ImPaled Ale - Middle Ages Brewing Co., Ltd.

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This brew was served from the cask at The Old Toad in Rochester, NY. It arrived in a nondescript pint glass glowing a deep copper coloring. It held a one finger head of big white bubbles, showing great retention. This left sticky, wet lacing dripping down the sides of the glass. There was a mild haze, while carbonation appeared decent. No sediment was noted. The aroma was big with plastic phenols, honey sweetness, pale toasty malts, light burnt caramel, pineapple and pear sugars, and warm apple pie sweetness with warmth. Our first impression was that the flavoring showed big plastics, as in the nose, which added a strong bitterness alongside the hops. The taste opened with sweeter pale malts, bitter woodiness, sweeter citric hops, and washed pale and caramel malts. The middle peaked with a continuation of bittering wood, the start of a more fruity hop, smooth passion fruit and strawberry sweetness, as in the nose. The finish was with more of that fruity, citric hop, more tropical fruit, bitter oaky essence, sweeter caramel malts, pale toast, mineral, and stone. The aftertaste breathed of strong bitters of resiny hops, plastics, clovey bite, and more pale, toasty grain. The body was lighter, and the carbonation was lighter. There was limited slurp and smack, but the retaining head afforded nice slurp, and gave a happy mini mustache. There was mild astringent dryness left all around the mouth, with a boozy coolness to boot. The abv was appropriate, but this guy was a slow drinker, on account of the bitterness, but smooth drinking nonetheless.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the depth of flavoring. It really followed the nose nicely, and was equally as soft and sweet, but once the liquid dropped off, you got a more intense rumble of bittering phenols, wood, and piney bite. This is surprising when it happens, but it strikes a pleasant balance to the front of the flavoring, which is relatively sweet. The feel was a bit light, but not so noticeable as to wreck your experience.

Serving type: cask

11-03-2012 21:18:14 | More by TheBrewo

pandashaver

New York

4.53/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Beautiful pour from the cask, nice foamy head with some fine lacing that lasts. Aroma was the best quality, perfect for an IPA - floral, spice, fruit, hoppy. I could just stand there and smell this all day. Taste was just like the nose, with plenty of hop bitterness coming through in the finish. Lingers on the palate, very good med-thick body. Most notable of this IPA (other than the pleasant flowery aroma) is the smoothness, meaning it doesn't overwhelm the palate with hops and is very drinkable.

Serving type: cask

04-07-2009 18:45:15 | More by pandashaver

aerozeppl

New York

3.8/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From notes

A: Nice head. Amber color with nice lacing

S: Predictably hops. Some malt at the end.

T: Hops us front almost salty. Finishes with even more hops. This is a hopheads beer.

M Med body made thicker by hops. Carbonation is good.

D: Good for the style. Refreshing. Not for sessioning as the hop taste is overpowering.

Serving type: cask

12-02-2007 01:37:04 | More by aerozeppl

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had from a cask at Mahar's in Albany. The beer was clear golden orange color with thick and sticky head. The smell was dominated by fruity aromas with some strong hops presence. Same with the taste, both aroma and flavor were solidly above average. The mouthfeel and drinkability were much higher than average, mostly due to the creamy and thick mouthfeel from the cask. A nice solid English style IPA.

Serving type: cask

08-22-2006 02:49:47 | More by TurdFurgison

orfeu

New Mexico

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On cask at Pizza Plant Walker Center in Williamsville. Golden amber with slow and slight but steady rising carbonation and a slightly grey dirty-dishwater head. Very English floral hop aroma, Fuggles probably, and a quite expected buttery scent, too. Mild soapy scent at the end. Reminds me of their 10th Anniversary Ale, except tamed down (duh). Bitter soapy floral hop flavors predominate the first sip with a distinctly mineral finish. Subsequently, a toasted biscuit malt shows, but the flowery English hops are all over this one. A peachy fruitiness emerges, along with a subtle butterscotch flavor, around mid-glass. Medium body and smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Despite slightly high abv, this strikes me as eminently sessionable, so long as one is in the mood for a bit of diacetyl -- and I think that Middle Ages uses that characteristic quite to their advantage, despite the dislike some may have for a "buttery" flavor in their beer. I'm far from an expert, but from what I know, ImPaled Ale seems pretty on-point for this style. Nice EIPA.

Serving type: cask

04-07-2006 21:38:43 | More by orfeu

greggdogg

New York

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Note: On cask at Clark's Ale House, labeled as Clark's Armory Ale. It's the same stuff as ImPaled Ale, just cask-conditioned.

A - Orange, with a fluffy white head, large bubbles.

S - Hints of diacetyl and fuggles. Pleasant.

T - Love the ringwood yeast, it really defines Middle Ages. Nice and bitter, warm on the finish.

M - Flat, of course! Love having this on a cask, really lets the beer shine through. Dries out the tongue, but not tannic.

D - A bit high to session (6.5% ABV), I can never drink as many as I want. Damn.

Serving type: cask

03-20-2006 00:35:24 | More by greggdogg

Stimack

New York

4.13/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

If you look at my other reviews for this brew, bottle and on-tap, I really wanted to try it on cask. Well I got my wish and was able to try it the other night. It poured to a orange color with a thick off white head that had nice retention while leaving thick chunks of froth at the top of the brew and rings through out the rest. Very nice looking brew! The aroma from this brew is excellent, dominated by a citrus like hop aroma while still having solid malt characteristics. The taste is really good, great malt like characteristics that quickly break to a dominant hop taste that highlights a grapefruit like essence. I must really say that I am not sure what the reason is but my ratings for this brew just seem to be going up and up. Not sure if it is a change with my tastes or the serving type but this was the best experience I have had with this IPA. If you can try it on cask, really good IMO!

Serving type: cask

03-07-2005 17:09:21 | More by Stimack

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Was much better on cask at the Cask House in Syracuse than on-tap at the brewery. Good IPA, dry and bitter. Grapefruit aroma and taste. Lots and lots of Cascade and centenial hops. An IPA with attitude. Also was soapy at Pizza Plant on cask two years later, fruity but astringent bitter.

Serving type: cask

11-17-2004 15:54:09 | More by northyorksammy

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

4.06/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - cloudy orangish amber, nice sticky head that is a little watery but laying down some good lace tracks around the glass.

Aroma - nice hit of piny hops on opening the bottle. Fades to a very mild hoppiness and some light caramelly grain. The citrus and butteriness of the English yeast show up in a few minutes, the yeast leading the way. Good resilience too once it arrives.

Taste - decent buttery grains up front, the hop hit is very well balanced. Some citrus but not too punchy. Really spreads around the flavor in the mouth well. The bitterness pushes the grain off after the swallow and goes dry, a little warm, and pretty darn pleasant. Finishes with a hint of malty twang, orange peel, and balanced bitterness.

Mouthfeel - crisp, medium to medium-light. Refreshing, clean.

Overall - excellent session brew given to me by a local homebrew buddy Steve. Thanks, man!

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 03:30:16 | More by brewdlyhooked13

Brad007

Vermont

3.45/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice shade of gold with a huge head into my glass. Good colors for an EIPA, a style that I feel is dying out slowly.

Aroma is more "fruity" than I expected with peach and just a touch of aroma hops. This style isn't know for hard-hitting bitterness.

Taste reflects that. Balanced, "fruity" with a touch of toffee.The label doesn't list it but I'm going to take a stab in the dark and guess that the hops are Fuggles. Feel free to correct me.

Mouthfeel is full of lingering toffee and just a touch of bitterness. Carbonation is excellent.

Definitely worth a try if you want a break from the standard American IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 02:12:45 | More by Brad007

rlee1390

Indiana

3.43/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Clear orange, some carbonation, two finger head with lacing.

S-Bread, malt, not best by so maybe it has turned, no hops either.

T-Starts malty with bread. Slight bitterness and slight grass.

M-Light to medium bodied, lots of carbonation.

O-Maybe this bottle was just old, but serves them right for not putting a date on the bottle. If I could get a fresh bottle I'd try it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 20:31:02 | More by rlee1390

sirsurly

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

An amazing offering despite the dorky label. You want citrus in your IPA? We're talking pink grapefruit, fresh perfect citrus, combined with all the bitterness you want in a well balanced IPA. I had this stocked in my kegerator for two years after I first moved back to Syracuse. The bottles report well, but a fresh draft (hard to find), tastes like a miracle considering its humble roots.

Serving type: on-tap

10-22-2012 23:52:47 | More by sirsurly

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear amber with a white lacing.

Dry bready malts with piney grapfruit bitter hops.

Bread and butter malts, pine and grapfruit bitter hop,

Medium body with stinging carbonation on the roof of the mouth.

Really good tasty IPA, easy to drink and a nice balance of strong hops and dry malts. Would have this again.

Serving type: growler

09-08-2012 20:56:31 | More by Cylinsier

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.03/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a snifter.

3.5 A: Clear medium orange color. One and a half fingers of frothy off-white head. Retention is about average and a decent sized ring of lacing is left.

3.0 S: Floral and grassy hops with a touch of citrus thrown in. Clean with a light neutral maltiness. Not bad, but nothing stands out.

3.0 T: Floral, grassy, and earthy hop flavor. Bready maltiness, but overall clean. Moderate to heavy moderate bitterness. Again, it's just average.

3.0 M: Medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Lacking creaminess, but okay.

3.0 D: About as average as it can get. Not bad with nothing standing out or disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 05:21:48 | More by DavoleBomb

aranheaney

New York

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Stone nonic pint glass

A-Copper with great head that sticks and leaves nice lacing

S-Grass, citrus, pine and resin

T-Really strong, nose represented up front and classic IPA on the back

M-Just about perfect for this style

O-Very sold effort from one of my favorite NY breweries

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 21:48:26 | More by aranheaney

Kendo

New York

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from the bottle into a pint glass. Body is slightly hazy orangey-honey-amber in color. Small whitish head on top, leaves behind good lacing.

S: Fruity-sweet and grapefruity citrus. A touch floral. Not too strong in the nose, however.

T: I understand why this is classified as an English - and not American - IPA. There's a good amount of malty sweetness in the foundation of this beer. Think bread dough and caramel malt/light toffee, along with a generic fruitiness. Hops come through more toward the finish, where there's a nice, slightly lemony, dry bitterness. Good balance between sweet and bitter.

M: Medium in heft, carbonation is fine and prickly, but not assertive.

O: Good stuff. Somewhere between an English IPA and an American Pale Ale, I'd say.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 02:27:01 | More by Kendo

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Middle Ages IPA has a golden-orange colored body and a thin, off-white head that manages to lay down a little bit of lacing.

The aroma has a lot of fruity and earthy hops along with a toasty, grainy malt profile.

This one is definitely an interpretation of an English, not an American IPA. Lots of hops up front, with all kinds of fruit but not biting citrus. There is, however, a little bit of an earthy hop flavor. Although it does seem to include some caramel malt, the malt profile isn't a huge, sweet one. Instead it tastes like it has a little bit of toasted malt, and then predominantly pale malts that are dry and grainy.

The mouthfeel has a touch of an oily feel, with a dry finish.

This is a really nice IPA that uses English style hop flavors. It is probably pretty bold and hoppy, in the mold of an American style, but the ingredients still taste English. Worth a try if that kind of thing sounds good to you.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2012 01:53:40 | More by Hojaminbag

Lawl3ss

Texas

4.18/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I've had this one a number of times on tap and via growler, though I have to say I prefer it out of a bottle with a few months on it. Think what you may. (Somewhere, the hop gods are crying.)

Hence, this is a review of such a bottle. Lightly chilled and poured aggressively into a tulip pint.

Look-This one pours more head than beer- about a 10-to-1 ratio for the first second or so, but it falls to a clingy film rather rapidly, showing a moderate amount of ropy lacing. The foam from the second pour stuck around quite a bit longer, however. The beer itself is a nice tawny pale amber with a touch of grapefruit blush. A decent number of bubbles rising rapidly indicates a well carbonated brew.

Smell- The aroma is fruity, sweet fresh cherries with a backdrop of bitter citrus. After swirling it a bit, I get a touch of pepper and toasted malt. Appetizing.

Taste- Sweetness and a big hop bite right off the bat, with a breadlike undercurrent that starts to take over as it rolls on the tongue. Right in the middle, there's an unexpected bitter splash as acidic lemon makes a resurgence. Aftertaste is fairly mild, light toasted malt, diacetyl, and orange zest.

Mouthfeel- Mid-to-heavy body with mid-to-heavy carbonation. Slightly oily, crisp throughout, and not unpleasant cottony finish. A bit heavy on the aftertaste for me, I prefer my IPAs to finish clean, and this one can be cloying after a while, even fresh. Still a lip-smacker, though.

Overall- This is Middle Ages' signature brew, and showcases a lot of what makes them unique. A very solid beer, but it just doesn't tickle my palate the way some of their bolder offerings do. It’s still a great fallback when a well-rounded E-IPA is what I'm in the mood for.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 03:53:00 | More by Lawl3ss

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

massive body, full hop flavor. pours a darker golden color with a sturdy white head. smells like more of a pale ale, with a balanced malty presence. taste is quite hoppy, but again balanced. really big body makes this one a bit filling for a session beer, and it is definitely a cold weather ipa, not magining this to be a summer drink. enjoyed this syracuse staple

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 14:40:27 | More by StonedTrippin

braski

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

appearance- in between straw and amber with a nice white foamy head.

smeell- mostly just pale malts no hops at all.

taste- starts sweet and end bitter but nothing realy pops out of the beer.

mouthfeel- really nice do to the light to medium body with lots of carbonation.

overall- overall a good beer but i think it's more of a pale ale than a ipa, however this was the first english ipa i had so maybe thats just the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 00:50:55 | More by braski

AgentZero

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Golden/amber colored beer with a big foamy head that had moderate retention and left some stick on the sides.

S - Pale malts, bit of sugar sweetness, some butterscotch, little bit of resin oil, some floral notes.

T - Taste is a bit of caramel and some sweetness. Malt backbone is strong, slightly toasted, with some earthy and floral hopping. Not bad really for an English IPA.

M - Smooth, light, crisp, active carbonation.

O - Fairly enjoyable beer. I liked it more when I realized it was an English IPA and not the American one I was expecting. Solid stuff.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 04:33:36 | More by AgentZero

soju6

Missouri

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a hazy deep copper color with a good head that fades slowly tolots of lacing.

S: Fairly mild aroma of citrus with a bit of sweet fruit and hint of spice.

T: Taste is a nice tangy bite upfront with citrus, some caramenl sweetness with a nice bitterness through to a dry finish.

F: Medium body, crisp and refreshing. Very good balance.

O: Good IPA, not overly hopped, really hits the spot.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 21:49:49 | More by soju6

Hoagie1973

New York

3.53/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Slightly cloudy orange/gold with a fluffy white head. Good retention and stick.
Fruity hop bouquet with an underlying buttery malt aroma.
Good amount of flavorful maltiness. A bit fruity with hints of butterscotch. Pronounced hop presence. Mostly bittering hops that linger well into the finish.
Decent medium bodied feel.
Decent drinkability, but the hops are a bit one-dimensional; would like a little more complexity rather than just bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 19:49:56 | More by Hoagie1973

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

With the malty character and balance of Fuller's London Pride and the crisp citrusy hop flavor and bitterness of Sierra Nevada's Torpedo, this hybrid beer does very well for itself.

Medium amber in color and with soft carbonation, the beer forms an eggshell white head that proves good staying power with lacing to match. A good look for any pale ale.

Biscuity, buttery malt character fills the nose along with caramel and estery fruits. American-style aromas come through with sharp and zesty grapefruit that rises as the beer warms and with a few good swirls.

Medium caramel sweetness is met with a hearty bready malt base accompanied by estery appricot fruitiness, mild butterscotch, and shortbread. Sweetness waivers as the hoppy flavor of ruby red grapefruit and orange zest finish the beer with a cleaner, crisper, and refined bitterness that's unexpected for English beers, and more characterized by American ales.

Early richness is attributed to slightly lower carbonation, medium malty richness, and slight oily feel. But all that subsides as the bright citrusy bitterness helps to dry the beer and the alcohol gives an evaporative ethanol dryness.

English maltiness and American hoppiness always work out well together. If for a slightly better attenuation and less buttery notes, this could be an absolutely irresistable beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2011 17:50:39 | More by BEERchitect

Airyk12

Oregon

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got in a trade from shrek806. Thanks!

Pours a hazy amber color, with a foamy white head. Leaves a web of lacing down the glass.

Smells like caramel malts with some hops and a bit diacetyl.

A little bit of bitterness, plenty of clean malts. The diacetyl adds a little flavor, but doesn't overwhelm at all. This is definitely a malt forward IPA, nothing too bitter or strong.

Smooth, crisp, and clean. Light body and almost no aftertaste.

A good IPA, if not an interesting one. Closer to a pilsner in feel and taste. Still, the little diacetyl adds something, if not a little strange...

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 08:10:23 | More by Airyk12