Jaipur IPA - Thornbridge Brewery

hophopandaway

United Kingdom (England)

5/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is an awesome beer. I've had it in a bottle and, like all cask beers, the flavour isn't the same because it's pasteurised, filtered and force carbonated. I digress.
This beer has a nice amberish colour and the smell is of citrus and bold hops.
When drinking the beer is full bodied with tangy malt and big citrus hop flavours and a nice long dry finnish.
There is, as one would expect, a superb creamy head that stays throughout the whole pint leaving a sexy lacing down the side of your pint glass.
Thornbridge make only superb beers and I recommend all of their ales very strongly, but the best way to enjoy them is when they have been served from a cask.
Only 5.9% needed to make what must be one of the finest beers in all the world. Take note craft brewers everywhere who can only get good flavour by making their beers as strong as wine.

Serving type: cask

02-17-2011 03:04:19 | More by hophopandaway

Yojimbo1941

Wisconsin

4.72/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - straw and golden hue, light white head

S - clean hoppy smell with some very light barnyard characteristics, honeyed malt, fresh grain, lemon

T - smooth hops, honey, bright citrus, white bread drizzled with a small amount of honey. Delicious. Some bitterness on the backend but very smooth flavors.

M - light medium

O - very drinkable, not what you necessarily expect from an IPA, little high for a session beer at 5.9% but this is very good. $10 for a 1 pint 0.9 fl oz bottle at Brasserie V.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2011 19:50:59 | More by Yojimbo1941

gentlebubbles

Massachusetts

4.68/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this at NERAX 2007 Saturday evening

Slightly hazy gold with a lacy white head.

Wonderful, juicy orange aroma.

The first sip chomps into a citrusy, then grassy, then juicy hop bite. After the hops onslaught passes there's pause for the bready malt to step in and give you a breath before the grapefruit finish comes in for a resiny, sticky, lingering finish.

A fantastic way to end the festival!

Serving type: cask

05-28-2007 12:37:30 | More by gentlebubbles

stimy

Maryland

4.53/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I drank this at an "Art of Refermentation" beer tasting hosted by Garrett Oliver at the National Geographic.

These are my tasting notes:

This was the last beer we tasted so my perceptions may have been a bit off by that point... This beer had a very nice hop aroma. It was a nice dry ipa and very hoppy. I could sit down and drink several of these without problem. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

01-24-2008 18:14:12 | More by stimy

IPA35

Netherlands

4.53/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Best before: 20-12-12

Pale golden, a not so large white head with big bubbles. No yeast at all.

Great smell! Very floral and fruity.
Big mango, white grapes, pineapple and such. Some resin. Definitely American hops in this one.

Taste starts with more of the same, lots of fruitiness that turn towards a more dry bitterness, almost a zesty dryness. The more you drink the more the fruitiness remains. Plain maltiness but it is certainly there. Overall nicely balanced between fruitiness and bitterness.

The mouthfeel is quite thin, that makes this beer very drinkable. Medium carbonation, just fine.

Overall a very good beer, not very bold or spectacular (except for the phenominal smell) but certainly interesting enough to seek it out! A very nice beer that I would love to session.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 19:03:35 | More by IPA35

Vineyardselite

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Finally got this in stock!

A: Poured from a 16oz bottle to a pint glass. A yellow-orange color and a cloudy consistency. A good inch of foamy, long-lasting head. Excellent lacing.

S: A nice, sweet smell of citrus, hops, and a touch of malt.

T: Tasted of lemon, hops, and bready malt in the finish. The lemon was much more prominent than I expected - usually you don't get that much citrus in English IPAs. Still, very tasty.

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

D: A well done, drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 23:39:54 | More by Vineyardselite

MrIce

Germany

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Golden in colour with a nice off white head. The smell is aromatic, not to strong though - fresh hops some citrus fruit notes.

Light malt body covered in refreshing hop aromas. Light carbonation, some spicy notes, very refreshing. Overall the IPA is very well balanced with a good drinkability - even for non IPA - drinkers.

The hops are dominating this beer - being well balanced with the body and sweetness.

Very good IPA - enjoy it!

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 11:02:41 | More by MrIce

Zimbo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer just refuses to disappoint. Poured in a glass it gives an efforetless 3 inch head and a bright ever so slightly hazy yellow. Smells like it tastes with some rich restrained but obviously bitter orangemarmalade, almosy gingerish notes and an appetizing and finishes with a long very dry slightly spiky bitterness which happy slaps the inside of your mouth into grafeful submission.The head goes the distance and swoops rich foam around the glass barely reducing in volume even until the last sip. The depth of finesse eliminates any thoughts of the extreme here.

Easily the best straight IPA in the UK.
Love it.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2011 18:45:39 | More by Zimbo

cellarboy

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Sampled three pints at the Map Room in Chicago.

The beer pours bright and golden, with quite a good head and excellent condition for a cask beer. Just a hint of a haze.

Aroma is quite fruity, backed by resiny hops. The fruitiness carries through into the palate, which is firmly bitter yet still well-balanced and elegant. Hop bitterness, as opposed to flavor, is clearly the feature here. The finish is clean - this is a remarkably refreshing beer given its strength and hoppiness.

This is one of the best UK cask beers I have ever sampled anywhere. I will definitely look for it on my next trip to Britain and will certainly order it any time I find it available in the US. I rank it on par with Hop Back Summer Lightning - an excellent pint!

Serving type: cask

05-08-2007 14:17:39 | More by cellarboy

windypete

United Kingdom (England)

4.47/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

my first taste of a thornbridge beer!.
Poured from a 500ml bottle into a pint glass leaving a nice white fluffy head that stayed for while then going completly.
A nice light citrus smell with a good crispness to it.
Taste to match the smell very crisp with citrus followed by hoppyness then a nice bitter end to it.
This dosent look like an ipa with its straw color but every thing else says ipa. On the whole a very enjoyable beer to go with a nice sunny day. Highly recomended.

Cheers!.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 16:55:07 | More by windypete

rapayn01

Kentucky

4.47/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I recently spent just over 2 weeks traveling in England and Wales and this was easily my favorite ale. I searched for the ale in markets and pubs after first drinking it, but had no luck.

The bottle was dark, so I cannot really speak to its color. I poured a small amount into a glass so I likewise cannot really write about its head. There was nothing startling about its color.

But the taste. Oh, the taste. I drink IPA because I appreciate the high-hopping needed at the time to preserve beer for the long journey to India. In this case, the brewers have retained the high hops taste even though no long journey was required for the beer (though I had to fly 1000s of miles to have a taste).

In truth, several local (UK) relatives tried the beer and we all raved about it -- it was the only beer we came to agreement on that night.

If Jaipur IPA appears in the US, I'm buying it and recommending it to all my friends. Several UK choices are available all over my city (Fullers, Sam Smith), so I'm hopeful that it is at least possible.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 15:30:40 | More by rapayn01

msarver16

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy, translucent yellowish straw color. Not overly heady, maybe a finger of white foam.

Smells like cascade hops, lemons, and bread.

Taste is great. Hoppy with a blast of citrus (lemon, grapefruit) and a bread taste up front, then waves of nice, fairly subtle bitterness that just kinda stays with you.

Not heavily carbonated, overall mouthfeel after each sip is just a generous dose of English hops.

Overall, great beer. Got to be my favorite British-style IPA. Try one!

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 22:02:23 | More by msarver16

beerdrifter

Germany

4.47/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked this up at my favorite beer store in Belgium, Dranken Geers. Nearly clear yellow pour with just a touch of orange. Nice two finger head with good retention and lacing. Wonderful citrusy, floral nose with hints of lemon, orange zest, tangerines, and grapefruit with just a touch of ginger. The taste mirrors the smell and is dominated by the huge citrus profile. Mouthwatering, juicy notes of tangerine, lemon, and grapefruit with a hint of mango and pine. A solid sweet caramel malt base balances out the resiny fresh hop bitterness perfectly. The mouthfeel is awesome as well with just the right amount of carbonation, a touch of oily hoppiness, and a really refreshing and crisp dry bitter finish. Once again Thornbridge has managed to come up with a spot on style interpretation that is totally drinkable. They have quickly become my favorite brewery. They just don't make a bad beer. One of the best IPA's I've ever tasted!

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 16:58:58 | More by beerdrifter

FLima

Brazil

4.45/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nice foam, that later lingers as thin crust. Incredible aroma, mango, passion fruit and some pineapple easily identifiable. Flavour follows the same fruity track, with bitterness of decent amount of hops and honey sweetness at a perfect level, as a supprot actor. Start crispy but than velvet as flavours blossom everywhere. This is how an IPA with high drinkability should be. Alcohol is a master of disguise here. Narcisism looking for perfection. Amazing.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 01:10:21 | More by FLima

ZorPrime

Quebec (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer color is pale yellow, slightly veiled. The head is good looking. White foamy head, sticky, cloudy looking. The aroma is fresh, refreshing hops. Fruits, tropical, citrusy. Some bitterness in the aroma too. Nice aroma. Delicious in the mouth. Floral with some citrus notes. Nice bitterness in the finish. Nicely balanced. Very good. Dry.

This one is very good. Loved it.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 13:59:33 | More by ZorPrime

avalon07

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a yellow-orange color and a cloudy consistency. There was an inch of foamy, long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: A nice, sweet smell of citrus, hops, and a touch of malt.

T: Tasted of lemon, hops, and bready malt in the finish. The lemon was much more prominent than I expected - usually you don't get that much citrus in English IPAs. Still, very tasty.

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

D: A well done, drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2010 20:32:41 | More by avalon07

mrfrancis

Kentucky

4.43/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a slightly hazy gold with a bubbly, lingering white head. Carbonation is very noticeable, and little particles of yeast collect at the bottom of the glass.

S: Aromas of biscuits and tropical fruit dominate the nose. The smell is straight-forward, but is interesting enough to be inviting.

T: Notes of biscuits, lemon, grapefruit, kumquat, navel orange, and pine swirl across the palate. I thought I was also able to detect the subtlest hints of mango and papaya. The finish is bitter and slightly resinous with tart citrus notes in abundance.

M: Medium bodied, firm, and dry. Carbonation is active, but unobtrusive. Very drinkable for such a complex ale.

O: This is a wonderfully flavorful, gorgeously balanced IPA that straddles the line between English and American variants of the style. Very much worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 14:10:52 | More by mrfrancis

makimoo

4.43/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - Pours a bright and clear pale yellow/amber colour with a rocky head.

Aroma - Strong spice and pine hop aroma with hint of maltiness.

Flavour - Citrus flavours initially, especially grapefruit followed by a sweet lychee aftertaste. Well balanced beer.

Mouthfeel - Low carbonation in appearance but perfect level of carb in the mouth. Provides a good explosion of flavour on the tongue. Smooth, surprisingly easy drinking beer for the ABV.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 10:34:47 | More by makimoo

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.4/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle poured into tulip 17/6/11

A green hints in a slightly hazy golden yellow body with a massive three finger head that leaves thick partial rings of lace well down the glass even after falling to a thin film

S grassy and citric hops with some caramel malt and butter

T Am I picking up Czech hops in an English IPA? a little pine on top of that? perhaps a little West Coast citrus to confuse matters even further, lets throw some butterscotch, caramel, toffee, and biscuit that I normally associate with the style and you get one of the most complex hop profiles I've encountered

M full bodied for the color with good carbonation and lingering flavors, need more?

O I do love the American IPA but this is a great representative of its style and there's just so much going on that I can't begin to describe how impressed I am

I took a shot in the dark buying this one but I'm so stoked I did, worth looking for if you can appreciate something other then a big alpha acid enamel stripper the Brits don't get(or need to with gems like this).

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2011 05:35:04 | More by wordemupg

Trizzle

United Kingdom (England)

4.38/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pale, clear with a small but persistent head, lace like your mums knickers.

Smell is pine, grassy hops and maple syrup. Yummy.

Medium full bodied slightly sweet malt up front, quickly dominated by American hops: pine, citrus, green pepper, and pleasantly dry.

Perfectly drinkable. Especially on a 24 degree (celsius) London Summer Sunday.

Serving type: cask

06-06-2010 13:05:06 | More by Trizzle

DrewKid4

New Hampshire

4.38/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served on-cask from The Porter in Atlanta, GA

A: Pale straw with two finger wide white head.

S: Hops and some bread. Not overpowering as an English IPA should be.

T: Hops, with some malt smoothness at the end. I could taste a bit of citrus although nothing specific as it was very mild but noticeable. Overall, great taste.

M: Dry and not as bitter as I was expecting.

D: Very drinkable.

Serving type: cask

08-31-2010 06:19:47 | More by DrewKid4

mdagnew

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

4.33/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

330ml bottle bought online from Beermerchants.com

Poured a straw yellow colour with a golden hint. White head poured loose and frothy and faded quickly to light bubbly coating with thicker edging... no real carbonation... some faint lacing...

Aroma - Spicy and juicy ripe fruits (limes, grapefruit, tart apple), biscuity malts, light marmalade, floral honey, some marzipan traces, salty notes, bready, some light soapiness...

Taste... Good blast of citrus and pine hop bitterness, some slightly tart fruits (grapefruits, pineapples, limes), light biscuit malts, resiny, faint honey sweetness, some buttery notes, quite grassy and peppery, sea salt traces, some metallic hints, quite herbal...

Feel - Pretty sharp and dry... light bodied... A supremely drinkable brew - very sessionable

Overall - An excellent IPA - definitely the best British example i've tried... recommended...

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2009 12:15:57 | More by mdagnew

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.33/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Purchased online from The Wine & Cheese Place, bottle is best by May 2010. For a 5.9% IPA, that's a pretty long life expectancy.

The bottle was filled almost to the cap and it pours a cloudy orange yellow...definitely smacks of a bottle conditioned beer. A nice fluffy 2 finger head of foam sits on top of the liquid(it looks very Hefeweizen-like) and it has some pretty good lacing. Nice.

It has a nice big smell of citrus, a dab of pine, and a good malt backbone that I expect from an IPA of the English variety. On to the taste...

And...there's some nice citrus bitterness coupled with some citrus tartness, again, nice. The malt comes through with some sweetness and breadish tones and it finishes with a sort of grassy bitterness that lasts a while in the aftertaste. Yum. I'm liking this a lot and the abv is at a low enough of a level that I could easily session on it if I had a bunch of bottles, but I don't.

A nice medium bodied brew with a fairly low level of carbonation, it is smooth in the mouth and goes down very easily. Since I'm in a complimenting mood for this beer, the head retention is excellent.

Drinkability? The flavours here don't kick you in the teeth but don't we have plenty of brews that already do that? Youbetchya! I love the "subtlety" and "smoothness" of the taste here and that makes, for me, excellent drinkability.
An excellent example of the style even though it *is* hop forward. I'm so glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2009 22:49:51 | More by Bitterbill

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap@ Armsby Abbey.

A: Golden straw yellow with a nice fluffy 1 finger head that fades slowly and leaves a nice pillowy lacing.

N: Fresh hops, EKG with some light grassy and mild bitter aromas. Light golden malt character. Touch of spicy floral hops with a nice effervescence.

T: Nice! A tasty hop profile with lots of fresh hops, grass mild hops with a touch of bitterness. Lots of EKG hops. Light golden malts too. Touch of sweetness and almost taste of wheat, but i think it is tricking me.

M: Lighter body with good carbonation.

F: It finishes somewhat bitter with almost a touch of astringency. The grassy floral hop character really builds to a nice finish. Touch of malts. It is mostly dry too. The freshness of this really shows and makes the beer much more tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2010 20:51:37 | More by jlindros

SFLpunk

Vermont

4.33/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Quick notes from Tigris Beverage/g.housen Tasting earlier today. This was the homerun of the tasting - really tasty and very sell-able.

Nice caramel appearance. Nose is minty and bright from the hops with an American-like high note. Very floral. Palate is crisp and creamy at the same time. Bitterness is solid with some freshly pulled caramel and a pleasant dry finish.

Very well balanced, but packed with flavors - impressively so considering its modest ABV. Highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 00:49:12 | More by SFLpunk