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

mulder1010

Australia

1.68/5  rDev -54.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

550 ML bottle

A-- Poured a light amber color, fairly small light brown head. Not a lot to this.

S-- Faint sweet and hop aroma. A little bit of old damp rag smell and a little bit of dishwasher soap.

T-- A lot of dishwasher soap taste with old grapefruit, orange and lemon. ICK BAD BOTTLE.

M-- Prickly mouthfeel. Hops are still there but the taste and feel are more like nearly expired citrus fruits. Really oxidized. There are some semblances of what this should be and what I am getting is not it.

D-- Drain Poured the rest. Will try again and review at a later date.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 05:32:45 | More by mulder1010

scottfrie

California

2.1/5  rDev -43.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

550ml into SA perfect pint glass.

A: Pours a golden-amber with a billowing white head that slowly reduced into an oily film that left decent lacing.
S: Very dough smelling, like focaccia bread dipped in olive oil. Faint notes of hops and caramel malt. Very weak.
T: Very malty and biscuity with a syrupy bittersweet orange sweetness and a hint of hops. Notes of gritty apples, tobacco, and dry grains as well. Disappointed that the hops are so hard to pick out. Tastes kinda like old green tea leaves that have been left too long to steep.
M: Slippery and thin with a funky bitter/sour hop and yeast aftertaste. Not the greatest.
D: I didn't much care for this one. Could have been a bad bottle perhaps, or it's just not for me. Either way I won't be buying this one again. Aftertaste, mouthfeel and overall flavors just weren't agreeable. Definitely not much of an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2010 03:25:23 | More by scottfrie

PatronWizard

California

2.15/5  rDev -41.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Poured...

Don't believe I've seen this color before. Perfectly clear amber orange. Big frothy head.

Light scent of beer. Not a lot of smell at all.

Somewhat of a unique flavor, but very light. No hops, no bitterness. Not a big beer.

Cool and refreshing (the death knell), thirst quenching. Watery.

Well, hell, totally unremarkable. Will be good and forgotten in a matter of minutes. Kinda disappointing as I hold this brewer in some what of a high regard.

Actually I have to ask, is this a joke? Gets even worse with time, tastes like dish soap.

I begin to wonder if I have a bad bottle. Looking through some other reviews I see many people wonder if they had a bad bottle.

Conclusion: one large bad batch or this is a very poor version of beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2008 19:53:46 | More by PatronWizard

Gueuzedude

Arizona

2.17/5  rDev -41.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pours a hazy full copper color and is topped by a two finger thick, frothy, tan colored head. The aroma is of ripe fruit, plums, apple, strawberry, earthy hops, and a component that reminds me of oxidation. The taste is thin and dead on the front of my tongue and unfortunately the rest of this beer does not get much better. There are notes of cider, wan stale malt, and cardboard. Despite putting this beer in a brown bottle, this beer is still quite stale and lame.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2005 03:55:10 | More by Gueuzedude

JBStith

North Carolina

2.17/5  rDev -41.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Sam Smith's India (Pale) Ale. Not nearly as good as I was expecting. Quite disappointing actually.

A: Somewhat pale, watery, and hazy looking compared to most other IPAs. Very little head, retention, and no lacing to speak of .

S: Mostly sweet malts. Virtually no hop aroma at all.

T: Similar to smell, taste is mostly malt. Sweet, caramel, honey? No bitterness or hint of hops at all. It almost makes me question whether or not this is really an IPA or if I just got a bad bottle.

M&D: Medium body yet watery. Not drinkable at all for me.

Because Sam Smith's makes some of my favorite beers, I am hoping I just got a bad batch. I will try this again just to make sure, but this beer was just not good. Very disappointing.

UPDATE: I had to down grade the score of this beer mid way through an IPA tasting. At this point I can't even rate it as average.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2006 23:58:06 | More by JBStith

giblet

Ohio

2.17/5  rDev -41.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

let me be first by saying that i feel this company kicks ass. but, and a big butt, this is not good. a poor example of what i am used to for IPA. it poured fine into my glass. good carbonation and head and some nice lace as i worked down. smell was rich and caramel malt...not what i look for in a pale ale. taste was not bad but not what i look for in a pale ale. lil hops.

maybe i am an idiot but the american IPA's are far far superior in my taste than this one.

good beer, not a good IPA.

suckem up and movem out.

giblet

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2007 22:59:13 | More by giblet

PBRstreetgang

Ohio

2.2/5  rDev -40.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy, deep gold with a dense two and a half finger head. Great retention and excellent spotty lacing. Spicy alcohol and cinnamon in the nose, mild enlgish hops and a hint of toasted pale malt. Initially sweet with toasty base malt and a hint of crystal. Next, vague dextrins and a soft diacetyl come through to couple with a quasi-phenolic fruitiness and a dry but not very bitter aftertaste. Some oily enlgish hops give an herbal, tea-like flavor -but the hop charcter is very limited and quite unbalanced for the style. Medium in body and light-ish carbonation-this is just crisp enough to fight off any slickness. Finishes dry and fruity; very drinkable with interesting malt and yeast attributes, but grossy lacking an identity similiar to the classic English IPA.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2006 06:40:12 | More by PBRstreetgang

rrob311

New Hampshire

2.2/5  rDev -40.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I bought these at Kappy's in Fitchburg. The whole euro section was huge but most of the beer there had dust on it including this. O well I wanted to try something new so here it goes:

A: This is a dark amber color.

S: This beer almost smells faintly of apple cider vinegar

T: This tastes like it is a bad batch, kind of almost like wine with little malt flavor.

M: Kind of flat

D: I may try this again if I see a freshness date.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2008 00:45:22 | More by rrob311

magictrokini

California

2.23/5  rDev -39.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Extremely disappointed by this beer. Pours clear yellow with a foamy white head. Nose is weak, very weak. Mostly goldings and pale malt/bread aroma with mineral water. Watery, shify mouthfeel. Pale/golden ale flavor with mor malt than anything else. I didn't look at the ingredients, but I'll bet "hops" is nowhere on the list. Tastes more like a Pale Ale that was poured into a dirty glass that may have contained an IPA at some point. Charlatan!

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2008 17:10:06 | More by magictrokini

CAcreeks

California

2.28/5  rDev -38.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

I don't think English hops are as good as American hops for making IPA. Complexity of aroma is almost totally lacking in this brew. If you want this type of beer, just get their Nut Brown Ale, which tastes better, with less of this funky flavor. It is not undrinkable, just disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 08:10:50 | More by CAcreeks

harrymel

Washington

2.28/5  rDev -38.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottled: unk
Pours a crystal amber with etched surface and some ringed whites. Smells of sweet malts. Not really getting much hop presence, even for an English IPA, this nose is super tame. Flavor of sweet, amber malts with some hints of oxidation and a little bitterness on the finish. The malt profile is quite pleasant, but the hops have all but died here. Starting to feel like this bottle is old, but it's hard to tell. Medium bodied with subdued carb and a semi dry finish. Meh.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 15:43:43 | More by harrymel

hoplover82

Texas

2.3/5  rDev -37.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Man, this is the worst IPA I've had. Terrible interpretation. The worst by Sam Smiths.

Pours a hazy gold color with a thin white head.

Almost no hop aroma, just light pale malts in the nose.

Almost no hop flavor, just pale malts and minerals and a little bitterness. Nothing impressive.

Very thin, kinda watery, light bodied.

Not too drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2008 20:57:23 | More by hoplover82

breyton490

Massachusetts

2.35/5  rDev -36.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Appearance: Poured from a 500ml bottle. Not much of a head. Had a nice light brown, caramel color. Crystal clear

Smell: Some hop aroma, though not much. Definitely English hops.

Taste: Medium body, nice bitterness although this is no US IPA as the hops and bitterness are very restrained. Fairly dry finish. On the first sip I noticed a weird flavor which became more and more pronounced after each subsequent drink. The beer had a very strong tea like flavor and harshness to it. It almost became too much to finish the glass. Not a beer I would drink a second bottle of.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, tart, fairly dry finish

Drinkabiltiy: The strong tea twang taste in this beer make it tough for me to want to have a second. Maybe a bad or old bottle, but after reading other reviews I don't think that to be the case.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2008 15:41:25 | More by breyton490

jsdunlop

North Carolina

2.42/5  rDev -34.6%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Picked this one up at the Greensboro Total Wine, no freshness date to be found on the bottle. Pours out a darker amber, almost no head seemed to form, no lacing either. Smell is malty and slightly musty. Some alcohol can be picked up as well, along with some raisins and figs. Very malt forward beer, with a dulling hop presence that makes it's way onto the palate, providing a touch of bitterness and very little flavor. Some faint dark ripened fruits appear with the first malty sip. Mouthfeel is moderate to light, but slightly watery and creamy. Very little carbonation in this bottle. Overall, something doesn't seem right about this bottle. Very, very low carbonation, flavors seemed extremely muted and meshed within the malt profile of the beer. Perhaps I could have picked up a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 00:31:08 | More by jsdunlop

Erdinger2003

Iowa

2.48/5  rDev -33%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This beer pours a big head, but that falls quickly and almost completely. The lacing is great and the color is copper/brown. There is a light hop presence in the smell with a little bit of cardboard, but not much. The taste is a little sweet with no hoppiness that I can taste. Just a little sweet with just a hint slight backround of cardboard. Mouthfeel was nice. Overall I thought it was ok, but not something to pay $3.50/bottle for.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2007 03:34:21 | More by Erdinger2003

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

2.48/5  rDev -33%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I'll start off saying I was really excited to try this.

A - No head. Copper colour. Very little carbonation. Bright.

S - Very mild. A little bit of hops and some breadiness.

T - Same as the aroma. Very mild. Mild is the only thing that comes to mind. Mild hop finish.

M - Light body and a little bit of carbonation.

D - Why!?!?! This was such a disappointment. For such a reputable brewery this is very weak. I hope this was a bad bottle b/c I can't imagine this being let out the brewery intentionally.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 01:52:23 | More by tbeckett

josefnewsong

New York

2.5/5  rDev -32.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - pours a clear, pure copper color with 2 fingers of white bubbly head that dissipates slowly and leaves a good amount of lacing
S - some earthy hops, some bready malt in the back
T - earthy hop bitterness with a metallic aftertaste, some light malts...a bit underwhelming from what I've come to expect from Samuel Smith's
M - medium bodied, mostly smooth and slick with some hop dryness
D - drinkable, but overall I'm not impressed

I can't get over the metallic flavor...maybe this beer is past it's prime. Not typical Samuel Smith's quality if you ask me. I hope this beer was just light-stuck and I come back to it another time and find it palatable.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2010 03:52:46 | More by josefnewsong

jt31914

Michigan

2.63/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12 oz. bottle

A: No head, amber in color.

S: Strong alcohol aroma and very dry (duh it's Samuel Smith's); slight cloves and hop aromas.

T: Hoppy with clove/honey taste. Slightly bitter with dry alcohol taste present. Pretty pleasant.

M: Fairly smooth and drinkable.

Decent IPA, but there are many better (Centennial from Founders and Lagunitas IPAs for starters).

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2009 05:29:13 | More by jt31914

hoppedupken

California

2.63/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 550 mL bottle into a Samuel Adam's etched glass.

A - Pours a light, golden blonde color with a small head that dissipated after a few moments. Left some small lacing on the glass as it emptied.

S - Smells mellow and not overly hoppy, malt is certainly present in the smell.

T - A good bitter taste, not overpowering, but refreshing. More mild in the hop department than IPA's on this side of the Atlantic.

M - Flavor lingers on the roof of the mouth and is not overly heavy.

O - A good beer to accompany a meal. A good complexity between the malt and the hops.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 02:12:27 | More by hoppedupken

ncbeermonger

North Carolina

2.68/5  rDev -27.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

pours with a little head, the beer is short of an amber color, you can see oranges, and reds.

The smell of Hops is there, but not overly hoppy.

Taste leaves a lot to be desired, it may be because I got a bad bottle. I bought this at Earth Fare, and after reading my fellow BA reviews on the place this Earth fare is known for having older stock! This bottle may be old! There is no born on dating of any kind, so it's impossible to tell.

The mouthfeel is good, but heavy for an IPA. this bottle lacks crispness, something I was looking for in this India Ale. The ABV is only 5. I expect more from an Ipa.

This is not a beer I will try again.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2008 18:44:30 | More by ncbeermonger

mnesporov

North Carolina

2.73/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Presentation: 1pint bottle with no freshness date to be found.

Appearance: A copper orange color with a fluffy white head that calmed down to a frothy lace.

Smell: The hop aroma tends to stand out the most with a zest of tartness.

Taste: The hop bitterness takes over in this ale with hints of caramel and orange like tea flavor as well, with undertones of grains and butterscotch.

Mouth-Feel: A medium bodied ale with a little dryness as well. The carbonation is medium, and it finishes quite smooth.

Drink-Ability: A very drinkable brew that goes well with some meat or potatoes. But there are just so many better IPA’s that I think this beer is overshadowed.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2006 00:58:11 | More by mnesporov

Kromes

Georgia

2.73/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: hazy amber color with a two finger width off white head. There is no noticable carbonation in the beer.

S: A strong herbal and citrus aroma with some toasted malt. Unfortunately there is a slight astringent aroma , like vinegar, in there also.

T: I can taste the toasted malts up front, more malty than I expected. Then there is a very strong citric acid flavor that I did not like. Finishes acidic and bitter.

M: Medium mouthfeel and hardly any carbonation. The acidity and bitterness in the beer dries out the mouth.

D: It's decent, but I'm starting to think that I might have bought a bad batch. There was dust on the bottle and no date. I think the vinegar flavors mean that it is pretty old....Unfortunately I can't be sure of that and I have 3 more to drink...maybe those will be better.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2011 23:21:09 | More by Kromes

ryrust5301

Louisiana

2.75/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a sam smiths pints glass from a 12oz. bottle.

Appearance - A see through copper color with a small head of about half a finger.

Smell - Nothing great. Some tart hops, and little else. Smells more malty than anything else

Taste and Mouthfeel - Pretty bland. Nothing at all to jump out and grab your tongue. Mouthfeel is smooth with the malt, and theres a hoppy bite fluttering around in there somewhere. Sweet caramel, and some orange in the taste. Hoppy crispness in the end fades fast leaving the mouth dry.

Drinkability - More a pale ale than an ipa. A great brewery, but a sub par offering. Nothing grabbed me about this beer at all.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2008 05:17:21 | More by ryrust5301

CampusCrew

Florida

2.75/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

appearance: little lacing and golden amber color

smell: low hop aroma and more sweetness fromt he malt.

taste: balanced, or more on the malt side. hard to tell it was an IPA. Most APAs have more power.

mouthfeel: light-medium bodied

drinkability: not a fan. would not have again

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2010 01:50:15 | More by CampusCrew

jonziefle

North Carolina

2.75/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Poured a clear light copper amber. One finger off white bubbly/foamy head with good retention. Visible carbonation. Not much lacing.

Smell: Sweet appley malts predominant. Caramel malts that are nutty and a bit biscuit with a hint of adjunct. No hops stick out.

Taste: Dark bitter malts with a long linger. A roasted profile not unlike some lagers or brown ales. Adjunct flavors in the background. Once again, not much of a hop present.

Mouthfeel: Thin to medium bodied with a bitter malt bite and moderate carbonation tingle.

Drinkability: Definitely wouldn't confuse an English IPA with American one. Lots of bitter dark malts without much balance. More like a brown ale or a lager in my mind.

Buy Again? No.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2010 03:13:57 | More by jonziefle