Newcastle Winter IPA - The Caledonian Brewery Company Limited

Jvcshad

3/5  rDev -6%

12-22-2012 03:06:26 | More by Jvcshad

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

norinco

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-29-2013 15:16:19 | More by norinco

RedWeizen83

Texas

3/5  rDev -6%

05-27-2013 20:39:24 | More by RedWeizen83

tzieser

Arizona

3.5/5  rDev +9.7%

05-27-2013 07:05:52 | More by tzieser

MikalMick

Florida

2.75/5  rDev -13.8%

05-26-2013 23:07:31 | More by MikalMick

buckyp

South Carolina

3.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-26-2013 10:07:42 | More by buckyp

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

ajtorres311

Florida

3/5  rDev -6%

05-15-2013 16:45:34 | More by ajtorres311

aty11b

Texas

4/5  rDev +25.4%

05-14-2013 01:29:12 | More by aty11b

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

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -6%

05-11-2013 15:18:26 | More by mikeburd1128

Guden

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +41.1%

05-08-2013 02:07:54 | More by Guden

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

2.25/5  rDev -29.5%

05-07-2013 14:23:03 | More by tommyguz

Skeeze

California

2.75/5  rDev -13.8%

05-04-2013 17:18:05 | More by Skeeze

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

Sande

Kansas

2.5/5  rDev -21.6%

05-03-2013 02:49:20 | More by Sande

GaryFields

Indiana

1.75/5  rDev -45.1%

05-03-2013 01:15:03 | More by GaryFields

bmurray10

Texas

3.5/5  rDev +9.7%

04-22-2013 18:00:45 | More by bmurray10

nebula1999

Connecticut

3.25/5  rDev +1.9%

04-21-2013 16:09:50 | More by nebula1999

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

Mike099

New York

2.5/5  rDev -21.6%

04-14-2013 04:59:39 | More by Mike099

h4ger

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev +9.7%

04-14-2013 00:44:39 | More by h4ger

Pelicanrocks

United Kingdom (England)

3.5/5  rDev +9.7%

04-13-2013 19:54:38 | More by Pelicanrocks