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

turnerk3

South Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a vice nice brownish orange, almost like a piece of toast. Unable to see through the glass, but I would say it's more murky than cloudy. A thin white head that has minimal retention, if any at all.

S: Immediately you can tell that this is not the typical American style IPA. The hoppy smell is still there, but use of different hops give it more of an earthy, herbal, and leafy smell. There is also a bit of a sweet smell from the malts.

T: Much like the smell, the taste is quite different than a typical American IPA. The malts provide a nice sweetness while the hops come through to counter with a delectable bitterness. A very well balanced true English style Indian Ale.

M: The thin head is an indicator that there is very little carbonation which is definitely reassured in the mouth. The hops seem to linger, but not in an over powering way. Surprisingly smooth for an IPA, however, it is only 5% compared to the average 6.5-7%.

O: This is the a perfect example of a true English style IPA. The different hops provide a very unique taste. If you want to see how different hops can influence a brew, then this is definitely a beer to try!

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 23:31:38 | More by turnerk3

DrewSnyc667

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

55ml Imperial Pint bottle poured into a shaker pint glass

A - Deep copper color, very still with a wonderful 2 in pillowy head
S - Sweet herbal tea is exceptionally unique. Peach fruit and honey sugars
T - Full bodied malty character hops are mild especially for the style. Sweet with noticeable roasted malts
M - Buttery smoothness very very session able
O - Very fascinating brew, much more mild on the hops than any other IPA i have tired; British or American. However very well done indeed, makes for a great session ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 21:48:24 | More by DrewSnyc667

BeerCon5

Pennsylvania

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

Pours a hazy bright orange-amber color with nearly 2 fingers of fluffy white head.

The scenit is of orange peel and some notes of herbal hops.

The taste is of orange peel and maybe some other citrus, some toasted grains, and lightly bitter herbal hops.

Light body, smooth and creamy, low carbonation.

This was a pretty decent beer, the flavor is a bit light at first but gets stronger as you get into the beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 18:38:07 | More by BeerCon5

Butzen

Colorado

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

Samuel Smith's maltier beers are its true stars -- Oatmeal Stout, Imperial Stout and Nut Brown Ale are all must-tries. Nonetheless, the India Ale is a solid offering, but nothing like the IPAs you and I are used to. At a relatively low 5.0 percent ABV (the same as the brewery's Pale Ale, actually), the copper-colored beer packs a tart, tingly bitterness and finishes dry. The aroma is fruity, yeasty, musty and white-wine-like, and the taste is similar, though the flavors seem somewhat overpowered by the bitterness. If you're used to drinking American IPAs made with high-alpha-acid hops, the gentle, British "noble" hops used in this beer are an entirely different animal, exchanging resinous, piney, grapefruity characteristics for earthy, floral notes.

(Read the full review at http://vittlesandbrews.blogspot.com

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 04:08:11 | More by Butzen

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

Dave1999

Virginia

4.53/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep amber colour with a small white head.

The smell is malty,fruity,plums and raisins.

The taste is much the same as the smell with a bitter after taste.

The mouth feel is smooth and medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation.

Another great beer from Samuel Smiths, this is the best English IPA that I've had.Fantastic beer. Would make for a great session with it's moderate abv.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 01:34:44 | More by Dave1999

jmbranum

Oklahoma

4.23/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Drinking the last of my honeymoon beers.... one of an assortment of beers my thoughtful wife bought me on our honeymoon.

Faint grassy aroma. Pours a clear rich straw color liquid with a giant white fluffy head.

Excellent balance. Lots of malt with subtle background of hops. Feels more like a pale ale than an ipa, but i do like it. Some copper, fresh grain, some herbal notes from the hops.

Medium mouthfeel.

Very much like this beer. Understated english subtlety is a nice change of pace, especially when it is so balanced.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 03:53:59 | More by jmbranum

CraftBeerTastic

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Ba Review #150
Served On: 05/07/2012
Glassware: Duvel Glass
Labeled ABV: -
Date/ Code: SH24J1

This was from WestView Liquors in Frederick.

Look: Color was a brilliant caramel orange. Carbonation bubbles spiraled up from the etching in the Duvel glass. The head was off-white with a sticky consistency. Reduced down to a thin film while leaving some nice lacing.

Smell: Sweet malt aroma of caramel. Nothing real crazy was going on with the nose. The aroma certainly lended itself to the English style.

Taste: The beginning was of mild sweet caramel notes. A bitter floral note hit right in the middle. The finish was of light fruity notes like plumb or raison.

The high level of quality was evident in this beer with the consistent lacing and the well defined English character. I found the beer to be very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 23:11:53 | More by CraftBeerTastic

KajII

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

[Best served in a Nonic Pint glass]

The pour was a clear carmel copper with an average sized (1-2 finger) cream colored rocky head that dissipated slowly, leaving a nice big collar of foam and some really good sheets of streaky lacing.

The aroma was of a toasted bread malt, a grassy hop and a sweet doughy yeast with notes of caramel, toffee, honey and a mild fruit scent.

Taste was boldly malty and a tiny bit sweet with a note of caramel early on and mildly hoppy with a big dose of dark fruit towards the end. The flavor lasted a decent duration proceeding the swallow with the hoppy fruity taste being there right up till the end.

Mouthfeel was a shade or two below medium in body with a velvety creamy texture and a nice soft carbonation.

Overall a very enjoyable, tasty brew, but what else should one expect from a brewer of this caliber…

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 22:26:08 | More by KajII

tony223366

California

3.38/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Not as impressive of a head or richness in color compared to the Pale Ale. That being said It is a nice fluffy head with much better lacing. The color is of a light caramel with good, but not great, clarity.

S: This smells incredibly similar to the pale ale just with a touch more piney, resiny hopiness. Which is great! Not sure what I have to compare it to as an English India Pale Ale but I would consider this an above average aroma. Besides the obvious hops I get some rich fruitiness which is typical in english beer. It smells really quite good.

T: Alright, after drinking them side by side I can definitively say this one is definitely considerably hoppier and more bitter. The hops come out as a piney/peppery flavor that is nice. The malts come out in a rich caramel which turns to breadiness and eventually a more grainy flavor. Certainly not as sweet as the pale ale or quite as tasty. That being said this beer has a very clean finish and immediatly makes you want to take another sip.

M: good carbonation with a medium body.

O: Definitely not as good as the pale ale. I was really hoping for either a higher level of flavor complexity or a more bright and floral beer and I didn't actually get either. While not bad I didn't think it was very good too. I'm going to have to go seek out the best English India Pale Ale I can find here in Northern California. Fullers? If anybody has any suggestions message me!

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 18:10:14 | More by tony223366

bnes09

Illinois

2.9/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Nice hazy, caramel-orange color. Thick head with good retention and excellent lacing.

Smell of ripe citrus fruits with a caramel malt character. Lacking in hop aroma.

Flavor is primarily malty with a caramel and biscuit character. Hops are definitely there with an herbal, pinesol bitterness. Tart off flavor in the finish. Descent balance and lacking in hop flavor.

Medium bodied. Well carbonated. Semi-dry finish. Coarse texture.

Just ok. Might make a good pale ale but I doubt this would survive a voyage from Great Britian to India by ship. Not a bad brew overall but just not what I want out of an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 00:07:10 | More by bnes09

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.38/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Samuel Smith’s India Ale has a very thick, creamy, off-white head, a hazy amber appearance, lots of thick lacing, and few streaming bubbles. Aroma is mild, but one can detect some citrus and some bready malts. Taste is of caramel, bitter citrus, sugar, and a slight nut flavor. Mouthfeel is soft and medium, and Samuel Smith’s India Ale finishes delicate and only somewhat dry. Drinkability is super, and I rate this beer most excellent.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 22:15:30 | More by RonaldTheriot

tdm168

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours an amber color with a slight orangish hue with a quarter of an inch of loose, soft, white head that has decent retention and leaves nice lacing on the glass. The nose is big, malty and bready with a slight apple-like fruitiness. The flavor is bready with a caramel-like sweetness up front followed by a fruity, apple note. The mouthfeel is smooth, medium bodied, and lightly carbonated.

This is a very malty IPA with little hop character. It's more fruity than hoppy. It's a little sweet for my liking with the caramel malt really coming through.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 01:04:06 | More by tdm168

dansmcd

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - Two fingers of thick eggshell head hover over the red amber body. Thick sticky lace backs up.

S - Very mild aroma, caramel malt and faint citrus hops.

T - Caramel dominates, some sweet orange, slight bitterness. Very mild.

M - Low carbonation, medium body.

O - Very mild, very British, very typical of the style. Nice enough for a session beer, but not a standout of the brewery which is one of the world's best.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 00:12:58 | More by dansmcd

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from 7/2011 notes. Poured into a Black Raven pint glass. Pours a clear coppery orange amber. One finger off-white head and no lacing. Aroma of sweet caramel malt and a light fruit component. Reminiscent of a doppelbock. Flavor is more muted. Starts with neutral malt with a peppery hop bite, dry malt middle and hop bitterness in the finish. The malts are not distinctive. The spicy hop start is interesting, but the ale overall is rather low key. Light to medium body. Like a watered down, somewhat hoppy old ale. No need to return to this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 03:53:26 | More by LiquidAmber

Jparker37

Wisconsin

2.85/5  rDev -23%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Little white head floats atop a brilliantly clear light amber beer. A small amount of lacing left clinging.

S - Some lemony/tea-like hops blend with its pale ale malt backbone. Balanced all the way. Maybe slight oxidation.

T - Starts with a small touch of caramel sweetness. In the middle, the herbal/citrus hops add flavor and quickly clean up before the finish. No taste bud crippling bitter linger, but instead a dry clean aftertaste.

M - Light to medium body. Light carbonation. Dry and crisp.

O - Very balanced smell/taste. Hops are not showcased but merely added to brush the style. Refreshing enough, nothing leaving me begging for more.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 00:43:53 | More by Jparker37

BlurryVisi0n

New York

3.95/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served on a pint.

Appearance: A darker amber, just a notch darker than your regular amber beers. Head was roughly 1/3" off the body.

Smell: Seriously just smelling it, it might trick yours nostrils that it is sweet.

Taste: What can I say this beer is f'n yummy, full of taste and flavor. It's not perfect but just what you want in beer. It is the smoothest "IPA" I have drank with hints of floral and hint of caramel.

Mouth: Smooth I said it before, but little light when it comes to the carbonation of an IPA.

Overall: You can't knock this beer at all, I have had three Samuel Smith beers this week for the first time and this brewery has done a hat trick. Full of taste, and a beer that will not disappoint. Hope you all have enjoy, Salud!

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 07:42:38 | More by BlurryVisi0n

Schmidts

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours pale cooper color from the bottle with a 3/4 inch white head that holds good with lots of lacing.
Smells of malts and citrus hops.
Refreshing malts balanced with hops for a perfect and slightly sweet taste. Finishes with a smooth crispness.
Crisp and refreshing mouthfeel.
I give this Great English Pale Ale a overall of 4.0. When it comes to Pale Ales is hard to find a better one then this for overall flavor and balance.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 17:55:38 | More by Schmidts

Luigi

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear rich amber color producing a three finger head that is soapy, yet fluffy at the same time. Head retention is beautiful. With lacing around the glass and stays in tact for the life ofe the ale.

The aroma is rather sweet and spicy. Like any great English IPA, there is a focus on true balance. Sweet malts are blended with spicy bitter hop. I would compare the hops it to a mild citrus flavor. Unlike this IPA's American brothers, the hops are rather bitter sweet. And classic to any true English Pale Ale, Diacetyl from the malt gives you that butterscotch like flavor.

Medium bodied with a semi-dry finish. The citrus from the hop lingers for a bit.

Classic English Pale Ale. Even though us American's are use to these super hop high abv. IPA's, sometimes you have to step down and try the original version. Along with Fuller's, I think Sam Smith has captured the classic version of an original IPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 05:38:01 | More by Luigi

Infamous7100

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: a bronze, copper pour with a nice finger width head that is off white, slighty rocky.
S: surprised to get a bunch of malts on the first whiff along with a Belgian triple like candied sugar smell. The citrus notes of the hopes peek through just a bit.
T: lots of malts right up front providing a pleasant sweetness. A hint of the fruits that were noticeable in the aroma also appear here. Toward the back, some pine and citrus notes do well to cut the sweetness.
M: Meduim bodied, slighty creamy. A dryness coats the tongue after a sip and is accompanied by a slighty bitter hang.
O: Very tasty brew here. Like the Oatmeal stout, it is straightforward and has no frills. A highly sessionable beer and one I would recommend.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 23:35:59 | More by Infamous7100

hiku7

California

3.48/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Toasty biscuity malt dominates the aroma, followed by light pear esters. Slightly metallic or minerally taste as well. A bit of earthy hops.

Pours clear copper with a moderate off white foamy head.

Moderately strong earthy woodsy hop bitterness is immediately present in the flavor. It lingers but is not harsh. Balance tilted toward hops, but not nearly as in American IPA. Malt character and yeast esters match the aroma, but are much more in the background in the flavor. Some pleasant alcohol warming.

Creamy and smooth medium body. Moderately low pleasantly foamy carbonation.

Classic example of the style. Maybe the bottle had been around a while though because the hop aroma was much lower than I expected, even for an English IPA.

Overall enjoyable though.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 00:50:36 | More by hiku7

Caudalie

Quebec (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured in a riedel red wine magnum glass

A: Pours a clear maber color, with a small white head

S: More on the honey/malt, fruits side than on the hoppy side.

T: Pretty balanced and civilized. I liked it even if I'm more of a hop-bomb fan

O: Pretty good, but not overwhelming either.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 02:03:49 | More by Caudalie

bogus564

New Jersey

3.48/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 fl. oz, poured into a pint glass.

Does anyone remember the song ‘Dizz Nee Land’ by Dada? The one that inverses the Super Bowl MVP going to the Magic Kingdom? “I just crashed my car again / now I’m goin’ to Dizz Nee Land”… I just had one of those days. Instead of a trip to California, though, I’m going to have a beer.

A: It’s a textbook IPA in appearance – coppery amber in color, with a decent head the color of an orange rind. There are some bubbles to it, but not much. If someone showed you a photograph of this beer in a nondescript glass, you’d probably guess it to be an IPA. I wonder what it smells like…

S: It smells a little sweeter at first than I’d expect. Normally, with this style of beer, the first thing you tend to smells are the hops. This rather smells like dark fruit, I would say prunes, up front. There’s a hop scent, but it seems as if it’s hiding somehow. I’m also picking up another source of sweetness, perhaps roasted malt. It might be my imagination, but I’m also sensing orange.

T: Interesting, but the tastes have me all confused. You know how you think you’re walking behind a really attractive woman, then you catch her reflection in a mirror or she turns around quickly, and you find yourself going, butter face? I was expecting different based on what I smelled with this beer. I do get the hops up front, with citrus fruit, more like grapefruit than orange. After that, I’m picking up the dark fruit and malt characters. I don’t know what to make of this beer; it certainly didn’t taste like it smelled, in my opinion.

M: It’s good, almost very good. Light-bodied, decently carbonated, goes fairly well over the palate, even a little chewy, if that makes any sense. The finish is fairly dry, better than I expected. At 5% ABV, I was expecting it to be watery, but it wasn’t; that was a very pleasant surprise.

O: I might but this again, if I wanted an IPA but didn’t want to be knocked on my keister. It doesn’t pack a wallop, but it’s a decent second tier IPA. It tasted shockingly good with my Filet-O-Fish sandwich. Kind of makes me wish I’d bought two of both. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 01:03:35 | More by bogus564

jayhawk73

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a copper color with a one finger head. Decent lacing on my snifter glass. The nose is malt, hops, grass, and some fruit. The taste is very malty, with toffee, fruit and hops. Lots of grains and malt in this brew. Feel is medium, with decent carbonation with a slightly bitter finish. Overall, this is a good brew from a great brewery. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 19:16:50 | More by jayhawk73

bigpatvoodoodad

South Carolina

4.55/5  rDev +23%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I've had this several times in the past as I'm quite a fan of Samuel Smith brews so I figured I may as well review. I poured this from a 550ml bottle straight to pint glass. Poured a nice frothy head and settled to a wispy lace. The color is a deep amber. The smell to me was one of caramel with a hint of the underlying alcohol. For an IPA, it is significantly less bitter than some other IPA's. If you're looking for a hop bomb, look elsewhere. The taste of hops is in the undertone and what is apparent is the delicious taste of malts. Mouthfeel is silky and pleasant. The carbonation is prefect. Overall a great IPA and very drinkable. This IPA is well paired with any spicy cuisine or by itself for a session.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 00:53:14 | More by bigpatvoodoodad