Newcastle Winter IPA - The Caledonian Brewery Company Limited

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.6/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

From the 12 fl. oz. bottle. Marked: 30-09X. Sampled on June 2, 2013 when it was 90 degrees outside.

The pour is medium amber with a modest lingering head. Good clarity.

The aroma is more malt forward than hoppy with a noticeable toffee sweetness and a roasted quality.

The body is medium and smooth.

The taste is bereft of anything hoppy which is not what I would expect from an IPA - even the more subtle English IPA. There is a dry, lingering finish but all in all it tastes like an ESB or a Pale Ale rather than an IPA. It is drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 18:45:58 | More by puboflyons

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

2.91/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75

A 355ml bottle with a BB of Sept 2013. Picked up recently from Tesco. Brewed in Tadcaster, home of John Smiths. The blurb on the label claims that the recipe is based on the 18th century style of English IPA. I could take some convincing...

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A clear brownish-amber colour with medium carbonation. Forms a large head of frothy white foam that lasts for a few minutes before settling as a patchy surface layer. Aroma of caramel malt with hints of mild roasted grain, nuttiness, grass, fruity ale yeast and faint stewed hops. Not very IPA-like.

Tastes of caramel malt with a dry finish. Notes of mild roasted grain, nuttiness, caramel/toffee, grass, fruity ale yeast, stewed hops and faint earthiness. Slightly sweet, with a restrained, leafy bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth and dry, with pleasant carbonation and an OK body. Could be more interesting - where are the hop oils? Somewhat astringent, with an aftertaste of caramel malt, mildly harsh stewed leaves and faint cardboard.

Meh - not much of an IPA and a pretty boring beer in general. Surprisingly malty; almost like regular Newky Brown with some extra grassy notes. The aroma/flavour are dull and uninspired, though the most glaring omission is the lack of hops that would qualify this as a half-decent IPA. The hint of grass/hay isn't more than you would find in a regular ale. I suppose it's drinkable enough but it fails as an IPA. Give it a miss.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2013 23:09:51 | More by jazzyjeff13

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

No question of where this one came from - many thanks to my local, in-person trader, tone 77!

From the bottle: "Brighten your Day"; "We aim to pleasantly surprise with our winter ale, a unique Limited Edition brew with the drinkability you expect from Newcastle. Our recipe echoes the style of 18th century India pale ales, which were subtly higher hopped than British pale ales. This brew has a seductive malt, caramel and zesty character which accompanies a balanced and creamy finish. Our inspiration for this unexpected winter brew? Well, we just want to make our long British winters more palatable!"; "Brilliant British Ale"; "From the One & Only"; "Drink Cool".

My pour produced just better than a finger of dense, tawny head with very good retention. Color was a deep copper with NE-quality clarity. Nose was malty sweet with a caramel scent and a light, grassy hoppiness. Mouthfeel was medium and the taste was definitely of caramel on the tongue. Finish was semi-sweet and easily quaffable. It was tasty, but not sustaining for a hophead such as myself. I am not sure that it would make winter more palatable for me, but to each his own. Not bad, not unexpected, but not sustaining, either.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 00:04:36 | More by woodychandler

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a bronze color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is malty? No noticable hops. Taste is also malty, sweet, caramel, not what I was expecting. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a good beer, but not what I am expecting in an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 18:28:41 | More by tone77

pweis909

Wisconsin

3.26/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

What I like most: there is an interesting aroma to this beer. It reminds me of apricots. Is this a yeast derived stone-fruit flavor or hop-derived flavor, such as the apricot flavor people claim to get from amarillo hops? I don't know, but it is the most interesting part of the beer.

What I like least: the caramel sweetness is overpowering. This beer is too sweet. Quite unbalanced for anything called IPA, in my mind, and in any event too sweet to really like.

Some things of note, which I am rather neutral toward: the color is dark for an IPA. But it's just color. There is a bit of a chocolate flavor underneath the caramel. Maybe that is not to style, but it doesn't kill the beer and makes it sort of interesting. The carbonation is low and the beer comes across as soft-textured. Sorry I can't be more articulat than that. In my mind, this enhances drinkability, but the sweetness from the caramel malts diminishes it.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 02:49:29 | More by pweis909

kvnstfrd

Missouri

3.8/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a 16 oz. goblet. Pours a dark amber color; looks a lot like strong tea. A two-finger off-white head with tons of sticky lacing. Smells of caramel, cherries and other ripe fruity aromas. Some nice, earthy hop aromas in there, too. Taste is malty, fruity and sweet up front with a smooth transition into a herbal, hoppy finish. Mouthfeel is a just little on the thin side, but carbonation level is low and not dry at all. Overall, probably the best English IPA I’ve ever had. This is a nicely balanced and complex beer that I hate to see called a "Limited Edition." SO much better than Newcastle’s flagship Brown Ale. Hopefully, it will at least become a yearly, seasonal brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 13:00:27 | More by kvnstfrd

garymuchow

Minnesota

3.71/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Not sure on the age on this. It seems certainly towards the end of the season for this.
Surprisingly malty, toasty and caramelized aroma. Soft english hopping is definitely in the background. Pleasing enough.
Very clear brown/copper. Smaller head than expected.
Flavors are similar to aroma with greater hop presence. Still largely a malty drink with more blending of the hops throughout, but not really very bitter, more of hop flavors-and they are nice. Soft drying on the finish. Prickly spicy carbonation and hoppy start.
Really quite a light body, esp. for a 5.2% abv. Feels much smaller than that, although flavor holds a touch of alcohol qualities (or features of what I'd expect from a 5% drink).

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 02:15:49 | More by garymuchow

griffinn

Oregon

3.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

There isn't much that can be said about this "IPA." I wouldn't exactly call it an IPA, it's more like "IPA-inspired." It's really just a standard brown ale a little higher on the level of hops. Indeed, it's remarkably similar to Newcastle's standard offering. Just a bit hoppier. I call it a "Crossover IPA."

This was my first IPA, and for me it served as an introduction to the world of IPAs. It's not at all bad - it's well-balanced enough, feels fine in the mouth for a macro brew, and it's a fine IPA for someone who has either never tried a hoppy beer or isn't a particularly big fan of them. It's worth buying a six-pack on sale (it's probably on clearance at the grocery store right now) if you're craving hops and you're either on a budget or your store doesn't have anything better. But for the seasoned drinker, don't expect anything terribly exciting.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 06:22:13 | More by griffinn

JMad

Texas

3.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

The beer pours a very dark amber/ light brown color with a very thin white head that quickly dissipated.

It's aroma is of toasted malts and butter with a light spruce smell in the background. Tastes of sweet bread and caramel with just a slight herbal bitterness and a little bit of fruit on the finish (apple/pear). The liquid is medium bodied with low carbonation and a tasty, lingering finish.

I guess this is ok for an English IPA, but it really wasn't what I was expecting. Although, this beer seems pretty sessionable, I could probably knock down quite a few in one sitting.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 04:23:55 | More by JMad

hustlesworth

Ohio

3.15/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

A- insanely clear burnt copper. Off whit colored foam is like creamy-ish and kinda soapy-ish and mostly lackluster as it sizzles down. Lacing however is abundant. Fizzy looking.

S- mostly caramel, butter, and toffee with a brown sugar twist and a slight whiff of earthy citrus hops. Notes of browning orchard fruits and sandalwood.

T- mostly fruity and grainy with nice hops at the end. Keepin it real tho. Citrus hoppiness blends with the caramel malt sweetness on the front end and the woodsy, earthy side of the cone plays against toasty and pear flavors to provide a pleasant and transitional balance throughout the glass. Buttery. Finishes grainy and citric.

MF- artificial and overdone. Way too fizzy, taking what would normally be a pleasant dryness to a whole nother level like damn homie why u so carbonated and prickly son u ain't soda?!! And after all that it still feels like residual sugar on my cheeks that better English IPAs just don't tolerate.

D- it's like a pretty damn decent beer that is almost budweiser flavored, and it's simply just an example of a pretty good mass produced beer. Or more accurately, a seasonal relatively small batched beer that was produced in a mass-productive fashion. Either way, it doesn't suck but it's not awesome.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 09:55:17 | More by hustlesworth

Hendry

Vermont

3.95/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Turn back the hands of time 30 years and Newcastle Brown Ale was one of the small handfull of quality imports that was available at the time. My first experience was a 16 oz draught at Lord Bumberry's in Boston back in 1984, and that was by far the best representation of Newscastle that I can remember. Since that time, the clear bottles of Brown Ale have been widely distributed and readily available.

My guess is that Newcastle, like many other popular imports, rode the wave of popularity for years and have watched their U.S. market share shrink year after year. The answer? Create an IPA in 2012 in hopes of igniting the flame and stoke up the sales. This Winter IPA falls flat of the mark, but overall is a palatable easy drinking ale, albeit a bit watery.

If nobody told you this was an IPA and poured a glass for you, chances are few if any would guess that is what was. This much more resembles a typical British ale with just a smidgen of hoppiness to it. Not much in the way of nose outside of what a garden variety Brit ale puts forth, and the flavors are a pleasant mixture of caramel and watered down hops: don't expect any bitter hoppy aftertaste because it will let you down in that regard.

The Brits should stick to what they know best: quality ales,rich porters & stouts. The only reason most of the export brands are marketing an IPA is because they lost a sizable portion of the market share ever since us Yanks became more hip to hops!

Now that Spring is around the corner, you should see some bargains on the sizable stock of unsold Newcastele Winter IPA left in the warehouses. If you are buying beer for a party and can pick it up cheap, the value is decent and the ale is reasonably palatable overall.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 21:28:48 | More by Hendry

tylerzander

Arizona

3.71/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A - pours a crystal clear deep copper color with a short lived one finger slightly off-white head that reduces to a wisp after a minute or two

S - a bit surprising for an IPA that the predominant aroma is that of malt, namely caramel-forward malt notes with some mild continental hop notes to provide some complexity but it's hard to suss out their presence

T - the taste delivers on what the aroma promises: a pleasant maltiness that offers, again, just a hint of mild floral/spicy hoppiness

M - full and rounded out mouthfeel which would be best fresh, as it is brought down a couple notches by some oxidation notes at the end

D - quite drinkable, especially for the winter when one seeks a fuller beer with a good malt backbone that provides some sustenance and a little extra flavor; altogether a good, drinkable beer that seems to age (despite the oxidation) better than its American IPA counterparts even if what's promised on the label (an intensely hopped IPA, 18th century style) doesn't exactly manifest itself in the glass

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 00:44:25 | More by tylerzander

WissBrauSean

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours an amber color with very little head or bubbles with only a tiny ring around the glass to leave the tiniest lacing.

The aroma is clearly mellow caramel malt sweetness with only a bit of floral hops. It's pretty straightforward and pleasant. Not a whole lot of complexity.

The beer tastes really well balanced between the caramel malt sweetness and the bittering hops. It's really pleasant and drinkable.

The body/mouthfeel is thinner than I would like being well under medium. It starts off sweet and creamy while nearing the end the hops start to take over with mild bitter moving towards a slightly dry peppery finish. The carbonation is fairly lively.

All in all it's very pleasant and drinkable, but it doesn't have much of a head and it almost watery to the mouthfeel.

I'm going to give this beer a score in the mid 3's out of 5. It has lots of redeeming qualities and it totally something that I would seek out even in the summertime, but that is because it is a bit watery. Otherwise, it's pretty refreshing!

Try it, you might like it and that is all that matters! Try new stuff, life is too short not to!

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 02:04:00 | More by WissBrauSean

welldigger888

South Carolina

3.06/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured a nice amber hue with a white head that dissipated very quickly leaving almost no cap and descent lacing.

Head cold on the wain here so I will call it avg.

Again head cold on the wain so again avg.

I could detect a firm bitterness in the flavor that was appealing though.

Medium bodied to a bit thin, not bad, not at all displeasing.

Well, sorry for the unfair review here with the head cold on the wain and all. But hey, I could not waste a quality brew just because I wanted a couple of pints now could I.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 02:37:11 | More by welldigger888

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.54/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I picked this up at Giant in the mix a six cooler, poured chilled in a cervoise.

The color is deep garnet with good clarity and quick falling head to a crust of light tan beads. The aroma has a smell of earth with woody, nutty malt and light cheesy yeast with subtle herbal aroma from the hops. The feel has moderately high carbonation and toasted grain texture with slight spice and low bitterness w/ slightly dry yeasty finish.

The taste is creamy with nutty malt and woody hops w/ mild sweetness and fruity yeast tinges w/ subtle raisin and toast in the background with subtle herbal bitterness and mild pepper-like qualities. Overall a good English Ale w/ nice yeast flavor and malt balance yet too tame for even an English IPA imo, but I liked it, perhaps esb or pale ale might have been a better label -it just misses the mark of what consitutes a standard for this style to me

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 17:31:35 | More by Slatetank

Billolick

New York

3.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle. W/O freshness info.

Pour is medium amber, clear, moderate off white head, decent fields of fine lacing.

Faint wiff of malt on the nose.

Malty and smoky brew, limited hop presence. Just some dryness in the finish.

Nothing special. Would work in a pinch, with some BBQ or other smoky food.

Pass it by, buy some real craft beer, support a real craft brewer.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 02:12:46 | More by Billolick

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

I had this on tap at my local bar as part of the beer experience program. It is a good incentive program, but it forces you into some lesser beers like the Newcastle Winter IPA.

I really wouldn't call this an english IPA. It is more like an english pale, or an english light pale. The nose and flavor are really minimal. The nose is barely hopped. You can hardly smell anything. You hardly get any flavor... overall, this one was pretty boring.

I would recommend this is a gateway beer, but it really doesn't play well for drinking veterans.

Serving type: on-tap

02-08-2013 18:37:14 | More by ummswimmin

UCLABrewN84

California

3.13/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a clear dark orange with a foamy khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, and a sugary caramel aroma. Taste is much the same with a slightly fruity flavor on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is an average beer that is drinkable but nothing I would want to go after again.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 05:26:36 | More by UCLABrewN84

EmperorBevis

United Kingdom (England)

2.36/5  rDev -26%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5

The beer pours with a huge foamy white head though the rusty water body is not that appealing

Really not much on the nose vague hints of copper coins, put my nose to the bottle and sure I picked up some notes of granary bread.

Wow it tastes like rusty water with a slight bitter aftertaste and bottled mineral water comes through as well

If I soaked a single hop in warm water with a tiny squeeze of washing up liquid and let it go cold this would be the mouthfeel.

The best Newcastle Limited Edition so far
but this is a title you can liken to most polite serial killer.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 21:16:33 | More by EmperorBevis

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.26/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

355ml Bottle from Morrisons (£1.49):
Amber with a creamy white head on top and some pretty good retention as well. A nice looking beer, if perhaps a little clear looking.

Grassy hops and a few malts with a sort of nutty aroma, a hint of grass and some very light, earthy notes as well. Pretty basic on the nose and nothing all that interesting.

Earthy malt flavour to start with some caramel and a few lighter, grassy hops on top of that. The beer seems more like a bitter than an IPA and I was tempted to class it as such but the bottle does explicitly state otherwise. There is some bread and a general, earthy flavour.

Medium and clean tasting with moderate to light carbonation and an earthy bitter flavour to it. It was quite smooth and had a little dryness right at the end.

A nice session beer and a big step up from what I was expecting, this one was highly drinkable and very easy to do so. Nothing stand out in it's taste and the smell was too faint but overall it was a decent enough drink for what it is. Defo more a bitter than IPA though.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 15:54:40 | More by flyingpig

SometimesIfart

Michigan

2.26/5  rDev -29.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.25

A - Pours clear copper with a very small slightly off white head. Leaves no lacing.

S - Lots of bread, small amounts of dark fruit. No hops whatsoever.

T - Virtually the same as the nose. Loads of bread up front, slight dark fruit soon follows and that's virtually the whole flavor.

M - Medium watery body with medium carbonation. Slightly spicy as well.

O - Overall, It wasn't very good. Doubt I'd have it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 06:04:34 | More by SometimesIfart

Apellonious

North Carolina

3.41/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle- six from bi-lo. Was intrigued, as I don't recall ever seeing another Newcastle offering other than their brown.

A - pours a pale dark gold. Little head that moves instantly to a thin lace.

S - olfactory says pale malts, grains, grass.

T - English hops, bread. Picking up hints of fruit. Dry bitter finish.

M - on the watery side, carbonation slightly low

O - drinkable, if unmemorable. Not what I normally conjure up when I think IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 01:40:40 | More by Apellonious

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Newcastle Winter IPA

LOOK: Clear copper with a white head and some lace.

SMELL: n/a

TASTE: Pale malts giving off toffee and mild toasty notes. Faint hint of chocolates. Fair amount of bitterness but finishes dead even. Touch of mineral and earthyness on the back end.

MOUTHFEEL: Light to medium bodied, well carbonated, easy drinking. Drinks like water.

OVERALL: A very mild agreeable beer. Perfectly sessionable. No aroma. Not very bitter as to be accepted by the mainstream. Hop head training wheels.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 23:34:52 | More by Stinkypuss

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Newcastle Winter IPA

Poured from 12 ounce bottle into New Belgium tulip. Served chilled...

A) Darker amber in color. A very small amount of soapy head was produced, and it didn't last long.

S) The aroma is a buttery green grape, with just a hint of grass. It's not bad, but it's not doing much for me.

T) Unfortunately the taste is very similar to the aroma. A bit earthy and grassy on the backend, but really this doesn't have much flavor for an IPA.

M) The body is on the lighter side of the medium spectrum. Mild carbonation, but lively enough. A little tingle on the finish.

O) It has become increasingly apparent to me, that if I'm offered any Newcastle beer, with the exception of their brown ale, I should politely decline.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 19:42:56 | More by RoamingGnome

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.38/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a one-finger white head that fades quickly leaving traces lace. Crystal clear amber color. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Light malty nose. Flavor is light caramel and not a lot of hops, surprising for an IPA. $1.60 for a 12oz bottle from a Tully’s Beer & Wine Wells, ME.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 23:50:40 | More by jdhilt