Worthington's White Shield - Museum Brewing Company / White Shield Brewery

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.79/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

500 ml bottle, label says best before end 07 MAR 14. Served in a nonic pint glass, the beer pours a hazy orange color with about an inch off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both pretty good. Aroma is nice but light, it smells like toasted malt, fruit, spicy hops and some bready malt/grain. It tastes like earthy hops, fruit, toffee, tea, toasted and bready malt, and a bit of peppery spice. There's a nice bitter finish, too. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's smooth and has nice, soft carbonation. I think this is a good English IPA. At $3.99 a bottle, it's worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 00:11:38 | More by bluejacket74

Oldkentman

Ohio

4/5  rDev +5.8%

05-19-2013 23:15:46 | More by Oldkentman

nickfl

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -14%

05-18-2013 20:49:17 | More by nickfl

beepill

California

4/5  rDev +5.8%

05-18-2013 00:32:00 | More by beepill

kylehay2004

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%

05-18-2013 00:11:52 | More by kylehay2004

WhitmansNiece

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -14%

05-17-2013 23:45:46 | More by WhitmansNiece

Liquoric3

Germany

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%

05-14-2013 18:09:25 | More by Liquoric3

Ego

New Jersey

3.2/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

I hope I feel like sacking jerusalem after having this...

eyes...
golden brown with a furious torrent of bubble action, the head is massive to start, cuts itself in half in a minute but then maintains, a beautiful cascade of perfectly cloned microbubbles on the sides with a mushroom of marshmellow in the middle floating like some sort of quasi-island, clear on this pour throughout in terms of clarity, pretty nice lookin' lot

nose...
musty green hops, some tangy yeast, slight bits of lemon, an almost sea breeze quality to it, pretty straight forward and such

taste etc...
musty dry brit hops, almost has a dusty stale taste (but not unpleasant), when taking a nice swig with the fresh head this is much more appealing, it gives it more mouthfeel that way, the hops are not very bitter, the malts are the right sweetness... but nothing really is satisfying me here to any great length. this is not crap or anything, it is just pretty standard fare, the carbonation is very good though, it seems to really fit the bill for a nice pint at the bar.

verdict?
no wonder the french killed the order... this beer is OK, nothing special, nothing bad, I wouldn't turn it down on tap but I certainly will not be launching 3 journeys into enemy lands for it...

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 04:19:36 | More by Ego

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

4.38/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: clear, light copper color, poured with a rocky, creamy, big head, tan-off-white colored head
S: mild nose, light biscuity malt with good earthy hop finish
T: a classic British IPA, well-rounded, full-bodied, and well-balanced with surprisingly bitter hop finish for a British IPA
M: well-balanced and refreshing

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 03:12:22 | More by wisrarebeer

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +5.8%

04-26-2013 09:06:34 | More by mick303

MacStinson

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +19%

04-22-2013 00:44:36 | More by MacStinson

CoryR

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

04-16-2013 00:17:59 | More by CoryR

gritz147

Louisiana

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

04-13-2013 02:58:30 | More by gritz147

Chrysostom

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

As always, I review (mostly) to style (ala BJCP), modified (a bit, not too much) by personal taste (contra BJCP), or else certain beers, which are excellent exemplars of styles I do not prefer (like this IPA), would receive consistently lower marks than beers which are poor exemplars of my favourite styles.

As always, I review live, and not from notes.

This is a re-review of Worthington's White Shield from a new bottle. My current impressions are largely consistent with my first - an excellent, stand-out IPA, one of the best of its style.

Presentation: 22 fl oz bomber, $3.99 certified "real ale" by CAMRA. Poured in to a Stone Brewing pint glass at 40ºF and warming as I write. Brewed by Coors.

A: Crystal-clear amber colour. "Amber" was invented to describe the shade of this beer. Lively carbonation, three-finger head, excellent retention and lacing.

S: Excellent for a "Coors" beer. Subdued tropical and citrus fruits, with a little bit of funkiness/wet rag reminiscent of a Belgian - still a defect for the style, maybe due to the long Atlantic voyage.

T: This is my kind of IPA. Some citrus fruits, a strong, toasty breadiness, a strong malt backbone tempered by some good, but very well-balanced, hopping, with a long, dry, astringent finish. Notes of cereal, pine needles, juniper berries, and an odd kind of hops, which I take to be an English variety I am unaccustomed to. This is how an IPA should be. If you like IPA, but find the American styles too reminiscent of marijuana in the flavour, and of bitter-ass denatured alcohol in the hop bite, this is the beer for you. Far more taste than the low ABV (5.6%) foretells.

M: Light and spritzy, full and bitter, smooth and mellow. Higher carbonation than American IPAs, and, frankly, better.

D: High.

O: Try this beer. The quintessential "session beer". The best IPA I've ever had. Second best is Commodore Perry, an English-style American IPA. The Brits know how to brew their India Pale Ales - they should, they ruled the subcontinent for a century. Try this beer.

If you like American IPA, the hops may be underwhelming - the hop characteristic is more in-line with an American Pale Ale.

To style (English IPA): 95/100
To style (IPA): 82/100
To taste: 88/100

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 21:25:57 | More by Chrysostom

MCain04

Illinois

3/5  rDev -20.6%

04-01-2013 23:58:15 | More by MCain04

bostonryan

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -20.6%

04-01-2013 14:26:24 | More by bostonryan

heygeebee

Australia

3.16/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.25

From Vintage Cellars. BB Apr 14.

A somewhat unremarkable India pale ale overall. True to style with English style malts, moderate hops.

Notable is this instance is the godalmighty fizz that comes out of the bottle when poured. A good two finger head a la Hefe takes a while to subside, and the mouthfeel is too fizzy and spritzy.

Apart from that, solid.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 09:57:56 | More by heygeebee

Bookseeb

Washington

3.1/5  rDev -18%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance has a mid orange amber color supporting a nice lasting head leaving small lace. Smell is clean with light cereal notes and english hops. Taste of the cereal grain, english yeast with fruit notes and a balance of hops throughout. Mouthfeel is medium with a higher carbonation associated with this English style.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 00:19:35 | More by Bookseeb

JimmyCop

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +5.8%

03-14-2013 00:50:03 | More by JimmyCop

Dave_Treat

Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -27.2%

03-09-2013 02:39:37 | More by Dave_Treat

FLima

Brazil

4.14/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Clear amber copper color with tons of thick head and leaving laces.
Aroma of earthy and piney hops. Mild when compared to the American counterparties.
Perfect balanced beer, optimum level of slightly toasted malt sweetness (meaning not sweet) and a decent amount of earthy hops. Notes of pine, orange peel, caramel, guaraná and licorice.
Dry and bitter aftertaste. Light body with medium carbonation and tiny bubbles with an effervescent sensation.
What a pleasant beer to drink, this must be the reason to be almost 300 years old in business. Glad to see that still to be now owned by a global major company they are truly faithful to the style, actually it is claimed to be the oldest surviving IPA. Very hoppy for English beers, but not overwhelming as some American IPAs can be (ps. anyway not to a hop head like this one).

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 01:51:25 | More by FLima

popery

California

3.63/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours a rich amber-copper color. Some haze. Big white head that expands quickly with a hard pour. Solid chunks of lace sticking to the walls of the glass. Very pretty beer. Lots of English hops in the aroma; I'm not good at this, but my guess would be Goldings. It has a sweet citrus aroma shot through with a peppery spice. I'm not enjoying the malt contribution as much. The caramel sweetness is a bit limp and doesn't quite have that luxurious quality of that I love in other English beers. Perhaps, a touch of diacetyl, not that it's a problem, just a little English twist. The taste adds an interesting mineral note but loses some hop brightness. The malt is still a bit underwhelming. The bitterness seems to have that lasting dry flavor that I think of coming from Burton's hard water. Still, the beer either needs a richer malt sweetness or a drier profile. The malt bill kinda plays the middle and doesn't do a great job of it. Good yeasty, mildly bitter finish, though. It's an easy drinking beer. Mouthfeel is relatively gentle. The attempt to mimic cask ale doesn't work all that well, but it's a good thought - I recommend a relatively hard pour and patience. The drying finish helps a lot. Drinks easily. It's always fun to try a good English beer. Too few make it across the Atlantic.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 05:56:28 | More by popery

Beerstorian

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +19%

02-23-2013 15:35:02 | More by Beerstorian

JustinAniello

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a reddish copper with a thick three finger head. Slowly dissipates to a very nice cap remains with a sticky lacing. Probably the best looking IPA I have seen from a bottle.

S - Aromas of orange, sweet bread, and a bit of moss or forest mix together.

T - Sweet oranges initially, turning to a dark bread, yeast in the background. Mild piney bitterness in the swallow, lingering in the aftertaste.

M - Medium body and light carbonation.

O - A good IPA, nice flavor profile, just the right ratio of malt to hops. Could use a little more depth in the aroma. Would definitely have again.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 00:12:03 | More by JustinAniello

weonfire

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +5.8%

02-19-2013 03:04:57 | More by weonfire