Dragonmead Crown Jewels India Pale Ale - Dragonmead Microbrewery

DMarlinJ

Michigan

3.73/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

I enjoyed this one. It went down easy and had a clean taste with good flavors. Well balanced between malts and hops. The look was as it should be, nice head that lingered and great golden clear color. Very inviting. I could not pick up much with my nose but the pollen is high right now. Mouthfeel was great for carbonation and had a good creamy feel but not sticky. Finished clean and refreshing. Overall this is a nice beer that I would get again, but a bit pricey at $3.49 for a single. It did not have deep complex flavor, just simply drinkable and pleasant. If I find it at a better price I would go for it again. I will have to try on tap.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 00:05:39 | More by DMarlinJ

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This one is okay. Kind of tangy and not too distinct, considering the style. I would kind of hope for a bit more in the hop department, even though this is technically an English ipa. The tang could be a bit less. But overall, it isn't all that bad.

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2012 17:20:56 | More by RblWthACoz

kylehay2004

Florida

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed at the brewery, review is from notes from two weeks prior. Poured with a single finger head on a cloudy brown body, some lacing. Aroma is simple with earthy hops and sweet caramel malts. Flavor is well balanced but also simple with earthy and citrus hops on a nice toasted malt backbone. Medium body and moderate carbonation. This one follows the style fairly well but the ABV is too high perhaps.

BTW this pairs very well with the venison served at the brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2012 23:43:41 | More by kylehay2004

HarrySTruman

Michigan

3.7/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into an hourglass. No bottle dating.

Pours dark amber, copper, near brown. Hazy and dark. 2 finger head that dissipates quickly. Nice lacing that lasts pretty well.

Smells very nice, but not very robust or broad. Really just smells of malt and maybe a bit of toffee or caramel.

The taste is actually very good, the problem is it certainly doesn't remind me much of an american IPA. It's quite malty, not very hoppy and it lacks the big flavor that most american IPA's go for. This site claims it is an English IPA, but Dragonmead's site considers it an American IPA. If you aren't expecting the typical hop bomb, huge flavor of an American IPA, you may not be disappointed, if you are looking for that, expect a let down. This tastes of caramel. Kind of sweet. Strong flavor profile, but not hoppy at all.

The mouthfeel is perfect. It's smooth, not overly carbonated, easy drinking. Doesn't finish dry or bitter.

If this is an English IPA it would be one of the very few I've ever had. I bout it under the assumption it was an AIPA like Dragonmead's website claims it is. As an AIPA I would call it very unique, but not a great representation of the style. If it is an EIPA, than I don't know enough to rate it based on it's style, so instead I'll rate it on it's overall appeal, and I would say it's appeal is high due to the fact it's easy to drink, the alcohol is nearly non existent, it has a great flavor and it tastes of quality ingredients.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 17:58:30 | More by HarrySTruman

superspak

Michigan

3.38/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, no bottle dating. Pours super hazy reddish orange color with a huge 2-3 finger light khaki head with insane retention that reduces to a thick cap that lingers. Loud hiss upon opening, and it took a while to pour this one. A lot of carbonation. Decent lacing on the glass. Aromas of orange, caramel, lemon zest, bread, pineapple, and herbal hops. Very malty aromas with decent strength. Taste of orange, caramel, biscuit, floral, lemon, herbal hops, pine, light tropical fruit, and a touch of pepper. Good amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, biscuit, herbal, and caramel on the finish for a bit. Very good malt balance with the bitterness make this easily drinkable for 7%. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a creamy, slick, and fairly crisp mouthfeel. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming after the finish present. Overall this is a pretty good IPA. Definitely drinkable and balanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 01:52:10 | More by superspak

MIBeerRanger4

Michigan

3.28/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This was reccomended to me at a recent tasting event. It's an English style IPA. It poured very foamy from the bottle.

A= Deep amber color, lot's of rich foamy head. The beer never settled down and laced the glass like crazy.

S= Very malty with little hop nose at all.. lacking on the nose for sure.

T= Again, too malty for my liking but much better balance of malt and hop in the taste than on the nose. Second and third sips were better than the original front taste.

M= Good but a bit too heavy. Leaves mouth feeling malt coated.

O= Did not hate this beer but don't really have much good to say either. Average at best. I think I would like this beer much better if I were drinking it with some food. Not a beer that I would order or buy.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 19:34:29 | More by MIBeerRanger4

morimech

Minnesota

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

Pours a hazy amber color with a massive head that prevented the entire bottle from being poured into the glass. Took a long time to complete the pour. PITA. The head never really settles. Massive amount of lacing is left on the glass.

Malty aroma gives off hints of toffee and caramel. Hops have aromas of mint and grass.

A very large English IPA. Plenty of bitter and even some alcohol. Toffee flavors from the malt is complimented by mint and herbal qualities from the hops. Alcohol plays a large role in the finish. I can understand the confusion of which style this beer is classified.

The body feels substantial enough considering the ABV level. Nicely carbonated.

Maybe next time I will pour the beer immediately after removal from the refrigerator. Otherwise this is an interesting IPA that does not follow the pack.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 22:22:20 | More by morimech

CHickman

New York

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy amber color with 2 finger foamy light tan head that had a ton of bubbles in it and faded slowly, leaving good spotty lacing.

Smells of caramel, floral hops, grapefruit, sweet malt, biscuit, grains, brown sugar, light spices, herbs and graham cracker. Not very hoppy of an IPA, the nose was pretty mild and leaned towards malty, but still balanced.

Tastes of caramel, herbs, grapefruit, light floral hops, sweet malt, piney hops, mild yeast, brown sugar, pepper, light spices, tea leaf, cinnamon, toffee, coriander and a biscuity or bready sweetness that does not taste like it comes from hop oils; like the nose, the taste is weak for an American IPA but on par for an English IPA. Seems to be some fruity sweetness, and that helps hide the ABV quite well.

Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, with light carbonation, a medium body, and a slight bitter finish that's sweet and grainy.

Good drinkability, this was a solid beer that went down smooth and easy. While it's a bit too grainy for me, it seems to hit the mark for an English IPA. Worth a try, as it has all the components to make for a session beer if this is your style of choice.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 04:45:20 | More by CHickman

zachary80

Indiana

3.53/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into my Bell's Tulip. No visible date information. Straight from store to fridge to mouth.

L: Huge billowing head prevents a full pour. Leaves tons of thick lacing. Caramel-brown opaque body is slightly off putting.

S: Aroma seems muted. Fruity sweet notes most likely from the yeast. No real hop aroma

T: Not very bitter for an IPA. Low hop presence. Strong focus on malt. Some toffee flavors

M: Average. Carbonation seems about right, maybe slightly high for the style.

O: This is a good beer. Nothing exciting about it but worth trying if you like English IPAs

V: At $2.89 a single, not a bad value for an English IPA.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2011 04:20:20 | More by zachary80

ssimpson89

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark amber with minimal head. Mild aroma of earthy hops and malt. Sweeter malt flavor with minimal hop bitterness.

Medium mouthfeel with decent carbonation provides for a nice, crisp finish.

While I prefer the American version of IPA's, this one is one of the better English ones I've had. I enjoyed it. It was a nice change of pace.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2011 23:05:34 | More by ssimpson89

BrewerB

California

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to michiganbrewer for the hookup on this one!

Pours a hazy, light amber with a thin, very light tan head resting on top and holding up well. A toasty/caramel malt presence hit the nose first followed up with floral hoppiness. Moderately bittered, the flavor seems again skewed towards malts. Toasty with a touch of breadiness, spicy alcohol, mild hop presence focused on floral characters. Medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation.

Overall a decent example of the style but more focus on hop flavor would help increase enjoyment.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2011 02:47:04 | More by BrewerB

zoso1967

Michigan

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Crown Jewels pours a very deep and tawny amber color with a reddish hue to it. The beer is a bit cloudy and supports a great looking head that has wonderful retention and leaves nice lace.

The aroma consists mainly of floral and slightly citrusy hops with a bit of bready malt sweetness and some toffee. Without even looking it up it is obvious that this is an English style IPA, but with an American twist.

The flavor similar to the aroma with a barrage of floral and orange hop character hitting my taste buds right off the bat and then transitioning to a bready and toffee like malt character. The brew is very well balanced with the hops and malt complimenting each other, but I find that this beer has a bit too much of a minerally profile in it and is perhaps just a bit on the sweet side.

The mouthfeel is on the fuller side of medium with a good amount of carbonation. It finishes very well with a fairly unassuming aftertaste and a good balance between sweet and dry.

This beer is fairly drinkable, but I found it to be a bit confusing. Is it English or American? Hoppy or Malty? It just did not really satisfy me in terms of a total package. The quality may have been there, as were some very nice flavors, but it just left me only partially impressed.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2011 02:13:52 | More by zoso1967

silentjay

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pours a hazy copper with a huge (maybe too big) light tan head that slowly settles and leaves little lacing.

herbal, spicy aroma reminds me of an english style, but there is also a floral bouquet and some citrus.

again, the flavor combines english and american styles with herbs meeting flowers and citrus fruits, but caramel takes over and makes this a very sweet IPA.

mouthfeel is where it should be for the style, but foamy on every sip due to the huge head.

drinks rather well. actually a bit too sweet for my liking for an IPA. would drink again, but not one id seek out.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2010 05:27:06 | More by silentjay

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.05/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed on 6/19/2010. On tap at the brewery. Pours a clear orange with a small white head. Aroma of caramel malt, crystal malt, and a slight hint of citrus. Flavor of caramel malt, sweet malt, some sweaty hops but mostly this was dominated by the caramel malt. Much too sweet for an IPA and not to my liking.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2010 23:26:54 | More by LilBeerDoctor

BehindtheFinBrew

Iowa

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Crunchy's in East Lansing
Served in 25 oz mug

A: 1" light tan head. Poured hazy copper brown. Ring lace was left on the upper quarter of the glass with the head reducing to a crown of lace.

S: Floral and spicy hop with roasted and bready malt.

T: Sweet caramel malt is upfront as it should be in an EIPA. Some more citrus hop is apparent in the taste but overall the hop character was very light.

M: Creamy texture and medium bodied. Carbonation low-medium.

D: A nice balance of hop and malt as an EIPA should be with hops being slightly forward. I would drink this again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-03-2010 14:51:55 | More by BehindtheFinBrew

jrallen34

Illinois

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

I had this on tap into a tulip at Ashleys...The beer pours a light hazy orange, not a ton to look at here...The aroma and taste are both ok, nothing special either, ligth pineapple on the nose, a mild hop presence. The feel is ok, and its ok to drink but with the lack of hops, it really doesn't justify drinking more than one.

Serving type: on-tap

07-24-2010 14:27:55 | More by jrallen34

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark, slightly hazy golden amber with a fairly thick and quite persistent pale tan head. Strong aroma is quite hoppy and has hints of grapefruit and, interestingly enough, honey-like sweetness. Flavor is hoppy and a little bitter, with a hint of grapefruit and just a whisper of honey. Texture is quite fizzy and tingly, leaving behind a hoppy and tingly finish.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2010 19:16:05 | More by Cyberkedi

brentk56

North Carolina

2.35/5  rDev -36%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber color with a tight-bubbled cap that performs like a champ, retaining and lacing

Smell: Really fruity, with an overripe apple character as well as an earthy, dishwater tone

Taste: Opens all over the place, with the overripe apple, herbacious mineral water and spearminty tone; after the swallow, the spearmint tends to dominate the other flavors; perhaps some acetone in here as well

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Not particularly good, unfortunately

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2010 02:31:50 | More by brentk56

organicbrewer

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A-Full copper. Clear. Very tiny tan head.

S-toasty malt. some stone fruit esters. low hop aroma.

T-moderatly bitter. Fairly sweet. Carmally malt and some biscuit. Moderate earthy hop flavor.

M-feels thick for an IPA. low carbonation ok. No alcohol burn.

D-Nice beer. Could be dried out a bit more, seemed sweet even for an english ipa.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2010 19:29:15 | More by organicbrewer

JordanEllwanger

Michigan

3.38/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Deep copper and cloudy amber in tone with a big bubbly off white head leaving little ridges if lace. A small amount of sediment at the bottom of the bottle, just enough to take away most of the ale's transparency. Smells is very fruity and sweet drizzled in hops. Tastes like hops up front with a very watery grapefruit aftertaste. Lots of citrus sting and bitter bite. That dirt grapefruit taste covers my tongue. Nice and citrusy.
Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2010 07:15:40 | More by JordanEllwanger

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a nonic)
A- This beer pours a dark copper penny hued body that is a bit dense with a warm tan creamy head that forms a cloud in the middle of the beer which is supported by a gentle carbonation of big bubbles.
S- This beer has a soft green hops aroma with a toasted malt smell that is well balanced. There is a dry staw aroma in the malt.
T- There is a slight dark caramel malt taste with cream note and a watermelon note that comes through as it warms. There is a soft green fresh finish that has a soft bitter bite at the finish.
M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with no alchol heat noticed.
D- This beer has a malt flavor that is interesting with a soft but nice hops flavor until the watermelon flavor steps in and is a bit odd. There is a bit of a watery taste that comes through as part of the watermelon flavor.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2009 16:01:43 | More by rhoadsrage

Wildman

Ohio

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This beer poured a murky light amber color and formed a large foamy off white head that coated the glass with lace as it subsided. A small amount of sediment is present. A mild aroma of hops and citrus. The flavor was of hops, pine and candy. The body was medium light and the finish was bittersweet. Really sweeter than I like my IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2009 02:47:30 | More by Wildman

sweemzander

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz. bottle poured into a tulip glass. No bottled date.

(A)- Pours a hazy reddish amber. Minimal sized off-white to yellow head with great retention.

(S)- Very dry pine funk with a respectable malt backbone.

(T)- Initial hop bitterness quickly followed by a really dry middle with a fairly creamy and rich malty finish. Citrus of a funky grapefruit & lemon.

(M)- Great carbonation level implemented with the rest of the beer. Good creamy factor paired with the immense dry and hoppy dimension.

(D)- A good IPA that isnt too earthshattering, yet good hop and malt balance. Not too shabby. I would certainly try it again. My only gripe is that I have no idea hold old or fresh it is due to no bottled date.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2009 00:37:00 | More by sweemzander

rudylaw

Illinois

3/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Copper pour with a gushing head. Had to wait a long time for it to settle down.

Smells grassy and malty. There are some hops here but those are muted. Tastes pretty much the same with some caramel and biscuit flavors making an appearance but this is the epitome of average. I'm bored with this beer which means a boring review.

I can see the drinkability being better than average, but I don't need to have another one of these. It's an IPA which would get lost among the dozens and dozens of better ones out there.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2009 00:23:23 | More by rudylaw

lllarzzz

Michigan

3.88/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Has a nice,cloudy, dark reddish-orange color. This bottle poured with an uncontrollable head... not very refined.

Initial flavor is very stiff for an IPA, but you adjust after a few sips and start appreciating the complexity. Interesting flavors... grape and honey come to mind.

Pretty clean finish for such a strong, flavorful ale.

Overall, this is a complex beer that gets better as you drink more of it. Not you're standard hoppy microbrewed IPA.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2009 02:34:40 | More by lllarzzz