try, and a pleasant surprise for the money.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 03:14:38 | More by Hendry

mPaxtonS

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

03-16-2013 19:22:18 | More by mPaxtonS

snilsen13

Georgia

4.38/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

One man's fancy is another man's filth. I think there's something in the tastebuds of McNeill's brewers that jives perfectly with my own.

Here's the thing. Any McNeill's beer, to me, tastes as clean and uncontaminated as could possibly be. The flavors tend not to be complex, however, they are very very deep. This brewery has it over any other nearly any other in the US, regarding this particularity, and it seems to me, no matter what bomber of McNeill's I drink, I get a gut feeling that I haven't ever tasted the style better.

So, as a massive advocate for something being done unquestionably super well, I qualify this beer an outstanding beer.

Specifically, they've chosen an herbal hop over a citrus or piney hop. The bitterness isn't excessive, it is well balanced and strong. Each drink to the last drop still tastes bitter and the complexity of the bitterness swirls to reveal layers of depth rarely experienced in a single sensation of bitter.

The mouthfeel of this beer, like all of McNeil's that I know, is perfectly light yet not thin.

It looks great. It tastes great. At $5 a bomber, it is a tad pricey, but you get back something to be very happy about. So, if you haven't, you must. This is such a great brewery and sooo under-rated here, it makes me think the bulk of the reviews here are worthless.

Of course, being a long-time hobby brewer, I don't have the average palate for beers any longer, so take it for a grain of salt. McNeill's caters to people who have drank a lot of beer and just want something really simple done really well.

You would think I know these guys - I don't. This is just my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 03:42:29 | More by snilsen13

t0rin0

California

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%

10-25-2012 03:20:22 | More by t0rin0

juliusseizure

New York

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

10-03-2012 02:59:05 | More by juliusseizure

eawolff99

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

08-26-2012 17:55:13 | More by eawolff99

oldp0rt

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

07-28-2012 15:01:07 | More by oldp0rt

ms11781

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%

07-05-2012 23:38:17 | More by ms11781

jenray

Texas

3/5  rDev -19.8%

06-07-2012 15:00:15 | More by jenray

fuzzcherry

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +7%

04-21-2012 07:17:31 | More by fuzzcherry

FosterJM

California

3.73/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1219th Review on BA
Bottle to Piraat Tulip
22 oz

Thanks to Scott (Cliffbrake) for this one

App- Like the bottle says. A peach looking orangey blended yellow with a huge two finger very frothy long lasting white head. Great stick and cling as it falls like a puck not leaving.

Smell- Its got a lot of grapefruit behind it with a touch of pine tree. A bit thin on the nose with a touch of alcohol.

Taste- A lot of flavor but a bit damp and muddled. A bit creamy on the first taste and a touch of smooth booze and layered old orange/grapefruit juice with pine and a thick hop presence.

Mouth- A very medium creamy body with a low medium carbonation. Residual grapefruit and pine with some creamy notes.

Drink- A nice beer but a bit old tasting to me. Had a thick creamy layer but needed more pop. I would like this again but I thick cask is right avenue for this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 14:18:44 | More by FosterJM

WYVYRN527

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sample bottle. 22 ounce bomber poured into a pint glass.

A: Hazy deep golden, orange-ish hue with a creamy off-white head that slowly settles, leaving sticky lacing all over the glass. As this bottle is not super cold, I suspect it's not chill haze, nor was it a hard pour.

S: Lots of west coast character on the nose. Some caramel malt presence, along with grapefruit, pineapple, and floral notes.

T: Grapefruit and pineapple hop character dominates, with some honey character from the malt. Slight astringency on the finish, with floral, grassy notes.

Notes: Moderate in body, with decent flavor and viscous mouthfeel. It's pretty drinkable, although the astringent character on the finish takes some getting used to. A solid effort, but not a beer that I would seek out over and over.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 05:15:31 | More by WYVYRN527

UDbeernut

New York

4.05/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

bomber aquired in trade with shcufj, enjoyed with buddy coldbrewky.

tan capped by a luxurious silky off white head that refuses to go away. Stong hop prescense in the nose, mainly pine. taste is all hop up front slightly cleansed by and good malt backbone, bitterness is there but not overpowering. More balanced than what I generally like in an IPA, but tasty none the less. medium bodied.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 10:43:03 | More by UDbeernut

Ajlvt

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +20.3%

01-20-2012 04:28:47 | More by Ajlvt

mvanaskie13

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a fluted pint glass, color is pale copper with off white head thats about 2 inches thick, nice lacing and presence.

Smell is citrusy, earthy, piney hops with a presence of malt sweetness backing it up. Something off, but can't define it.

Taste is a little over sweet, pale malt, light caramel with solid hop bitterness, balanced between some pine and citrus.

Mouthfeel is way to cloying and sweet for my preference, but the bitterness comes back around after a while.

Overall, a pretty standard ipa, a touch sweet.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 23:37:33 | More by mvanaskie13

HoistinBrews

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +7%

01-08-2012 03:05:07 | More by HoistinBrews

alexsergio

New York

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

12-19-2011 05:36:27 | More by alexsergio

FrankLloydMike

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +33.7%

12-08-2011 17:11:58 | More by FrankLloydMike

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.13/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bomber into a Weyerbacher tulip. Thanks to vonschplieffen for sharing.

A: Slightly hazed, medium amber body with an inch of fine, creamy off-white head on top. Terrific retention, sticky lace. Great looking beer.

S: Strange, almost smoky character on top of some caramel malt and grapefruit hops. Very fruity.

T: Pretty standard, sweet IPA: fruity hops, caramel malt. There's almost a grape note in there as well; weird.

M: Very frothy, hugely carbonated medium body. Ok.

O: I don't know if this was an old bottle (no date) or what, but it was just not that good. Too sweet, borderline overripe with the fruit, and just muddled overall. Drinkable, yes; enjoyable, not really.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2011 15:10:48 | More by woosterbill

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber

Appearance - Hazy copper colour with an average size frothy and fizzy beige coloured head. I can't make out the carbonation level and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for around 5 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Malts, caramel, hops, grapefruit, pineapples

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste malts, caramel and a decent amount of hops. The beer has a very sweet sugary flavour and there is quite a bit of pineapple flavour and a touch of grapefruit. It finishes with a tropical fruit sweet aftertaste with a bit of lingering hop bitterness.

Overall - This was an enjoyable beer that came across as more of a DIPA. It's very sweet and I don't think I would have been able to drink much more than 1 bomber in an evening.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2011 17:31:33 | More by spinrsx

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.4/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up at Union Square Whole Foods in NYC.

Pours quite a deep, dark amber hue, orange in places, but certainly dark for an IPA. Head is initially frothy and full, but settles to a couple of millimetres of white foam. Lacing is streaky, but not bad.

Nose is resiny and slightly astringent. Pine and menthol come through in a piquant but cutting prominence. Some caramel malt characters come through as well, but they just sit around the edge of the biting simple hop oomph.

Taste is not bad, but again, somewhat overhopped without the flavour or complexity that would justify it. Slightly cutting resin, with a touch of nuts on the finish and a bite of dark leaves. Sweet malt comes through giving a sweetness that melds to form almost an acid lemon candy character. Feel is quite light, but not bad.

Not a bad drop, but a little unbalanced towards the hops, without any reason for it. I like a big hoppy IPA, but only when the flavours justify it, balance it, create some interest and complexity. This doesn't quite pull that off.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 22:15:26 | More by lacqueredmouse

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

2.23/5  rDev -40.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

$5.00 bomber from Abe's.

Very hazy light golden orange body, topped by four fingers of rocky white froth. Good lacing.

So-so pine aroma backed with citrus. The pine comes across as more cleanser than forest.

Overly sweet caramel beginning slops across the tongue, a flood more than a foundation. Tasty juicy fruit follows, then a bit bite of bitterness at the swallow. Bitterness takes a bad turn in the aftertaste, and ends up with a nasty lingering flavor that begs to be washed away. Its that cleanser sensation again.

Mouthfeel is a little overly bubbly for the style.

Not an ipa I'm in a hurry to finish, return to, or recommend.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2011 04:43:50 | More by RonfromJersey