Jaipur IPA - Thornbridge Brewery

EPICAC

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Lightly hazy, straw golden. Pours with a thick, overflowing, fluffy, white head. Leaves sheets of lace.

Smell: Wonderfully citric, grapefruity hops, some grassy aromas as well. A little bit of toasty/sweet maltiness.

Taste: Toasty malts, briefly sweet fruit in the center, before moving into a dominant, but not overpowering citric hoppy bitterness. A classic English IPA.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, moderate to low carbonation, lightly oily.

Drinkability: Almost the definition of a session beer.

Serving type: cask

06-06-2007 05:31:48 | More by EPICAC

gentlebubbles

Massachusetts

4.68/5  rDev +15.6%
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

Atlas1

Texas

3.88/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Stopped into RFD in DC today for a quick pint or two and low and behold... the Jaipur IPA on cask. Lucky me.

The appearance is a nice golden straw color, with a frothy, bubbly head (ala cask conditioning, thank you very much), and good carbonation. The aroma here is somewhat subdued, perhaps by the cask (although I don't think so), but still maintains a pleasant sense. Very piney and a bit grassy, but strong too, and almost a slight marijuana smell. Seriously, I'm not making this up. The taste is fabulous. Rubbery (in a good way) with lots of spicy hops. This beer very much reminds me of the Victory Hop Wallop. I mean, they could be identical twins practically. Mouthfeel is full and chewy; very solid. I'd take this cask version of the Jaipur IPA over mosts standard IPAs anyday of the week, but I also really really like spicy, hoppy IPAs. A worthy component for any hophead's repertoire, for sure. Drink up.

Serving type: cask

05-09-2007 23:16:48 | More by Atlas1

cellarboy

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +10.4%
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

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this beer on cask the other night at Max's.

This is an excellent IPA, very flavorful and easy to drink (the low abv. is especially nice).

Out of the cask, this beer pours a very attractive cloudy yellow/gold color, with excellent head retention and decent lacing. There is not a lot in the nose, maybe some wet earth and leafiness. On the palate this beer is most impressive. Nice citrus from the hops, with just the right amount of bitterness interspersed with the sweet malt. This beer is very light and refreshing to drink (in comparison to most of the IPA's and DIPA's you find in the states), with excellent mouthfeel and crispness. I guess in England this would be considered too high in alcohol for a true session beer, but I could easily see myself tossing back 3 or 4 of these on a warm afternoon. Very impressive. Like nothing you are likely to find in the U.S.

Serving type: cask

04-25-2007 14:26:43 | More by johnmichaelsen

JohnW

United Kingdom (England)

4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Have enjoyed this beer on several occasions during past 6 months, both as a guest beer (three times) in a local real ale bar, and at a Beer Festival. Can only echo the previous two positive reviews, this is a great beer. The brewery apparently has as head brewer the guy previously at Kelham Island Brewery in Sheffield, and he sure knows his job! Pours pale golden yellow, rather lager like in colour, but a much stronger aroma - fruity, slightly sweet but zesty, but hinting at the slightly higher than average alc. Initial taste is both crisp and sharp with hints of citrus, but with body and a hint of sweetness and contrasting bitterness of hops in the finish, making it more satisfying than some thinner IPAs. Easy to drink and the higher alcohol content could just make it dangerously so! Very enjoyable, and look forward to having it again.


JohnW
B'ham UK

Serving type: cask

02-05-2007 22:02:12 | More by JohnW