Old World India Pale Ale - BrewDog

Offa

California

4.9/5  rDev +34.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is an outstanding, complex, IPA packed with a lot of character.

Reddish copper, it has a big tan head slowly shrinking to a lasting thin foamy top that leaves some beautiful lace.

Aroma is rich caramelised pine, bread crust, citrus (mostly orange), caremlised wood, overall, juicy, jammy, with a lot of malty, hoppy, and yeasty elements coming through.

Taste is wonderfully complex, well-rounded and bursting with hoppy, malty, and yeasty character. It has candied pine and wood, lightly burnt orange, bread crust, woody-orange-pine bitterness balanced by caramelly toasty-fruity sweetness and nice juicy yeastiness. Bitterness just wins out over sweetness while the hop dominates over the malt a little more thoroughly. It has a lingering, long caremlly-woody-pine finish. Outstanding, rich, and complex. Feel is firm, lively, not heavy or overly light.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 00:33:49 | More by Offa

weller1js

West Virginia

4.55/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

appearance: pours a healthy brownish copper/amber, noticeably hazy, well-carbonated with antique-white beady foam that reduces into a similar beady lacing.

smell: aroma is very floral outright, with a crisp tangyiness that tingles the nostrils, all the while giving off a clean essence, well balanced.

taste: begins clean yet bold, with the maltiness becoming apparent on the palate before the hop character comes forth, tangy with a light syrupy-sweetness, finishing with a notably tangy-crisp bitterness that lingers well.

mouthfeel: the slight syrupy-sweetness in the taste is reflected in the body.

overall: very good, prime example of a premium-styled IPA; has everything it should with nothing it doesn't.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 22:59:59 | More by weller1js

mschind

California

4.38/5  rDev +20%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle with best by date of 7-1-13

A- slightly hazy amber/orange color with a fluffy mocha colored head that reduced to a persistent thin cap with lots of lace clinging to the glass.

S- big biscuity malt with some mild grassy hops.

T- carmel/toffee malt sweetness balanced by a mildly bitter hop finish. For a 7.5 ABV ale, the alcohol is subltle.

M- medium body with a rich smooth texture.

O- this is my first English style IPA and I am enjoying it very much. I like the idea that this is brewed with all UK ingredients. I appreciate the American hop bomb versions and I love drinking something that lets the malt come through too.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 00:18:48 | More by mschind

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I was just thinking the other day, "funny how most modern IPAs would be completely unrecognizable to the English sailors, rulers and merchants of centuries ago," shortly after I was telling someone about why it's called an "India" pale ale. (She asked...I don't go off spouting this crap randomly.) Then I spotted this in a Total Wine store after that. It doesn't say BrewDog on it but looks just like their stuff. Apparently it is BrewDog but credited as JBW 77 for this special/exclusive release. Anyway...

It's certainly a shade or two darker than your modern IPA, having a deep, deep burnt bronze/brown color, while the head is a superbly foamy, creamy. Looks a lot like a double IPA actually, and at 7.5%, it could be I suppose.

Really good nose. Nutty bitterness, as much nut husk as that greenness of fresh hops. A musty vibe permeates, with a healthy dose of toffee to boot. Only the relatively excessive alcohol whiff keeps it from achieving true greatness. It's not medicinal, but is close, and at 7.5% it shouldn't even be close, should it?

Everything the nose hints at comes through in the flavor. Big toffee flavors, hugely bready, bitter nuttiness, hops that are almost astringent in their bitterness, and also something candy-like...and that sweetness helps a lot with balance. There is a slightly medicinal pull to the alcohol, but it's supportive and not oppressive. Wet and slick mouth, even creamier than your average IPA, with a big herbal tea bitterness hanging around in the finish. Love the feel.

Old World IPA It comes close to feeling like a burly English brown, with all that malt character. But the hops keep it wilder and louder. Really like this. It's unique and flavorful, and something to ponder, like most BrewDog beers. And like most BrewDog beers, I seem to like it more than the average BA, but whatever, different strokes and all that. Sign me up for a months-long sail to India, if this is the stuff they're serving. Could probably handle it day in and day out...

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 00:08:16 | More by Metalmonk

chickenflea

Florida

4.08/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is one of the better IPAs I have had lately. Looks more like a Scotch ale than an IPA. Aroma is malty and earthy. Medium head. Hop bitterness is perfect. Malty sweet like an Imperial IPA, though. Grainy and substantial. Chewy and thick. Carbonation is medium and cuts the sweetness on the tongue. A fascinating beer and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 17:47:12 | More by chickenflea

JayQue

Virginia

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice balanced English IPA. Strong malty aroma and taste. Fairly strong hoppy bittereness half way through. The hops are more earthy and floral than most American hops. No intense piney or citrus taste. Pours a reddish amber color with a good size off white head. Head retention and lacing are good.

Aroma is strong biscuity annd some caramel malts. Flavor features the same malts and also some surprisingly strong bitterness. A nice balance, tilting slightly towards maltiness, since this is an English style

Mouthfeel is crisp. Full bodied for an IPA, no wateriness.

A nice take on the style. Hardly a session beer based on the abv, but I am in the process of drinking the whole bottle, and it is going down very easy.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 00:08:32 | More by JayQue

whatthehull

California

3.98/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Tulip

A - Orange/Red/Copper, nice one finger almost frothy head, and very sticky lacing. Head sticks around for quite a while

S - Toasted malts, very sugar sweet, sweet fruit, caramel, wood, soil, slight weed, there is a citrus/piney hops smell that is covered up by the massive malt and sugar, very bready yeast and tons of grain and maybe some wheat

T - Very sugary, lots of pine, wood, citrus, grain, wheat, very nice and huge bitter, has almost a peat flavor when it warms, this is a hugely malty ipa, wow. Lots of bread and biscuit flavors and the bitter is just awesome!

M - Very sticky. Full bodied, balanced, low complexity, medium minus acidity and long finish

D - If you are scared of malt and hops colliding like 2 cars playing chicken, then you might want to stay away. This is definitely old world in every way. Not very refreshing, but full of flavor and goes great with anything sweet and anything fatty. I would give this one a try while it is around. I think it is a total wine and more exclusive

Final thought - If you have $6 and want to take a trip to Europe for an hour for over the cash cause this one will take you on an adventure

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 23:07:58 | More by whatthehull

goldbot

District of Columbia

3.95/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A pretty amber color with an inch or two off-white to tan, fluffy head and good carbonation. A very alluring aroma of rich caramel malts paired with fruity, citrusy, floral hops. The flavor is nicely malty as well with notes of bread, caramel, toffee. The hops add a nice herbal, floral character and decent bitterness. Medium body but just a touch watery.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 00:19:13 | More by goldbot

phishgator

Florida

3.88/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass, nice creamy head. the color is copper/amber and teh head is pure white. Carbonation is medium and the nose is of earthy hops and slight caramel. The body is a good malty backbone with a hint of caramel. The hops are earthy and grassy. Their bitterness is much like unsweet ice tea. Easy drinker with good balance.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 12:53:59 | More by phishgator

SHODriver

California

3.88/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: pours a reddish gold with a finger and a half of off white head with decent retention
S: smells of malts and some earthy hops. quite the departure of an American IPA aroma
T: strong backbone of pale malts and some caramel malt and some nice floral English hop character slightly bitter finish with more floral hops and a bit of residual sweetness
M:medium to heavy and slightly syrupy with slightly prickly carbonation
O: A very nice and well balanced beer from BrewDog. I just wish their other offerings would be as easy to find.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 10:56:43 | More by SHODriver

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500mL bottle with one of the coolest labels i have seen in a while. batch 440. best before 07-01-13

A: very orange, very clear. fluffy, slightly reddish, but mostly white head is thick. retention is good and the lacing is great.

S: a little bit of smoke. burnt popcorn. earthy. herbal green tea-like hoppy aroma. minty as well. the nuances are subtle, but picking each one out is fun.

T: starts sweet. caramel and bits of marshmallow. there is a solid amount of sweet grain going on here. much sweeter than most EIPA's i have ever had before. a little bit of that burnt, smokey grain comes out towards the finish. as well as some nutty flavors. some hop bitterness tries to peak its head out, but it is still a bit one-note with the malt.

M: moderate, natural feeling carbonation. medium body slightly teetering towards full.

D: really neat brew from BrewDog. cool that they did a brew specifically for Total Wine as well as trying to recreate EIPA's as they were made in the 1800s. the flavor is slightly too one-note on the grain side for me and for this to be an EIPA i want some more hops. if this is how they did it back then, neat, but i still would like some more hops please. otherwise, malt is flavorful and easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 03:02:38 | More by Jimmys

rootbeerman

Virginia

3.7/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: pours dark amber with a light lace leaving off white head.
S: malty as hell, tropical fruit hop, cantaloupe and a bit of pineapple.
T: very malty and sweet then followed by a hop that is mellowed by malt but is still pine and grapefruit, but not really any of the tropical fruit.
M: a bit coating but not overly, medium light carbonation.
O: for total wine I'm impressed, brewdog wise its good but they have made better.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 11:17:37 | More by rootbeerman

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.7/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear, dark coppery amber with a fairly thick and fluffy pale golden tan head. Strong, hoppy aroma has a firm grapefruit overtone and a yeasty hint. Mouth-filling flavor is fruity and hoppy with some hop bitterness and a little honey-like sweetness that nicely balances it. Smooth texture has a decent amount of body and a fair tingle. OK overall.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 02:51:11 | More by Cyberkedi

KajII

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

[Best served in a Shaker glass]

The pour was a clear medium copper with a large (2-3 finger) light tan frothy head that lasted for decent time before receding to a thin cap, which allowed for some fair spotty lacing.

The aroma was a little sweet with a toasted biscuit malt, floral hops and a light doughy yeast and had notes of caramel, citrus (orange peel) and a mild apricot sweetness.

The taste was bittersweet with a mild jolt of caramel early on and then progressed into a much bitterer taste with a mild dose of hops, citrus and had a slight alcohol presence. The flavor lasted a good long time letting the bittersweet hoppiness settle nicely on the taste buds.

Mouthfeel was in between light and medium in body with a dry oily texture and a mild carbonation.

Overall a very refreshing and flavorful IPA, although as IPA's go this one was not typical. But as it says on the bottle” Recipe from a bygone era" when hops were used as preservatives in shipping beer far distances...

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 18:05:00 | More by KajII

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up a week or two ago down at Total Wine in West Orange. I figured that this would be different than the West Coast IPA's that I've had before and sure enough, it was. This was much more earthy and floral and took a bit of adjusting to, but this beer was pretty easy to enjoy once the head and carbonation settled down a bit!

The pour to this was a nice, almond hue with a good amount of head that lasted for a while with not as much lacing as I had hoped for. Like any good ale, this was nicely balanced but it felt so strong and had a bit too much rye in it; to the point where I didn't feel like it was an IPA. This reminded me of a Barleywine because of the strong alcoholic content and lower amount of hop bitterness than what I was accustomed to.

I guess this called "Old World" because it had to be so strong as to survive the long voyage overseas. While this was not a bad beer, it's not the same as other IPA's that are more popular than this. This is heavier and a bit more grainy than other examples of this but a good old-fashioned take on the style and enjoyable despite its subdued nature.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 15:48:49 | More by JerzDevl2000

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

660ml bottle - $5.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia. Batch 440 - Best Before 07-01-13.

Appearance: Pours a clear, deep copper body with a frothy, off-white head. Modest smattering of lace on the descent.

Smell: Lowly sweetish, scantly toasted biscuit-toned nose with a caramel angle to it with a nice aromatic mixture of chopped dehydrated fruits, spice, stale citrus peel, dried herbs, and stray woodsy accents.

Taste: Sweetish maltiness hinting a biscuits, caramel, and untoasted nuts. Handful of trail mix-minded dried fruits. Woodsy, lightly earthy, leafy hops with a touch of orangey citrus. Medium bitterness. A couple drops of alcohol. Fleeting caramel hints past the midway point as the beer gradually dries out and maintains a lingering bitterness beyond the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Overall: Displays good balance and is fairly decent overall.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 15:45:36 | More by ChainGangGuy

nickfl

Florida

3.63/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured with one and a half fingers of off-white foam on top of a hazy, golden brown body. The head settles at a moderate pace and leaves excellent lace on the glass.

S - Spicy hop aromas with a wealth of dark, malty notes including toffee, brown sugar, and caramel.

T - Dark, syrupy malt with toffee and brown sugar up front. Some spicy notes of pepper and red apple in the middle with a bit of earthy hops. Finishes with more caramel and red apple as well as moderate bitterness.

M - Medium-thick body, moderate carbonation, and a fairly sweet finish.

D - Not bad, a bit thick on the malt, even for an English IPA, but the flavors are pleasant and the hop character is sufficient to keep it balanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 01:50:07 | More by nickfl

kylehay2004

Florida

3.63/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: 3 finger head with nice lacing on a hazy amber with crimson hues body.

S: sweet corn, citrus and musty hops.

A: More musty hops with a sharp almost barleywine like note in the finish. A little bit of sour candy and grass note as well.

M: medium body, moderate carbonation. Oily.

Overall: Not a big fan of this one. Not very drinkable and the sweetness in the finish is a little too much.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 01:50:39 | More by kylehay2004

4thelvofbeer

Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A really nice, bitter pale ale. The Scots and English know how to do these pretty damn good (be it that they invented IPAs!!). A really nice, not over the top, example of a nicely bitter IPA.

A: Dark amber in color...a lot darker than your normal IPA
S: Hoppy, bitter, clean and crisp
T: Bitter at first, smoothes out with a nice clean finish
M: Smooth and easy
O: Very nice IPA, really nothing bad to say about this nice brew from Brewdog!!!

Brewdog does not have many bad beers. Try this one if you have not had it before or if you are an IPA fan!

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 00:49:23 | More by 4thelvofbeer

oberon

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A great pour into an imperial nonic,deep rick copper color with a large bllomin white head,great rich color with a long lasting head.This is a true EIPA no doubt about it with its big sweetish malt notes and subdued (to American standards)and subtle leafy hops,still it's not bad and nice for what it is.Caramel/biscuit malt flavors layered in with slightly medicinal and leafy hops,again the hops are more subtle but again it's not bad.I love being smacked around with big left coast hops but I appreciate a good UK IPA,this is prety good.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 00:37:32 | More by oberon

arizcards

Arizona

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a 650 ml bottle in mid February from Total Wine for $5.99. Batch 440 best before 07-01-13.

Beer poured copper with a pretty decent head that is leaving lacing behind.

Nose is primarily malts with a hint of light fruit hops.

Taste is nutty with some metal tinged hops that linger long after the sip.

Mouthfeel is medium to full boodied and pretty smooth.

Overall not a bad beer. Seems this is a hybrid nut brown and ipa recipe. Fun to try once.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 22:42:13 | More by arizcards

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

very malty, like an Irish Red. Sour in the finish. Big head on brown coloured body. More hops needed to make it tasty and greatly drinkable.Caramel and Above average mouthfeel.
Radek's bottle.English style IPA,but built up with more caramel than hops. Where is the Brewdog edge?

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 04:36:53 | More by northyorksammy

Pencible

Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: This poured a clear copper with fluffy light tan head.
S: It smelled like earthy barley and caramel malt, with some herbal hops and artificial strawberry.
T: It tasted like earthy barley and caramel, with some bitter resin and herbal hops. It had a bitter aftertaste that was a bit buttery.
M: It was oily with moderate carbonation. Decent body.
D: This was not bad for an English IPA, but it had more malt than hops which bothered me. The scent and taste were ok, the body was alright, and the alcohol was pretty well hidden. But the finish was somewhat dirty, so it wasn't super easy to drink. The beer improved as it warmed, but I generally wasn't impressed with it.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 16:45:37 | More by Pencible

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: shiny rust body, finger khaki head, solid lacing

S: lemon grass, sugary/candy, malt grain

T: lemon peel/grass, grain, malt, little sugar,
chalky/earthy bitter slow finish

M: med body, smooth mouth/slight tongue prick

O: Another nice Brewdog offering.
Glad to support a great import.

NICE, WORTH GRABBING!

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2012 21:49:52 | More by BeerLover99

PaulStoneAnchor

California

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a dark caramel color with a brilliant head, and a nice lacing around the stein.

S: Slightly malty with some herbal and earthy hops.

T: Some nice sweet biscuity malt notes, along with some woody and earthy hops. It has some nice light honey and caramel notes on the back of the tongue.

M: Good mouthfeel. It has a medium carbonation and a nice rich feel.

O: Not bad for an English IPA, but the Dragonslayer from Marina Alehouse in Marina, California-which is near Monterrey, CA- has one of the best English IPAs I have had to date. This IPA is definitely a nice IPA with some nice woody hoppiness and some nice malty, honey notes. I would definitely buy this IPA again.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 02:42:02 | More by PaulStoneAnchor