India Pale Ale - Meantime Brewing Company Limited

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.13/5  rDev -21%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Almost picked a bottle of this up, held off, then lo and behold, there it was at the beer festival (SDIBF). Glad I waited to try this one.

Good appearance, had that darker twinge of a beer, a little amber over yellow. Leaves a very pronounced and gaseoous head (lots of bubbles/foam). Extremely disappointing in the alleged dry hopping, should probably be rated lower based on the claims.

Taste is a lot of lemon and caramel. Maybe that's toffee in there too. It just isn't hoppy despite all the potential claims related to that factor on the bottle. Signs of sweetness, bitterness is definitely a little amped up for style, that's a good thing.

If you're gonna deviate from the style, do it all the way like Stone's anniversary selection. This beer was ok, but at $10 a bottle, I'll stick to checking it out in sample size.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2010 18:37:33 | More by Beerandraiderfan

iuhophead87

Indiana

3.08/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a tulip glass.

A- pours a dirty copper orange with a light fluffy head. This beer looks very light and inviting.

S- Fresh baked bread with a little toffee is the main aroma. It almost has a sour smell and I hope that it not infected. I would like to smell more of the English hops.

T- I trying to taste the hops, but I can't find them. It tastes just like an English ale to me. I know I am a hop head and have been tainted by the American hop bombs, but I can't see how this is an IPA. It does have a good flavor but not exactly what I was looking for. That being said the beer is fairly malty with both a toffee and lemon flavor.

MF- Average carbonation and very light.

D- A decent ale that is both light and refreshing. I don't think I would by this beer again but would not turn it down if it were offered to me.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2010 19:16:07 | More by iuhophead87

peacebone116

California

3.73/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured into over-sized wine glass. Cloudy gold 1.5-cm head that recedes quickly to nothing but delicate and fine lacing around the rim of the glass.

N: Light nose. Hop forward--slight pine spice, with malt secondary; reminiscent of ripe plum--but all this is extremely subtle. The scent is somewhat disappointing for an IPA, even a British-style IPA.

T/M: Very dry, mustard-like taste from the pleasant balance of the hop notes and the medium malt backbone. Alcohol burn quickly pushes forward. Hopping is more evident in the taste (light, initial pine notes) than in the nose. Overall, I would describe the beer as dry and bitter-sweet.

This beer is a great example of the traditional English IPA. If you are looking for a West-Coast American-style IPA, you may be disappointed with this brew. However, this does allow the drinker to experience where the Western IPA brewers derive inspiration.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2010 19:19:02 | More by peacebone116

cooncat

Ohio

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

Live review. Picked up this sample from Riverside in Kent, OH. for $4.99 for a 11.2 oz. bottle. Decanted into my Sam Adams glass at fridge temp.

I regulated the pour to produce about 3/4" of creamy white head, which is not particularly long lasting, but does maintain a thin cap throughout the beer. Lacing is a cut above minimal, but still, there are some nice splashes along the side of the glass. The beer itself is an apricot orange in colour (note UK spelling). I avoided the last dregs in the bottle on the pour, so the clarity is on a par with most filtered IPAs I've had.

The nose, while not overwhelming, is pretty classic for an English IPA. A sugar cookie malty sweetness combines with classic fruity hops (Fuggles & Goldings).

Taste is, again, classic English IPA. This is not a West Coast IPA .. nor is it an East Coast IPA. Remember that as you quaff and enjoy the style itself. Hop forward, the taste of fruit and floral hops dominates. The malty sweetness translates this into something akin to orange marmalade, with perhaps a little pineapple thrown in for good measure. It's a well balanced IPA, as it should be. No noticeable alcohol notes (fusel or otherwise) are detected, but the effects of a 7.5% abv beer are.

Mouthfeel is medium, with restrained carbonation helping on that score. Drinkability is good, as this one does not get 'in your face', and can be easily quaffed. At 7.5%, that could be dangerous, so enjoy with respect.

I first learned of this brew while listening to a S.I.D.T. (ShouldIDrinkThat.com) podcast. The guys there, reviewing this brew were "over the moon" about it, so I decided to give it a try. If you're a fan of IPAs, you should give this one a try. While not as 'in your face' as its American versions, I think you'll enjoy this English style IPA. Recommended.

Na Zdravje!

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2010 23:15:05 | More by cooncat

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

eric5bellies

Australia

4.55/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Drank from my Duvel Tulip

A - Pors a honey comb clody colour with a tight white head that reduces to a decent film.

S - Nice bicuit malty aroma with some citrus.

T - Strong malty citrus notes with plenty of hopps, has a touch of melon. Very well balanced indeed.

M - You won't find better balnce between carbonation and body and it's so smooth.

D - This is a classic IPA which I regard as the benchmark for the style and so nice to see that it comes from the home of IPA's

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2010 14:24:26 | More by eric5bellies

CHADMC3

Connecticut

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

This IPA pours a hazy orange to copper with an enormous off white, frothy head that takes its time to leave a bubbly lacing in its path.

The aroma consists of citrus and floral hops, biscuit, and just hint of caramel malt. The aromas are more subdued than the American versions, and very fitting for the style.

The flavor is a bit different than what I expected. The citrus and floral hops still greet the palate, but the sweet caramel or even toffee malt is more pronounced towards the back of the tongue, and it finishes with a linger hop bitterness.

The mouthfeel consists of a medium body with substantial carbonation and a refreshing alcohol warmth as it closes.

This beer seems to do a great job of sticking to the traditional English IPA character. If compared to an imperial or American, one may be disappointed. The subdued hops and pleasant biscuit give this a nice balance at a generous abv. Certainly worth a try for anyone.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 23:27:12 | More by CHADMC3

Parrotbeak

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Light amber with a quarter inch white head that remains. Good lacing.
Smell is sweet, spicey malts with the hops far off in the background. Hints of ginger and raisins. Some mushy citrus notes as well. Euro yeast aroma pervades.
Taste is more spicey malts with some very subdued, piney hops coming out from beneath. Slight hints of cinnamon and clove, as well as some raisins and brown sugar.
Mouthfeel is fairly smooth, with a slightly sticky finish. Medium light body.
Good drinkability. Alcohol is well-concealed. Pre

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2010 04:46:58 | More by Parrotbeak

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

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

Bottle: Poured a hazy light amber color ale with a super huge foamy head with nice foamy head with great retention and good lacing. Aroma of grassy hops is really nice with a subtle caramel malt balance. Taste is also dominated by loads of grassy hoppy notes with lightly sweet caramel malt which is well balanced by floral notes. Body is quite full for style with great carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Not as bitter as the American IPA nor as dry as the English IPA but very nice with loads of floral notes.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2010 02:06:32 | More by Phyl21ca

trevorjn06

Washington

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

Pours a nice golden/honey color with a touch of red and a nice white head.
It smells malty, a touch sweet and hoppy, though not the hoppy scent I am used to. This is an herbal/earthy smell (with a touch of spice) that is hard to place at first but upon taking a sip it is clearly the hops. This beer has a flavour that is tough to categorize, it's not a pale ale or an American IPA or a brown ale. It is mildly sweet, malty and well balanced with plenty of smooth hop flavor, aroma and bitterness.
Wow, I just realized that this beer is almost gone, it is pretty easy drinking and very delicious.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2010 17:55:06 | More by trevorjn06

MeisterBurger

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got this bad boy in a trade with bobsy. Love the bottle. A caged and corked India Pale Ale? Awesome.

Meantime's India Pale Ale pours with a metric buttload of just-off-white head and lively carbonation which leaves a thick, tall, frothy, bubbly head. I think I'll wait a while and let that die down before I continue.

Still waiting.

And waiting.

Man. This thing does NOT want to die down.

Okay. Good to go. There's a light haze throughout this otherwise clear medium amber beer.

Initially the carbonic acid from the billowy head leaves me with sliced pear with some caramel and lemon rind underneath with noticeable carbonation in the nose. For something that, according to the label, is claimed to have "mighty dry hopping rates" it's a little weak in the aroma, but it slowly builds and more caramel comes out along with some tangerine...or perhaps it's something a little more tropical.

The taste is a leafy lemony bitterness balanced against a toffee like sweetness. Mineral bitterness lingers long in the finish. A little earthy, very floral with just a hint of spice. I'm finishing off the 750 solo and each pour seems to amp up the yeastiness a little. It's a really nice balance, though, of sweetness to bitterness, the latter showing a nice restraint uncommon for an IPA, but which really works here.

Medium bodied, a tad on the chewy side as is it gets warmer, but with just way too much carbonation for me. After considerable agitation to knock out the carbonation the mouthfeel becomes incredibly pleasant.

Overall a very pleasant drinker and likely one of the better English IPAs I've had once the carbonation dissipates. If they could somehow fix that this would go from being a really good beer to being a really great beer in my opinion.

If nothing else this is a very interesting beer and well worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2010 01:55:05 | More by MeisterBurger

OttoBomb

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a caged & corked 750ml bottle into a Dogfish Head signature glass (April 20, 2010). No "bottled on" or "best by" date that I can find.

One of my biggest frustrations is an IPA that has no indication of age on the bottle. The host at the store says this is fairly fresh, so hopefully he's correct.

Eyes: Pours a slightly hazy light orange/copper. Two and a half fingers of thick, fluffy off-white head erupts and leaves some very thick lacing throughout.

Nose: A bit lighter on the nose than expected. A classic English IPA aroma, light citrus, sweet malts. Interesting but a bit weak.

Tongue: A bit more going on than the nose, but still not really impressive. Hop bitterness, a bit of citrus, yeast and malt.

Mouth: Smooth, but a bit too carbonated for me. The 7.5% ABV is not evident at all.

Libation: I really like IPAs and I go for English versions when I can, but I must say I'm a bit disappointed with the Meantime offering. It's tasty and well balanced, but doesn't really lure me back for more, especially at the going price.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2010 10:25:04 | More by OttoBomb

eat

Quebec (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This beautiful bottle was shared courtesy of ritzkiss. Thanks!

Meantime IPA pours an opaque orange-copper with a rocky off-white head. Great retention and lacing. Really nice looking beer.

The smell has more of an American IPA character than I expected, being from England. Pineapple, mandarin orange and grassy British hops sit atop caramel malt. There's a slightly dusty element as well.

This is one of the most flavourful English IPAs I've had. Very balanced between malt and hops; lots of both. The hops are mostly of an English style but show a welcome hint of American influence. Earthy and peppery. No obvious alcohol.

The feel is a little too watery: silky light body and light-but-effervescent carbonation. I'd prefer this beer with a fuller body.

I could easily session this if it weren't for the ABV. This is the best British-brewed IPA I can remember drinking. Thanks Eric!

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2010 04:06:21 | More by eat

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

3.45/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - a hazed lemony amber. An inch of eggshell foam fills the top of the glass and slides down without much of a fight or much lace for that matter. The long-lived cover does manage some decent 'progress lines'.

Aroma - an initial hint of citrus, but this sets up rather grainy and uninspiring.

Taste - a good caramel malt presence on the opening sip. The sweet malts give way to piny, grapefruity hops and even some light toastiness. Far better hop presence than the nose lets on, and an impressive balance as it warms up. Spicy hop flavor without the medicinals, always a plus in my book.

Mouthfeel - plenty crisp, with a sturdy but not overweight body. A light hop oiliness complements well.

Drinkability - not the best value at $9 for a 750ml, but certainly glad to see Meantime locally. I'd have it again but no as an everyday IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2010 03:59:44 | More by brewdlyhooked13

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy light orange with a massively active carbonation that rapidly throws up a massive crown of bubbles in the fashion of a Icelandic volcano spewing clouds of volcanic ash. The creamy head is the texture of stiffly beaten egg whites, and is tinged with a hint of yellow. The retention is amongst the best I've ever seen, and even as I get to the bottom of my pint glass there's still a finger of foam remaining. Lacing is prodigious.

The aroma contains elements of pineapple, orange, pepper and lemon, with a sweet malt backing. At first it's a little muted, but really comes into its own as the beer gets closer to room temperature.

My first and only gripe with this beer is its carbonation, which is far too effervescent and completely distracts from the flavour. Its interesting, because after a vigorous agitation of the glass to tone it down, you actually get one of the most pleasing mouthfeels I've come across in a long time. The body is medium, smooth, with a billowing and creamy carbonation. Its too bad the brewers overshot this sweet spot when they bottled the beer, but I'll know for next time to give her a good swirl before taking the first sip.

Once the carbonation is remedied the flavour impresses, and does so with increasing intensity as the beer reaches room temperature. This is definitely one to serve just slightly chilled so you can appreciate the growing fullness of its flavour profile. Marmalade dominates, with big orange and candied peel notes, but its more than capably backed up by cookie dough. It certainly has a nice dose of sweetness for an IPA, but this is perfectly balanced by a moderate bitterness. Speaking of which, the bitterness is certainly not at the same level as an American IPA, but is par for the English style, and helps to contribute to an enormous drinkability. I'd actually go so far as to say I would session this beer, but the completely hidden alcohol would make a fool of me after a few glasses.

At a little over $10 a bottle, a strong argument could be made that better value can be found elsewhere, though I'm not sure that many better examples of this style can be found at any price. Every aspect of the flavour is expertly balanced, its one of the prettiest beers I've seen in a long time, and the flaws of its carbonation are easily fixed to reveal a decadent body. Serve slightly below room temperature and enjoy. There's no doubting this is a benchmark for the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2010 13:57:15 | More by bobsy

Gyle41386

South Carolina

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

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a pint glass. Been wanting to try this one for a long time. Big thanks to TasteTester for the hookup. After removing the cage, I see that there's a printed message on the underside of the cap: "An I For Detal." How clever.

Pour is a blurry golden-orange. Lots of activity in the glass...tons of bubbles rise to a three-finger cap of dense foam. Head retention is excellent, and there's some really nice lacing stuck to the glass.

The aroma is very, well, English. It's musty, spicy, herbal, minty, and citric...orange and maybe lemon. There's a toffee-like sweetness lying underneath it all.

One thing I immediately enjoy about Meantime IPA is the amount of hop flavor without being a complete palate-wrecker. It's sweet, bready, fruity, and lightly musty. Love the half sweet, half bitter finish. Great citrus flavor.

Body is a little lighter than I would have liked, but the carbonation is absolutely perfect. 7.5% ABV is hard to believe. A supremely easy drinker. This is a beer I'd really like to be able to find locally.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2010 02:19:55 | More by Gyle41386

ritzkiss

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Attractive 750ml corked and caged from a private order, not everyday you see that for an IPA. Unfortunately the price reflects the beautiful packaging....

Pours a pretty golden yellow/orange with plenty of foamy head, great retention, lacing down the glass, very nice.

Initially I get some pineapple in the nose from the hop profile making me wonder if there was some American hops but that is perhaps more of a mirage as a nice herbal, grassy hop profile takes over, light honey sweetness behind it, lemon zest.

This is a pretty damn good beer and rarely say that about English IPAs! Pineapple, grass, cookie dough malt base, nice bitterness from mid sip on, lemon and orange rind, herbal, no mistaking this for anything but British with this hop profile but one of the best of the style, lemon meringue pie, light honey sweetness. Zippy carb.

It's got great balance and enough of a hop bite to please most I would imagine. Drinkable in spades but I imagine the slightly higher ABV for an IPA would limit too many of these (as would the price). Well done from bottle to last drop.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2010 14:13:35 | More by ritzkiss

cratez

Ontario (Canada)

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

750ml bottle at Chancey Smith's.

Pours a glowing coppery orange with a massive foamy off-white head that subsides to a thick collar. Threads of webbed lacing wrap around the tulip.

Smell and taste are spicy, phenolic, and effervescent aromas, cookie/biscuit sweetness, honey, pale malts, orange marmalade, dose of alcohol, grassy and herbal hop flavours (very green), seaweed, and a lemony, citric bitterness to end. Wonderfully aromatic and complex, but falls a little short of what I want from an IPA. Still, I appreciate that this is an accurate interpretation of the traditional India Pale Ale from colonial times.

Mouthfeel is medium, smooth, prickly carbonation, boozy warmth, mildly bitter and dry citrus finish.

An excellent beer, I can see why Meantime gets a lot of praise in the UK (2008 Brewer of the Year). True English IPAs are tough to come by in Canada, so you should give this a shot before it disappears. Cheers to R&R for importing!

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2010 18:24:48 | More by cratez

LittleCreature

Australia

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

Appearance - 3.5
Pours a finger of white head that quickly reduced to a thin layer over a slightly hazy amber to orange body.

Smell - 4.0
Sweet, fruity (marmalade) and alcoholic, not as in-your-face as an American IPA, balanced by biscuity English malt.

Taste - 4.5
Strongly alcoholic for a "single" IPA at 7.5%, peppery alcohol is immediately evident, but does not stop the beer from being super smooth on the palate. Tastes of biscuit, honey, melon, marmalade, apricot, grassy and herbal hops. Bitterness is assertive, but well balanced against the malty richness.

Mouthfeel - 4.5
Fine and lively carbonation, medium to full bodied and silky smooth in the mouth.

Drinkability - 4.0
Despite the high alcohol, it is a remarkably easy beer to drink.

OVERALL - 4.15
Ridiculously easy to drink for a beer of 7.5%abv, nearing a double IPA. An excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2010 03:35:19 | More by LittleCreature

jminsc76

California

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Into a pint glass, pours a very large, creamy head atop a murky body, light orange in color. Lots of rising bubbles ascending through large amounts of floating sediment.

Caramel aromas in the nose, which also include orange peel, bananas, and other tropical fruits. Very pleasant.

An incredible amount of spice and bitterness amidst a lot of heat on the back end (which is interesting, as the draft version I had at Lucky Baldwin's exhibited no booz-iness whatsoever). Also picking up some orange on the palate and a hint of sour candy.

The mouthfeel is soft and medium-bodied. Almost exhibits an aloe vera consistency, but thankfully without the flavor of AV.

Overall, this is a lot like drinking a stronger version of an ESB, and that classic English malt balance definitely comes through in spite of the higher quantities of hops.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2010 18:18:04 | More by jminsc76

a10t2

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Very attractive 750 mL green bottle with cork and cage. Beer pours a very clear pale orange with a thin white head. Wispy retention and good lacing.

S: Cidery or champagne-like aroma, with hops also evident.

T: Definitely more cidery impressions. Lots of residual sweetness, but the hops are well-balanced. Spicy and earthy notes, rather than the American citrus bomb. Caramel and fruit (pomegranate?) in the aftertaste, along with a lingering generic bitterness.

M: Moderate carbonation, but smooth, little viscosity. A faint burn in the throat afterwards.

D: I would have a few pints if I was in the mood for something a little different. Unusual with all the cidery qualities, but overall very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2010 03:21:32 | More by a10t2

weatherdog

Illinois

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

330mL bottle poured into a tulip glass

It pours a brilliant transparent orange copper with an ivory head that keeps a nice cap on top. As a side note the bottle cap is a great design and now one of my favorites.

The nose is of heavy crystal malts sweetness with just a little bit of floral herbal hop aroma in the background. This is obviously more muted than American versions and I can appreciate that in terms to style but the nose was just too sweet for me.

The beer has a nice firm bitterness with a balanced bready sweet malt taste. There is also a healthy dose of floral hope taste. Some fruity esters are present at the end.

The body is medium to full and the carbonation is on the high side.

This is my first English IPA since becoming serious about evaluating and rating beers and I enjoyed this side of the style. The flavor profile seems to be like a little brother to a barley wine. I think I'll have to search for more examples.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2010 18:19:54 | More by weatherdog

FreshHawk

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Clear coppery orange, reminds me of a color that would occur if you mixed orange and apple juice. Large white foamy head that is slow to disappear. Pretty good lacing remains.

S - Big whiff of floral and citrus hop smell. More subdued is a grainy/malt smell.

T - At first it has a semi-sweet taste. This is comprised of some orange, peach, and apricot hop taste and the moderate amount of caramel malt. Then some of the zesty sourish taste starts to take over. Orange, lemon and a little grapefruit citrus taste is prominent. Finally the beer finishes with an earthy, floral, green type of bitterness.

M - Medium bodied with a very good amount of carbonation. Fairly smooth and the taste has a stickiness in your mouth. Slightly dry but not too much so.

D - I could see drinking a couple of these easily. There is a lot of flavor but it does not overload your palate. I had to do a double take on the ABV as it is extremely well hidden.

Notes: Good example of an English IPA, the hops are fairly strong and give a lot of flavor, but it isn't a kick you in the mouth beer. Worth keeping an eye out for it.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2010 17:10:30 | More by FreshHawk

GilGarp

Colorado

3.65/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A 330ml long neck bottle with a beautifully decorated cap.

It opens and quickly becomes a gusher. Silly me without a glass ready at hand, the first few gulps are foam straight from the bottle. So, not a great start.

Pours into a pint glass with a very hazy orange color. The head is creamy and tight but unfortunately short-lived. No lacing is left behind.

Aroma is sweet with apples, caramel, and figs. There is some hoppiness but you could never call it an American IPA. Surprisingly different to someone who is not familiar with the English version.

Flavor is much the same. Surprisingly sweet but with a definate hop presence. It reminds me more of a lighter barleywine beer with all that caramel sweetness, orchard fruits, and a complete lack of citrus usually found in American IPA.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation.

Overall it's a good example of the style but not a style I'm crazy about. It has some redeeming qualities but not what I look for in a hoppy beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2010 22:42:47 | More by GilGarp

cagocubs

Illinois

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

Pours gold body with slight white head that laces nicely.

Nose smells hops and citrus/grapefruit.

Mouth is hoppy with the grapefruit citrus as well as earthy floral tones. Mouthfeel is real smooth and flows nicely with good carbonation. Didnt get the bitter hop bite in the aftertaste that I was anticipating.

Very drinkable beer with good carbonation and flow.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2010 22:27:04 | More by cagocubs