Innis And Gunn Original - Innis & Gunn

ubenumber2

Arkansas

2.68/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a perfect pint glass. My wife once again says the beer was very pretty , but thats where it all ends. Not much head at all and very little if any lacing. The smell was just a whiskey smell which I guess is to be expected and the taste is like a beer that someone has poured cheap whiskey into. Im not a whiskey fan and I would not have tried this even but a buddy bought it and left it in my fridge and it was taking up space , and well you cant have space taken up in the fridge , I took about 3 drinks then had an accident and spilled it into the sink ,I would never break man rule #43434 and waste a beer, blah never again

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 22:39:34 | More by ubenumber2

avalon07

South Carolina

3.03/5  rDev -19%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had an amber color and a clear texture. There was an inch of foamy head that lasted an average amount of time. No lacing at all.

S: A mild (to say the least) aroma of malt, caramel and light hops.

T: Tasted of malt, a hint of caramel, a little hoppiness in the finish, and slightly skunky quality. Definitely not a great flavor. Too thin and not forceful enough.

M: A decent amount of carbonation with a somewhat slick finish. Medium-bodied.

O: On the whole, this is a pretty forgettable beer. Not a whole lot to recommend.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 12:11:06 | More by avalon07

KajII

North Carolina

3.1/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

[Suggested Glassware: Nonic Pint]

The pour was a clear golden honey with an average (1-2 finger) white creamy head that was mostly diminishing, down to a thin film with a small collar and had excellent streaky lacing.

The aroma was lightly sweet with a caramel malt, light herbal hops and a sweet moldy yeast with notes of toffee, vanilla and a bit of oak cask.

The taste was rather malty with a nice toffee sweetness throughout, with the finish being lightly bitter-sweet with a touch of vanilla and a slight oaky finish. The flavor lasted an average time proceeding the swallow with a light sweet woody taste left behind.

Mouthfeel was light in body with a watery texture and a medium carbonation.

Overall a nice lightly sweet Ale with a great drinkability, basically this is a good sipping brew...

http://www.facebook.com/KAJIIsBeerReviews

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 14:16:58 | More by KajII

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Served in a FOBAB tasting glass.

A- Very pale straw color with a 2 finger white head. Some lacing that resides quickly.

S- Pale malt, some sweetness.

T- Light caramel malt flavors, some candi sugar, very little hop bitterness.

M- Light body, medium carbonation.

O- Very average beer. Would not drink again.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 02:50:49 | More by kawilliams81

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

330ml bottle poured into a Innis & Gunn cervoise. My old man bought me a gift pack for Christmas from I&G, so I figured I might as well get around to the reviews.

A - Pours a bright and clean golden-amber, with a short-lived head, surprisingly fizzy even for I&G.

S - Mild grainy notes, with some honey, butterscotch and floral sweetness. A little cloying, but mild enough overall. Some grassy notes as well.

T - Not spectacular. Mostly barley malt upfront, with a big cloying finish of butterscotch, too sweet to possibly enjoy; classic Innis & Gunn. There's some mild grassy hops, but not nearly enough to balance the harsh cloying malty sweetness.

M - Subtle fizziness, but strangely flat at lifeless at the same time. Body is a little syrupy/oily form the overbearing sweetness.

D - Pretty typical I&G all around: Overly sweet, cloying, and not all to enjoyable. Swing 'n' a miss, Pops.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 05:17:18 | More by Converge

Mitchster

Michigan

3.38/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

No specs per the website. 6.6% ABV per the bottle. Aged in oak for 77 days. 11.2 oz clear bottle.
Pours out to a very clear light amber, forming a nice creamy white head with very good retention and excellent lacing. Moderate carbonation, ~2.5 carbs. Aroma is rich with butterscotch and toffee on top of a little earth. Taste opens with a really nice and smooth mild bitterness, followed by a lingering toffee sweetness. Vanilla and a hint of sweet leather lingers in the aftertaste. Overall, on the sweet side. I honestly can't taste oak, unless one wants to attribute the butterscotch to oak, but I think it has more to do with the malt and yeast strain.

This is quite rich and sweet, and a little cloying, so one of these is enough. I'm not really inclined to buy it again...I much prefer Fullers, Youngs or Sam Smith.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 00:16:06 | More by Mitchster

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I picked up a bottle of Innis & Gunn's Original a couple days ago for $2.69 at The Lager Mill. I have been impressed with this brewery so I decided to pick up a couple more of their beers and I figured I should give their Original a try to see what this brewery is all about, so lets see how it goes. No visible bottling date. Poured from an 11.2oz clear bottle into a snifter.

A- The label is just about the same as the others and it has a nice clean and classic look to it. It poured a nice light brown caramel color that took on more of an amber color when held to the light with two and half fingers worth of smooth off white head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and left some nice lacing. This beer looks ok, but I would have liked a little deeper color.

S- The aroma starts off with loads of very sweet malts that impart some, brown bread, caramel, toffee, and brown sugar like aromas. After that there's some more sweet aromas followed by a rich buttery aroma along with some sherry like aromas. Towards the end I get some barrel aromas with some oak and vanilla coming though. The aroma is good I like the balance between malts and barrel, but the sweetness it is a little too dominating.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma, it starts off with lots of those sweet malts that I picked up in the aroma, not as sweet as the aroma, but still pretty sweet, they imparted some nice caramel and light toffee flavors. In the middle I get a little more sweetness followed by a nice buttery taste and a noticeable sherry like flavor. Towards the end comes the barrel which imparts some light oak and vanilla flavors. I liked the taste of this beer, but I thought the sweetness could be toned down just a little and a little more barrel flavors would be nice.

M- Pretty smooth, slightly cloying, a little creamy, medium bodied, with a slightly higher amount of medium carbonation. It was ok, but the sweetness and the carbonation could be toned down just a little.

Overall I liked this beer and I thought that it was a solid example of the style and a simple yet good oak aged beer that is very true to style. This beer had good drinkability, it went down pretty smooth and flavors held my attention, I could see drinking a couple of these on a cool fall night. What I liked most about this beer was it's balance and simplicity, it wasn't overdone and was exactly as advertised. What I liked least about this beer was the higher amount of sweetness and that it comes in a clear bottle, those were the only flaws I found with this beer. I would buy this beer again when in the mood for a good and simple oak aged beer, it's not too expensive and tastes good, I recommend giving this beer a try, it's a good beer to get into the style with. All in all this was one solid oak aged beer, Innis & Gunns seems to be a pretty good and solid brewery, I have yet to have a bad beer from them, good job guys, this one worthy Oak aged beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2012 03:46:30 | More by StoutHunter

emerge077

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Single bottle, FEB13 printed faintly on the neck, so it's in code.
Pours into a tulip glass with copious foam, had to let it settle to pour the rest. The fluffy head takes a few minutes to fade, but does so rapidly after the first sips. Crystalline honey amber color, looks more like a lager or English pale. Very bright clarity that reflects the light well. Some soapy lacing develops in the glass.

Skunky smell when the cap is pried off, and as its poured into the glass. Not surprising with the clear glass bottle. After it sits in the glass some honeycomb and sweet grains emerge, which is a bit better than the initial impression.

Smooth feel, slightly watery (as with all I&G beers thus far) with a light to medium body. Lightly sweet maltiness with a mild bitter bite, with a straightforward vanilla wafer and graham cracker flavor. Simple but pleasant enough. Drinkable, though not something I'd seek out more of.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 23:23:53 | More by emerge077

wvsabbath

West Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Serving Type - Bottle

Appearance - Light copper tan with a white fomay 1 inch head and plent of lacing.

Smell - Scotch, whiskey, smokey, caramel, light hops, some vanilla, some oak and minor spices.

Taste - Scotch whiskey oak flavor mixed with some vanilla, caramel and added sugars. Light, crisp and mild flavored, some malts and a little alcohol come out after beer warms some. Slight hop flavor comes out in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Light, smoot and easy on tounge. Scotch and vanilla coat tounge. Palate gets sugars, malts, and oaked flavors. Aftertaste is mild vanilla and toffee.

Overall - Decent, mild and easy to drink, scotch flavored with lots of oak make it enjoyable enough. Nothing over the top or world class about this, just a solid and mild beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 23:11:49 | More by wvsabbath

jale

Michigan

3.58/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Listed as an ale, but this looks and tastes like a lager.

A: Pours a super clear(from the rest period for lagers) dark blonde with a finger of off-white head.

S: Has a pilsner malt aroma with hints of caramel and toffee.

T: Hint of sweet toffee upfront moving into some spicy hop(maybe Saaz) bitterness. Very little oak in here. As it warms, I detect a hint of bubblegum.

M: Light body with good carbonation.

O: If this was a Czech Pilsner I would say it was above average.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 15:39:02 | More by jale

Brad007

Vermont

3.58/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Barrel-aged ales under 8%? Hmm. A totally foreign concept to me but it's worth checking out.

Pours a reddish light blonde with a one-finger head into my glass. Interesting color. A bit light for the style.

Aroma is a interesting mix of skunked malt with only trace amounts of oak and vanilla.

Vanilla, toffee and some oak upfront. Not as much as I want though. Base malt is lacking.

Mouthfeel retains some of the oak. Otherwise, pretty bland.

Pass. Interesting idea but mediocre execution.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 01:49:01 | More by Brad007

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap at Summit's Wayside Tavern 4/19/12. Reviewed from notes.

(Appearance) Color is a light golden amber, clear, with no head to be seen, but a light cream tone ring of carbonation and a modest level of carbonation trickling up the sides of the glass. Flat, headless delivery is Not very impressive in terms of overall appearance. 3

(Smell) Aromas are light toasted malt and caramel flavors, sweet and clean in delivery. Creamy sweetness with a touch of alcohol tinge and fruit to the nose. Pleasing and balanced aroma. 4

(Taste) A sweet mouthful of nice caramel malt and a tart mild malt and hop backbone makes up the majority of flavor to this brew. Overall pleasant and smooth blending of flavors. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) Creamy smooth flavor with a hint of light carbonation pair with the malty character of this brew. The end result is pretty good. 3.5

(Overall) A pretty nice, if not overrated scotch ale. For the right price it's probably worth a taste (and a free glass, in some circumstances!) Ive had both better and worse scotch ales, so this ones pretty middle-of-the-road. 3.5

Innis & Gunn's
Innis & Gunn Originial

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2012 02:18:20 | More by Jadjunk

IdeaSpeeder

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Serving Type - 500ml can poured into a nonic pint glass

Appearance - Beer pours a clear orange-golden colour. The initial two fingers of head appeared watery vanished vey quickly. Some (very) light traces of lacing are left behind.

Smell - A pleasant aroma. Very sweet smelling. Vanilla is dominant followed by caramel and sweet toffee. Also picking up some spices. There is an oak aroma from the aging process but I likley wouldn't have picked up on it if I hadn't been looking for it, but ist's really quite nice.

Taste - Vanilla taste right off the bat. Also a woody (oak) taste. Some light spiced towards the end. Caramel and toffee flavours feature predominantly. The vanilla taste also seems to linger. Bitterness is extremely low.

Mouthfeel - Far from heavy. If anything the beer is on the light side body-wise. Carbonation is low.

Overall - 3.5

Serving type: can

05-17-2013 01:55:30 | More by IdeaSpeeder

kangarooAdam59

Maine

3.6/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

On the box, it came in, it says best by Sep 2013, I didn't want to wait too long since its a clear bottle:

Into the Innis & Gunn tulip (I purchased along with the other two beers):

A: golden colored body with a two finger white foamy head that recedes a bit and leaves some nice clingy foamy lacing in its wake, slowly moving carbonation is seen rising

S: slight toffee, vanilla, molasses up front, gets woody as it warms

T: sweet and sharp through the previously mentioned flavors

M: medium, carbonation is felt, slightly sessionable

O: pretty good for a Scottish Ale, I'd have this one again

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 16:53:00 | More by kangarooAdam59

SLeffler27

New York

3.68/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Fills a Gordon thistle glass with a clear, dark copper beer with a creamy head that quickly turns to a thin collar, leaving little lacing. Tiny carbonation permeates throughout.

The aroma is faint with sweet oak, caramel, and a hint of whiskey.

The flavor is sweet, similar to apple juice, with notes of caramel, wood and whiskey. Overall, it is crisp, with a slight finish including cinnamon and other spices.

A medium body with light alcohol and a syrupy texture.

Easy drinking and refreshing on a hot afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 19:56:43 | More by SLeffler27

Giggy

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: dark gold in color with hints of garnet. Minimal weak head.

S: slight smoke/ oak aging. Caramel or toffee.

T: initial citrus followed by a wood/whiskey flavor with hints of vanilla.

M: easy drinking with minimal carbonation.

O: oak keeps it interesting. Good not great.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 21:04:36 | More by Giggy

mdfb79

New York

3.68/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

From 03/02/13 notes. Shared by a friend, picked up at Whole Food Bowery in NYC.

a - Pours a somewhat clear bright orange color with one inch of bright white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of vanilla, oak, toasted malts, caramel malts, some light fruity malts. Nice nose, lot of oak and caramel.

t - Tastes of vanilla, caramel malts, oak, toasted malts, wood, fruit. Lot more vanilla; decent but a little too much oak/vanilla and not a lot else going on.

m - Medium body and low carbonation. Pretty easy to drink overall.

o - Overall a pretty solid scotch ale. lot of vanill, oak, and caramel. Nice though the taste is very one dimensional. My friends love this one; it's solid and would have it again, though not my go-to scotch ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 19:52:25 | More by mdfb79

IllNate

British Columbia (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a crystal clear amber, with good amount of fizzy head with decent retention. Aroma hits you as soon as you pop the top off the bottle. Oak and toffee are immediately appearant, with vanilla and fruity esters coming next. All of this over a biscuit malt backbone. Great aroma, really quite unique. Taste follow with big oak, toffee, vanilla and fruit. With all that toffee and vanilla, it gives the impression of sweetness without actually being sweet, not much in the way of hops though, I think they would benefit from a bit more hopping for balance. Oddly enough the oak lends a bit of bitterness to the mix. Mouthfeel is smooth and foamy. Overall a good beer, aroma was the high point for me. But overall quite enjoyable and definitely different.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 04:35:29 | More by IllNate

UCLABrewN84

California

3.71/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours a clear orange with a foamy off-white head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Tiny streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, caramel, and some woody aromas. Taste is much the same with vanilla and woody flavors on the finish. There is a caramel sweetness that lingers on the palate after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with some nice woody aromas and flavors but the taste is quite sweet and sugary.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 01:04:35 | More by UCLABrewN84

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

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

A poured from a 750 ml glass bottle into a weizen glass (because I just used it, not because it is correct for the style), pours an orange straw color with a tight white head that lingers leaving little lacing, clear and quite bubbly

S: deep smells of sweet malt and oak, like whiskey with the alcohol smell removed, slight smell of yeast and quite earthy

T: flavors are quite subtle, oak flavor is quite prevalent with a malt sweetness, light and refreshing with a slightly drier finish, not a ton of depth to flavor though, mostly just the oaky quality

O: quite highly carbonated for the style, smell is good but the flavor profile is quite flat, their Winter 2011 version was much better, I always question clear bottles too, hope they are UV treated in some way or that may explain the loss of depth of flavors

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 02:46:58 | More by M_C_Hampton

CloudStrife

New York

3.73/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

11.2oz bottle poured into a snifter. Clear bottle.

A: Pours a clear copper amber with a 1 finger white head. The foam is quick to dissipate leaving a ring around the edge. Not really any lacing. Average carbonation.

S: Right off the bat you get sweet carmel, a bit of oakiness. Hints of the vanilla and toffee as the label suggests.

T: Not an overpowering beer. The scotch ale blends nicely with a little oak aging. There is a lot of carmel sweetness that I can see being too much for some.

M: It has a fairly thin body considering the flavor. Feels a little watery. Not too much carbonation. A little bit sticky.

Overall its an enjoyable beer on occasion. good after dinner beer or something to sip. Not a beer I would want to make a night out of drinking.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 01:38:58 | More by CloudStrife

Serge

Alberta (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Copper color, hint of ruby, clear, no head or lacing. Aroma was only bourbon, couldn’t pick up anything else. Tasted bourbon, coffee, vanilla, oak plus a note of citrus. Smooth texture, crisp body, no carbonation but it was well enough balanced. Overall very impressive for the price, complex not too boozy, nice beer for the colder weather.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 04:36:41 | More by Serge

scootny

New York

3.79/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Big head and the best lacing of the IG ales in the winter pack. Lovely clear amber with a golden amber color. Malt backbone with a spicy fruitiness in the nose. A light alcohol sweetness. Taste is smooth and malty with an oak and vanilla toffee sweetness. Alcohol and mineral edge in the finish with a mild hoppiness. Feel is medium light with a velvety creamy carbonation and easy drinkability. A good solid malt oriented ale with an oakey twist.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 22:52:42 | More by scootny

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a head of tannish foam that rapidly gave way, leaving very little in the way of lacing. Colour is fairly dark amber, with a fair bit of carbonation.

Aromas present include light vanilla oak, a fair bit of malt, apples, cinnamon, its fairly enticing.

Taste is quite rich and not overly sweet. There's a number of flavours at play here, quite a bit of oakiness, with caramel and cinnamon fruitiness to name a few. It is a flavourful and interesting beer to drink, really quite dry on the aftertaste. Left with a dry roasted woodiness on the tongue.

The mouthfeel is pleasant, carbonation is not too overwhelming and it is quite full bodied, alcohol definitely comes through.

This ones a bit tricky to score. Its a quite drinkable beer with a good depth of flavour, although I believe they could be tied together a bit better. Seek it out though, have been a fan of this for awhile.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 02:24:39 | More by mick303

BlurryVisi0n

New York

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a wellington glass.

Appearance: Clear amber nothing crazy here with light bubbles on the body. Has a weak head that is white rising to maybe 1/10". It is frail but you need to factor I am drinking this poured from a growler.

Smell: Light scotch scent, and a lighter scent of hops. The scotch is slightly overwhelming.

Taste: Little sweet believe it or not. Scotch feel is pretty evident and tastes stronger than what it really is. Lightly bitter but you have to look for it. This a very good brew.

Mouth: Lightly sticky, not smooth. It has this rum feel that is not for everyone and many people that I'm sharing this agree. Medium carbonation with a sweet after taste that breathes scotch down your throat.

Overall: I personally really like it. I smoke cigars and if there is a beer I would grab to go with one this would be it. Because of what it is, it is tough to have a lot of. Three might just over do it.

Serving type: growler

10-17-2012 01:57:26 | More by BlurryVisi0n