Old World India Pale Ale - BrewDog

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

UCLABrewN84

California

3.48/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Brewed by JBW 77 (BrewDog) for Total Wine.

Batch 448. Best before 1/7/13.

Pours a crystal clear copper orange with a 2 inch puffy sand colored head that settles down to a thin cap. Foamy rings and chunks of lace stick to the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, toasted nuts, caramel, and some mild hop aromas. Taste is of toasted malt, some nuts, slight caramel, and very herbal hops. There is a bit of a metallic flavor I am getting too. The bitterness is quite assertive and lingers on the palate long after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp yet smooth mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good English IPA but it seems out of balance in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2011 04:47:03 | More by UCLABrewN84

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

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

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out as a hazy copper color with a foamy white head on top. The retention is good with a sticky lacing. The smell of beer is moderately hoppy, decent malt backbone too. The taste of the beer has a bold malt flavor with a tangy hop finish. The mouthfeel of the beer is creamy, moderate carbonation with a soft dry finish. Overall I feel this beer fits the style nicely. I am glad I got to try this for sure.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 04:54:19 | More by Knapp85

mactrail

California

2.93/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Deceptively lovely in the tall wheat beer glass. Vivid orangey amber with a big creamy head. A fruity nose.

Just a hint of the English IPA flavor, to my palate, followed by a circus of big sweet malt, huge bitter explosions, and skunky funk. Lots of orange marmalade with that sweet and bitter tanginess, slathered over the browned biscuits. Actually it tastes like those refrigerated biscuits where you pop the silver cardboard open. Endless bitter aftertaste. Overripe fruit with a metallic edge.

Who thought this particular recipe would be great for contract brewing? Bought this at Total Wine in Huntington Beach in a bottle I wish was about 10 oz smaller.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 05:57:10 | More by mactrail

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A-really dark amber. nice light tan head.

S-not too many hops in this aroma. slight hint of salted caramel. really just a super faint taste of malts.

T-comes in with an odd soy sauce grainyness with a touch of crackers and then comes an extreme bitterness. a finish of spice and pepper. very unique tasting, doesn't taste like an IPA. some warmth to the finish.

M-medium carbonation with a warm dry finish

O-very interesting that this is possibly the sort of beer that started the IPA movement. its a far shot from any american IPA, with no hint of hops. it definitely has a good bit of bitterness to it. its not a bad beer, very unique, but it takes a long time to finish

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 03:20:46 | More by AdamBear

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.48/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A finger of head with low retention on a dirty, dark straw colored body.
The aroma has a malty richness to it; lemon, caramel and anise. Interesting.
Whoa, the taste is unlike any IPA I've ever had. Big and bold malt sweetness at the beginning with a lemon bitterness coming in the middle. There's a barnyard funk throughout it all.
The texture is softer with moderate carbonation.
This is tough to like... but it is a different take on IPA compared to most American IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 01:31:56 | More by Fatehunter

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

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

Immortale25

Florida

3.28/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Poured into a snifter. Label says best before 7-01-13.

A- Pours a reddish amber with a two finger head that slumps down to a 3/4 inch head with some lacing. Good retention.

S- Huh? This is what IPAs smelled like in the old world? Smells like a combination of body odor, hay and manure...at least that's what I think it smells like. Either way, PU!

T- Ok, I think I understand now. The malts are dominant and unique with the hops standing in the background which are also unique. This combination of heavy, uncommon malts along with the also uncommon hop varieties creates a seemingly unintentional roastiness like a porter or even a stout. Yeah, the aroma is still awkward and nasty, but it kind of makes sense with the flavor profile making it bearable to drink.

M- Light and slick. Medium-high carbonation.

O- I'm not a big fan, but I can still appreciate it for what it is. All things considered, my least favorite BrewDog offering so far.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 05:20:14 | More by Immortale25

dedrinker

Kansas

3.1/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Dull copper, needs buffing.

aromas of honestly not much - some flaccid amalgam of alcohol, sweet malt and hops. Like a lazy home brew.

The taste was an instant reaction are of, "are you frikkkin kidding me!?" because it was so loose and flabby, like a home brew where the dude wasn't actually sure what he was trying to brew.

full body. malty sweetness with alcohol and some hops. Old world my arse.

What a dud.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 04:45:44 | More by dedrinker

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

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

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