Samuel Smith's India Ale - Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)

chicagoabbot

Illinois

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

Victorian pint glass into a Samuel Smith's pint glass. Gift packs are great for drinking beers in their own glasses. Don't expect an huge hoppy IPA in the American style out of this beer. The hops are significantly less bitter and significantly less. It's not massively bitter, but it's a decent beer that helps the drinker get a feel for how the style started. With American IPAs averaging in the 7% range these days to move product by attracting consumers to the high alcohol content, this English ale is a refreshing change of pace, at 5% alcohol and American pale ale level IBUs. Purchased as part of a gift pack at Nick's Liquors in Hammond, IN and it was reasonable. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 07:45:17 | More by chicagoabbot

KingBiscuit

Illinois

3/5  rDev -18.9%

05-21-2013 02:01:25 | More by KingBiscuit

Kingcurio

Oklahoma

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

05-21-2013 01:58:07 | More by Kingcurio

cosmonick

Indiana

2.75/5  rDev -25.7%

05-19-2013 01:43:44 | More by cosmonick

drgonzo2k2

California

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

05-18-2013 17:52:18 | More by drgonzo2k2

ridgeline23

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.1%

05-17-2013 00:27:05 | More by ridgeline23

sneaks2210

New York

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

05-15-2013 20:05:22 | More by sneaks2210

AmandaSchaefer

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -18.9%

05-13-2013 22:57:22 | More by AmandaSchaefer

georgiaboy8686

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

05-11-2013 14:48:16 | More by georgiaboy8686

ajtorres311

Florida

3/5  rDev -18.9%

05-10-2013 17:04:37 | More by ajtorres311

JakeDebus

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

05-09-2013 19:29:24 | More by JakeDebus

blknikon

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

05-07-2013 22:28:13 | More by blknikon

MatterOfOpinion

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

05-06-2013 05:47:03 | More by MatterOfOpinion

Dduquette

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

05-02-2013 01:28:36 | More by Dduquette

cyclonece09

Virginia

3.79/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 14 oz "pint" glass. Pours a cloudy orange with a small white head, dissipates very quickly. Smells of grassy and floral hops, very nice. Tastes of earthy hops and nice grain that adds a little sweetness. Beer is slightly overcarbonated, but for its light body goes down really well. Overall, an above average beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 23:49:45 | More by cyclonece09

ndaniel

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

04-29-2013 20:12:27 | More by ndaniel

magictacosinus

California

3.7/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured out of a 550ml bottle into a nonic pint glass. No freshness date.

The appearance is nothing more than a deep, amber classic English bitter appearance, complete with 3 fingers worth of head that eventually dies down to about a half finger. The head never really goes away, as with all other Samuel Smith beers. Carbonation is livelier than usual in this beer - no matter how much I drank there was still tons of carbonation jet-streaming to the top of the glass. Lacing is terrific on this, leaving behind glossy, splattered stickiness everywhere. Pretty much looks like a top English bitter appearance, except with several aspects automatically jacked up given the style.

Smells like any great bitter does, complete with cracked barley breadiness, several toasted biscuit notes, and yeasty fruitiness, except this time there's far more floral and grassy character imparted by the extra hops. To me, it's far less grating than many malty bitters tend to be to my palate, and either I'm desensitized with the exaggerated character of American beers by now, or I simply view this as a beer that reaches for more balance overall. Of course, compared to other English bitters, it most definitely *isn't* (obviously with the hop amount, but more so with the high ABV - above an ESB in this case), but it still is enjoyable here. Those nice, robust yeasty phenols I love Samuel Smith's beers for are in full throttle here. Apples, peaches, and apricots, for starters. Very refreshing.

The flavor is not quite as balanced, however, and in fact alternates in between the biscuit toasted character and the extra bittered hoppiness. At the beginning, there's a grain forward juiciness, filled with a cider-y, fruit forward flavor, yet afterwards it is taken over by orange peel flavors, grassiness, and a light floral texture. It goes, sadly, from thickened to slightly thinned and acidic as the hops arrive, and does not quite reach a proper melding of ingredients. It's relatively easy to drink, although the alcohol does get more noticeable as it warms up, but it does get progressively syrupy as well, sweetened, and mutes the yeasty and barley notes I love these beers for.

Not bad by Samuel Smith standards, yet not nearly as balanced or drinkable as their standard bitter offerings as well. In terms of setting the historical recipe of British IPAs, this is a very nice tribute and recreation of the now highly pepped up and competitive beer style. I would imagine this is better fresh, what with all these alpha acids falling apart at this point. This paired very well with Chinese food, and at this point, I couldn't imagine not pairing it with something international given the context. Worth a try, but not as essential as their other beers.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 04:34:58 | More by magictacosinus

J_Dub

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +21.6%

04-23-2013 14:38:18 | More by J_Dub

bmurray10

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

04-22-2013 14:34:47 | More by bmurray10

TwoForty

Florida

5/5  rDev +35.1%

04-21-2013 02:08:09 | More by TwoForty

jmw4437

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

04-20-2013 23:37:43 | More by jmw4437

scmoore81

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +8.1%

04-19-2013 14:03:18 | More by scmoore81

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.89/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

29 March 2013. Having spent the day on Huatulco beach with only Modelo products and the sea to keep me cool I needed a proper beer. On entering my stateroom a 550ml bottle of this called out to me from the fridge, it had accompanied me from Southampton and was there for such a time as this.

Poured into a tumbler (twice) while the wife showered it did the trick. Light amber in colour, it's white head sat proudly on top and it looked very inviting indeed.

The nose was hops first and foremost although the malt content doesn't hide away either. The taste is very simular to what the aroma hints at: a hop fronted malt laden brew with a good depth of flavours. Fairly dry at times but a very good brew and ideal for the moment when I opened this bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 07:04:05 | More by BlackHaddock

CoryR

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

04-16-2013 00:17:00 | More by CoryR

JamesQuaff

California

3.83/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Purchased at Total Wine as part of a 3 bottle Samuel Smith's gift pack with a brewery monogrammed Becker pint glass. Was actually priced a couple bucks lower than buying the bottles separately, and since I'm a huge nit, my decision was easy.

Poured into the Samuel Smith's glass (natch).

Pours a lovely deep copper with a thick, rustic looking 2 finger head that just stays and stays and leaves mad lacing.

Smell is slightly sour, big malts, and a hop profile worlds apart from the citric-pine-dank blast of an American IPA. I'm admittedly not yet knowledgeable enough to differentiate between hop varieties by smell, give me a year of homebrewing and get back to me. I'm at least reasonably sure there's no Centennial, Simcoe or Citra in here.

Taste is also worlds apart from an American IPA. Big, round flavor. Very malt-forward, still plenty of hops but they take on more of a supporting role here. Delicious bready finish. Well balanced.

Mouthfeel is good, the carbonation was a little soft and could have used a bit more bite, medium body.

Overall I enjoyed this traditional English IPA very much. If I had gone into it expecting a West Coast-style hop blast I would have been disappointed, but I didn't, and I wasn't. I'll drink this beer again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 15:56:48 | More by JamesQuaff