India Pale Ale - Meantime Brewing Company Limited

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4.11/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: quite cloudy/hazy, orange in color...sudsy foam, laces in webs, leaves a medium-thick collar - unkempt, slovenly, unfiltered

S: orange-zest hop aromas...crystal malt in support, some lightly husky toasted pale malt in the background...moderate amount of vibrant, flowery esters filling in the dead space like a fog - hardly bold overall, more rustic, certainly English

T: candied blood or navel orange with accompanying, lingering citrus-juice sugars...more crystal malt than pale malt flavors, yet muddled against the yeasty-fruity overtones....fair-to-moderate hop bitterness, soft and fuzzy, floral and grassy

M: bitter don't bite, though there is some tingle on the tongue....quite smooth, not so thick in body - more like just touching medium - though it feels full-er, foamy

O: purdy good, purdy unrefined (in a positive manner) - malty like a Helles and quite orange-flavored - the bitterness is soft, but on the high side for a UK version - would be interested in having again, hopefully more fresh...

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2013 06:20:20 | More by Bouleboubier

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

3.95/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap. Pint glass. Enjoyed on nov´11. Golden color, chill haze. Off-white, creamy crown. Copious collars & spots. Good retention. Hints of orange & resiny hops to the nose. Sweet malty & hoppy upfront. Mildy malty in the middle followed by smooth astringency. Medium body, medium carbonation. Oily resiny finish. Fruity aftertaste. Refreshing. Nice drinkability.

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2012 17:50:35 | More by GONZALOYANNA

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

2.88/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A-Poured slightly cloudy orange. Light head left light lacing. Head was small but retained well.

S- Very balanced. Perhaps sweeter than hoppy. Sweetness derived from caramel and not hoppy fruity sweetness. Grassy hoppiness and a bit floral.

T-Downgrade from the nose. This was freshly tapped too. This is why English IPAs generally are outmatched by their American-styled counterparts. This tasted mostly like stale apple juice. Not hoppy enough and the malt bill left me unsatisfied. Hop profile was too subdued and also generally underwhelming.

M-I enjoyed the low carbonation and the medium body. It felt creamy and almost cask-like.

O/D-I did not enjoy this at all. After the first sip I was looking for the next beer to order. Hate to slam a beer, but I will not dabble with Meantime's brews unless I hear good words from someone else.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2012 03:19:48 | More by VelvetExtract

heygeebee

Australia

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Extra! Extra!

Reed all about it!!! A really really well made classic IPA without all the hop-bomb-ness that permeates all the US brews.

Easy drinking ale with some hops!! True to English style and incredibly drinakable as a result.

If only this was on-tap every night.

Serving type: on-tap

09-04-2011 07:52:20 | More by heygeebee

tobeerornottobe

Australia

3.05/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Head is nearly white. Body has golden-bronzy colour that is fairly light for an IPA.

Can't detect too much on the nose, it's like Meantime have gone the CAMRA path and produced a lightly hopped English IPA. I'm really struggling to get much off this, there is a kind of fruity floralness there, which is more noticebale on the palate but this beer really falls flat compared to US West Coast IPAs. There is some heavy sweetness, which suggests good malt content. Halfway through drinking I had to regenerate the head but even that dissipated pretty quickly, which wasn't that impressive.

This beer has a good base and I think the malt content is just about spot on but the hops really need work. But, then again, English beers traditionally focus on malt so that's not too surprising. If this beer had NZ hops added to it at the start of the boil and also in dry hopping I think it would be pretty fantastic.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2011 02:31:16 | More by tobeerornottobe

plaid75

New York

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at Papillon, NYC.

Poured a hazy medium copper hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a light burnt caramel with a slight grassy hop.

The taste consisted of a sweet toasted grainy malt with a lingering honey element. There was a mild grassy hop cutting the malt ever so slightly.

The mouthfeel was a bit full for the style with a coating sweetness.

Overall a good EIPA. Advertised on the tap handle as an IPA in big block letters. It was a fine a fine beer, but American drinkers should take heed of the fact that this is an authentic English design and not a hop bomb.

Serving type: on-tap

08-18-2010 20:30:58 | More by plaid75

Durge

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Found this on tap at M'Coul's in Greensboro, NC sporting a dark hazy amber color with a whispy white cap and very little lace. The aroma offers firmly malty pine hops, with the accent on caramel malt. Nice. The taste brings much of the same with sweet malt and tangy pine hops. There's a malt liquor subtlety and root beer touch with a hint of dry clove. It's medium bodied with a bright clean somewhat aqueous feel with minimal carbonation. Toffee and nut noted in a very drinkable Enlish IPA. Not bad.

Serving type: on-tap

07-04-2010 05:43:39 | More by Durge

dgilks

Australia

3.83/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy palish gold. Nice 2 finger head. Okay head retention.

Intense aroma. Honey sweet and floral. Some nice mandarin notes too.

The flavour disappoints a little. It is good but I expected a slightly less malt focused IPA. Generally good citrus flavours from American hops. It's tasty enough but the heavy malt focus detracts a bit for me.

Medium body and moderate carbonation lend a really good, creamy mouthfeel to this IPA.

On the whole this is a good, drinkable IPA. Unfortunately, it lacks the X-factor that makes an IPA great.

Serving type: on-tap

01-11-2010 00:42:41 | More by dgilks

jbowers56

Australia

4.22/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

First thing to say, much better on tap than bottled:

Golden/amber/yellow colour. Not heaps of lacing but ok head retention for the style/abv. Kept a thinish layer throughout.

A lot going on. Heaps of grassy/piny/citrus hops with some malty depth to back it up.

Great flavour. Not so much to my personal taste but undeniably good. For an english IPA there is HEAPS of fruity hops. Mostly citrus flavours but some pine/grass sneaks in there and blends almost too well with the malty depth that comes. Not heaps of bitterness but enough to clean it up.

Mouthfeel is good, not a lot of carbonation. Good for an english ipa. Thought carbonation is not high, it is enough to keep it lightish on the palate.'

Drinkability is very good. Almost too good. Good thing I couldnt afford to have more.

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2009 09:50:42 | More by jbowers56

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.35/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Tria. Pours a yellow-orange with a thick white head. Aroma of mild citrus and grassy hops. Flavor of sweet malt, not really hoppy at all. Chill, ok, with a smooth palate. Decent, but it was not what I was expecting for an IPA.
7/4/6/4/14 (3.5/5)

Serving type: on-tap

01-11-2009 02:25:16 | More by LilBeerDoctor

BeerDetective

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this in September at the tied pub in Greenwich, and I was interested to see what others had rated it. The color is a nice amber, and lots of good hops aroma, but the bitter flavor is not as strong as an IPA here in the states, but stronger than most British IPA's I have had there. I would compare it most to a slightly hoppier Sierra Nevada, or possibly a Stone Pale Ale, nice to drink and pleasant enough for me to hunt it out this side of the pond.

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2008 23:01:24 | More by BeerDetective

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this beer on tap at Max's the other day.

The beer pours the expected amber mahogany color with fair head retention and minimal lacing. The beer smells fairly attractive, although it doesn't have the sort of aroma I now typically expect in an IPA. I get apple cider, apple and cherry aromas, with just a hint of citrus. The flavors on the palate replicate the nose, though the beer is a bit maltier and sweeter then I had expected. The beer is not the least bit heavy on the palate, and I was surprised to learn of the 7.5% abv. This beer is pretty easy to drink, but I really could wish for a bit more hoppy citrus to counter the sweet malt. Yes, I know this is an English style IPA, but I still think a bit more hoppy bitterness would improve it.

A solid beer, but just not what I'm looking for in an IPA any more.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2008 15:49:23 | More by johnmichaelsen

jjboesen

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Meantime IPA opens with one-inch of bubbly head that quickly dissipates to leave minimal lacing.

It is a dark amber color having minimal clarity.

There is a subtle nose of clove and orange; the taste; initially, there is a mild hoppiness supported by a well balanced hit of malt. One thing of interest is the smoothness in a beer this potent. I guess there is also strength in smoothness.

This is a nicely balanced quaff to please the palate - and not the least bit complicated. Really, a pleasant session beer that is nowhere next to being a "hop bomb."

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2008 22:38:11 | More by jjboesen

Atlas1

Texas

3.93/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I was excited to see this on tap at Rustico a few weeks ago. I'd only tried it in the bottle so far. This review is based on the notes I took that day.

Brought in standard pint glass, the beer looked awesome. A cloudy golden/apricot color with a big creamy head on top. Lots and lots and lots of lace. The nose was hoppy, with the faint scent of cat pee, but not too strong. Dense, with a funky citrus aroma. I was expecting something different for some reason. The taste was delicious. Lightly fruity but also dense and hoppy. Very well balance (do the Brits do it any other way?). Tangy, but smooth and malty too. Mouthfeel was chewy and thick.

At 7.5% ABV, it's a big, but not too big, beer. In moderation it makes a fine session beer. As with most beers, it seemed fresher and better on tap. A tasty treat for anyone looking for a solid IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2008 01:30:05 | More by Atlas1

dedrinker

Kansas

3.98/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a slightly hazy golden-orange. One finger head that hung around a while. The aroma was lemony and tea-like. The flavor threw me for a loop at first - it was well-hopped, but with English hops, so the profile was different. I tasted crushed children's chewable aspirin at first that soon expanded into an earthy hoppiness that became pleasantly balanced between hop flavor and bitterness. Grainy malt lent sufficient backbone to carry the hop flavors and ale fruitiness.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2007 05:32:42 | More by dedrinker

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.85/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Pours deep amber with a small head.
Sweet aroma of heavy malt with bold bready notes. Also resinous and earthy hops alongside some orange marmalade.
Extremely malty flavours too, a bit like malt extract. Some earthy and resinous hops and more orange marmalade. A bit too sweet.
Could use more carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 01:52:41 | More by CrazyDavros

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.83/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

750ml bottle from Utobeer, Borough Market, London (£6.50):
Orange amber, a thumb sized, bubbly white head that holds pretty well. The beer is a clear too.

Hoppy to begin with some sweetness following this and a touch of caramel and sweet malts. There is some floral touches and a few background fruits along with some plum and citrus. Towards the end I could detect some lighter fruits, herbal notes and a hint of biscuit malts.

Fruit and light hops with some floral notes, lots of caramel and some sweet malts. There is some light earthy hops too and a touch of grapefruit plus some bitter pine.

Smooth, a medium body and a sweet, malty mouthfeel that goes down well. There is moderate carbonation and a nice, crisp and refreshing finish.

Quite hoppy but not overly bitter and with a solid caramel and sweet malt base that was very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 14:45:19 | More by flyingpig

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.51/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

750ml corked and caged bottle poured into tulip 9/5/13

A looks a little murky in a "burnt orange" (wife's description) body, seems that the color darkens towards the center of the glass, the slow gushing bottle only puts out a short lived finger of foam that leaves zero lace

S apple juice, lemon, biscuit, bleached white paper, and a heap of caramel apple and musty basement

T more lemon and musty basement, less caramel apple and more apple juice and its almost sour, thistle perhaps? has a green leafy aspect that almost reminds me of grass

M medium-full, low carbonation, no booze, but has a strange sour apple mixed with wet bread thing going on for the aftertaste

O even for an English style IPA I'm a little board, the apple popping up everywhere seems out of place and It's decent for what it is but I wouldn't go out of your way to drink it

I find it hard to rate styles I find boring and this ones a boring example of a boring stye. I'm board now for sure, time to go fire off bottle rockets towards the seniors home across the street.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 03:56:21 | More by wordemupg

hosehead83

Ohio

4.01/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from an eleagant looking 11.2 oz. "bowling pin" bottle into a standard pint glass.
Deep apricot in color, with a moderate-to -short head of bone-white foam.
Aroma-Sweet toasted malt, hop note, new leather basketball
Taste-Toasted malt,toffee, caramel, mineral note; all just barely balanced by a good dose of noble hops and white-grapefruit -rind bitterness. A classic English IPA, that begs for a spicy food pairing. Indian, Thai, or maybe just a hunk of aged white cheddar.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 21:36:23 | More by hosehead83

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.06/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml wire cage and corked bottle. All I can think of right now is Spacehog's 'In the Meantime', so that is what Youtube will be doing for the next five or so minutes, on repeat, maybe. Oh, and a rather weak lack of brewer's spiel on the back label - thank you no [sic] much, Mr. Importer.

This beer pours a clear, medium copper amber colour, with three fingers of puffy, rocky, and foamy dirty white head, which leaves some decent bathtub ring lace around the glass as it steadily and readily recedes.

It smells of rather prominent and heady biscuity, grainy crystal malt, strong lemon zest, a bit of orange rind, and dry floral, leafy, earthy hops - English beyond a doubt, in a very good way. The taste is semi-sweet grainy, biscuity pale malt, a touch of caramel, soft citrus rind, and slightly zingy floral, grassy, earthy hops, the noble sort at their near best. The 15-proof booze does well to remain totally inconspicuous.

The bubbles are fairly innocuous, the body just on the lee side of medium weight, and more than adequately smooth. It finishes off-dry, the crackery, biscuity malt still large and in charge, with the caramel, fruit, and hops (stiff in upper lip only) more or less giving up the ghost.

A quite tasty English ale, one which I would have much more ease believing if you told me it was a hepped-up ESB, rather than another rendition of 'we're not an American band' IPA. Give it a rest. Anyways, a rather sexy bitter ale, with a grand ol' bit of warming sass, sans the typical flavour consequences.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 07:50:40 | More by biboergosum

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

one of the odd examples of an English ipa that tastes more like an American ipa, usually its the other way around, but this one is hop heavy without all the caramel malt sweetness. the pour has a nice reddish color to it, fairly hazy, with a few fingers of lasting khaki foam. the nose is big bold woody oily American hops, centennial maybe, maybe something else high alpha, but this has a real hop forwardness to it. the malts aren't really sweet at all, just biscuity in a supporting role. the flavor agrees with the smell, hops all the way. there is a nice citrus element to it, orange peel and a lot of bitterness in the finish. the alcohol is well hidden in taste, but you can certainly feel a big bottle of this. the yeast imparts an almost Belgian brightness to the mouthfeel. its effervescently carbonated, which is nice in a big ipa for once, and the body is fuller than medium but not filling or weighty. overall this is an exemplary beer, a whole lot better than meantimes coffee porter, and one that's actually pretty fairly priced at under 13 bucks for a 750ml. its worth all of that, a real treat where I honestly least expected it.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 16:09:13 | More by StonedTrippin

Grizzly_Dom

United Kingdom (England)

4.45/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance:
Crystal clear copper colour with a rocky white head and loads of thick lace on the glass.

Nose:
Rich sweet maltiness and fresh, almost minty hops. There's citrussy fruitiness in there. Christ knows what fruit with my palate.

Taste:
Pretty fizzy and light in the mouth with deep dark depths of the rich toffee maltiness and that expected sharp bitter hop burst. It's a different more subtle kind of fruity hopppiness than you get in the beautiful yank ipa's I've had lately. Nowt wrong with that though.

Finish:
Dry bitter finish with rich biscuity malt and a bit of creamy caramel.

Overall:
One of the best IPA's I can remember tasting. Richness and depth of malty flavour with the bundles of happy hoppiness you'd expect. Feels like a real treat! Pretty strong but the alcohol is beautifully disguised.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 19:47:38 | More by Grizzly_Dom

FLima

Brazil

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark amber color, a bit cloudy. Poured 3 fingers of consistent head with an extended retention.
Aroma slightly roasted malts with a hint of fruity hops, maybe plums. I could feel its freshness, I had it directly in the brewery. Medium body and carbonation with small bubbles (no CO2 addition).
Sweet malt taste combined with a resin hop flavor. Dryness and bitterness continues in the aftertaste but also with a fruity finish. Although it is a 7.4% ABV (ps. Meantime brought down from the original 7.5% given the tax brackets in UK), alcohol was well hidden.
Well balanced beer considering the style and it has a very good drinkability. Traditional English IPA, with less character in comparison to the US counterparties, though still above average.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 13:31:25 | More by FLima

UCLABrewN84

California

3.98/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle pour at the BevMo Holiday Beerfest held at Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles, CA.

Pours a murky orange with a foamy orange-tan head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, and citrus zest. Taste is much the same with a mild hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 05:45:18 | More by UCLABrewN84

gfreed

Massachusetts

4.7/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A seriously excellent UK IPA: fruity and dry, zesty and sharp but without all the skin-flaying harshness found in so many American models. Even my wife, ever-hesitant toward IPAs as a class, enjoyed it. And you won't need to drink a bottle of water afterward.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 00:44:17 | More by gfreed