Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale - Alexander Keith's

OttoBomb

Illinois

1.53/5  rDev -42.3%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

341 ml bottle poured into Dogfish Head signature glass (January 8, 2011). No freshness dating that I can find. I picked this up on a trip to Toronto, the lady at the beer store said it was the best IPA they had.

Eyes: Pours a pale straw yellow with a soapy white head. Super clear.

Nose: Smells like corn and grain. Simple, and uninteresting, this simply cannot be an IPA. Notice I never use the term "aroma" here.

Tongue: This simply isn't an IPA. It has a simple light grain malt flavor, with a suggestion of hops. The macro corn aspect is evident.

Mouth: Spritzy and quite carbonated. This is the only activity that the beer will provide to the palate.

Libation: This is better than most macro brews, which isn't saying a whole lot, but the bottle said IPA on it so I'm rating this as such. It fails miserably. It has minimal hopps on either the nose or tongue and is simply another poor macro attempt to bite on the popularity of the popular IPA style. Even the malt profile is poor.

This is easily the poorest example of an IPA I have experienced. The lady at the beer store deserves a slap.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2011 09:32:27 | More by OttoBomb

tzchandler

California

4.13/5  rDev +55.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is a very popular beer in Halifax. When compared to many mass marketed Ales in the region, this has to be one of the best but, here is the funny thing, I detect no hops and the malt is very lite. If your drinking this for the first time your expectations are not going to be met. Matter of fact I would expect you to rate it very low. Think of it as a tasty mass marketed Ale.

When Halifax sold only non-refrigerated (the government loves monopolies), this was an even better beer to buy when compared to the many others since it tasted good warm.

Good Ale, just don't let the IPA on the label distract you.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2010 03:33:55 | More by tzchandler

djmitche

Illinois

1.45/5  rDev -45.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

I had this at a college bar in Toronto, hoping it would be a bit better than the Labatt's and Moosehead also available. I figure, if you're going to make an IPA, then it's probably not fizzy yellow stuff, right? Wrong. It's fizzy yellow stuff - by appearance this is dark straw with minimal head and a coarse carbonation. No perceptible hop aroma. No perceptible bitterness or flavor, and even the malt falls painfully flat. It's hard to imagine a mouthfeel below "not impressed", so it gets 2 points there. All in all, I suppose this is drinkable if you're out of Bud Light, but I can't give it much more than that.

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2010 00:53:39 | More by djmitche

A380

Manitoba (Canada)

1.83/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

This beer looks decent but wow i decided to try it on tap because i had tried it from can and bottle and was so disappointed. This beer tastes like salt to me... its disgusting.. it dries my mouth out, tastes bad and is just overall not a very inviting beer. The metallic taste and the bad aftertaste is just not something people should have to experience. sorry keiths.. youre just not doing it for me.

Serving type: on-tap

11-11-2010 07:11:00 | More by A380

GDBEERMAN

Colorado

2.3/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

g06h01070 can code.
12oz can into pint glass.
A: A very small, extremely white head pours a layer of foam that quickly retreats, leaving a apple juice layer. The body is creepily clear for and IPA. The color is a light yellow hue with neon characters in the light. No lacing on the glass.

S: The aroma from first pour, is found without even bring the glass to the nose, but what is found and on further analysis, is a bland and faded lagerish bread. Hops that should be earthy and bold with bitterness are not present. Perhaps a bit faded, but other malt tones are not pleasant.

T/M: On the front this beer drinks like a lager, crisp on the mouth, but bringing a bready, rice note. The bland taste of a low carbonated brew is what best describes this batch of brew. Not a hop note is the beer, a bit of a dry finish, that could explain that the hops maybe faded and this beer is not as fresh as intended. The mouthfeel is short and the low amount of body washes this brew away quick. Weak lingering taste and overall intensity.

D: I could drink the whole pack, but not something I would seek out. Maybe a faded batch, but I have had good experiences with faded IPA (rich malt notes and hidden hops characters) not found is this brew.

Serving type: can

11-02-2010 14:36:46 | More by GDBEERMAN

HoldensHomebrew

California

2/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Ok, its not often I review a beer as I like drinking more then typing but.... WTF MATE! This is no IPA. I thought I was in treat for a local good beer, IPA, will this will stand out against the Bud, Moosehead, and other not so tasty candadian beers.... was I ever wrong. I though they had for sure messed up the draft towers after tasting this beer. NO WAY is this an IPA any way shape or form. I even bought the same beer in a bottle hoping it was just a fuxed up tap.... but no its the same out of the bottle. not and IPA, more Cream ale then anything, not what I wanted, FALSE ADVERTISING mateys... now I retire to bed off bad beed =(

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2010 01:24:15 | More by HoldensHomebrew

FishMan123

Texas

1.53/5  rDev -42.3%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Got this at a bar in Ottawa. Asked for something with a lot of hops and bartender said that they didn't have much of that and offered me Keith's IPA. You can find this at almost any bar in Ottawa it seems.

Color is a pale (slightly neon?) watery yellow. Pours without much of a head. The smell is distinctive - dirty feet. At first I thought my glass must be contaminated, I didn't think that smell was coming from the beer. But I had a mini-pitcher and indeed, it was the beer. Seriously, dirty feet.

Taste was a bland, metalic, lager. IPA? I think not.

I left when the ball game was over, without finishing the mini-pitcher.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2010 11:40:56 | More by FishMan123

Dukeofearl

California

1.5/5  rDev -43.4%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Bought an 8 pack of this in Ucluelet, Vancouver Island, British Columbia on a recent vacation. Paid about $16.99 (Canadian) plus HST (tax), which made this way overpriced, but it was the only store selling alcohol we could find on a Sunday afternoon, and it had a pretty limited selection.

Pours a pale BMC-lager like straw color, nothing like an IPA. The few bubbles quickly die away, and no carbonation remains.

Aroma? None, really. Where are the hops?

Flavor? A train wreck. This reminds me of the sweetest corn candy that I would expect of a cream ale. Some maltiness. Hops? Not to be found anywhere. OK, maybe I'm being too critical, let me try again. Nope. Still nothing close to style.

Left some of the 8 pack in the hotel when we checked out, brought 1 home to make sure I wasn't being overly critical. I'm not. Stay away.

Serving type: can

10-10-2010 23:22:28 | More by Dukeofearl

rarbring

Sweden

1.98/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Well, the color is suspiciously pale, light straw colored, faintly hazy, a white quickly settling head that leaves little lacing. Does not look like an IPA!

The smell is faintly acid - nothing what I expect from an IPA.

The taste has a bit white bread sweetness upfront, some lemon sourness, no bitterness. Still no IPA vibes!

Rather high carbonation, a bit watery, rather simple body.

No, this is not an IPA, it's really not a good beer by any expectations. Avoid it!

Serving type: on-tap

09-23-2010 22:07:07 | More by rarbring

BBP

Ontario (Canada)

2.53/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Pale golden. Very slight head, and extremely slight carbonation.

S- Light smell. Hints of corn.

T- More corn, and a very small amount of hops.

M- Smooth but bad carbo. A bit thin as well.

D- Easy to down, and isn't too too bad for a macro.

Sort of makes me wonder what makes it an IPA. I would probably classify this as an adjunct lager far sooner than I could imagine it being an IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

09-08-2010 20:05:32 | More by BBP

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

1.8/5  rDev -32.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours a pale golden colour with some thin head, but no retention. Smells like some hops if you try hard, but really, they basically aren't there. Flavour has almost no bitterness.

This is not an IPA. I believe this beer has set back other IPA's in Canada because of its popularity. Seriously, try to mention an IPA to someone that isn't into craft beer and they will go, "Oh, like Keith's". I don't blame the people, I blame Keith's for making a golden ale and mislabelling it. Hell, this beer probably caused me to not bother trying other IPA's for a couple years because I had no idea what I was missing. For that, I hate Keith's.... yet, it was still the best beer available when I had it this time.

Serving type: can

09-07-2010 15:33:42 | More by kwjd

mikesgroove

South Carolina

2.23/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

i actually trade for this one just to finish off this bottom 100 list. served iced cold and thanks to a wonderful ba for the hookup, this one was consumed on 08/29/2010.

light pour for the style with a very light amber, nearly hay color coming through on me. small head clings to the sides of the glass for dear life and really just makes it much lighter then i am used to seeing.

aroma is faint, light citrus hops are drowned out by grains and muted corn and wet cardboard. really not an ipa. clean and crisp, light and refreshing it certainly was not terrible in that regard but was not the big bold flavor i am accustomed to. clean finish with little flavor and light dryness.

overall i would pass on this, i tried it, i am ok now.

Serving type: can

09-02-2010 01:26:22 | More by mikesgroove

pdgreen

Indiana

3.05/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

A- Light clear yellow ale with a small fizzy head

S- Suttle sweet and tangy honey flavour

T- Nutty after taste with a little honey

F- Crisp and smooth great beech beer

D- Easy to drink can put away quit a few. Not an IPA at all but still enjoyable

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 23:09:13 | More by pdgreen

DrJay

Massachusetts

2.1/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Crystal clear pale gold with a fizzy white cap that disappeared quickly -- not even a collar. Slightly sour and musty aroma, faint cereal grains. Very low bitterness, mild sweetness with the same sour character as in the aroma. Slight fruitiness. Short finish, quite dry, light mineral flavour. Light bodied, moderate carbonation. Don't drink this if you're expecting an IPA of any type. Hops are nearly non-existent and while it's mostly inoffensive, it still lacks any sort of character.

Serving type: can

08-19-2010 01:13:10 | More by DrJay

jpro

South Carolina

2.5/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Interesting... this "IPA..." Well, it pours an ultra-translucent, pale straw gold (Bud Light - esque) with a thin white head that exhibits very little retention. Aroma is of light corn notes and a hint of mustiness. Taste is bready malt / corn with maybe a slight touch of earthy / spicy hop flavor (very minimal). Mouthfeel is light-medium. I'm drinking this coming in from the golf course, and its hitting the spot - despite its lackluster performance as an IPA, it is, at least, refreshing.

Serving type: can

08-07-2010 18:46:40 | More by jpro

zebulon

Illinois

2.28/5  rDev -14%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: No lacing and about 1/4 inch of white foam that didn't last. Light yellow color (color of urine)

Smell: Very weak hard to define, like a macro.

Taste: There must not be consumer protection laws in Canada for beer, because this is definitely NOT an IPA. In taste it is like Corona, weak very little of hops, more like a very light lager than an ale. Taste of corn rather than malt. Just a little bitter/acid, but hardly enough to be noticable.

Mouthfeel: Light is the operative word

Drinkability: This is a hard one to rate. On the one hand you could drink this all day. It is light on the tongue, but so is water. This a drink for people who don't like beer but want something that has more body than plain water plus a little alcohol

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2010 02:49:58 | More by zebulon

donniecuffs

New Jersey

2.33/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Had this on a recent business trip to Toronto. Poured copper/amber, with very little head to speak of. No nose aside from some nuttiness and biscuit. The flavor profile was even worse; no hoppiness or fruitiness to speak of. Very thin too; watery. Some may thing that this is sessionable, but I had difficulty finishing just one.

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2010 21:51:41 | More by donniecuffs

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

1.1/5  rDev -58.5%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Although most beer drinkers don't know it, "India Pale Ales" (named such because they were brewed to last the long, turbulent journey from Britain to the sub-continent) were only "pale" by comparison to other beers at the time. IPAs, historically, are reddish copper and this bright, brilliant, watery yellow colour is nice, but most out of place.

I really avoid at all cost using the word "urine" with reference to beers; while some beers have an equally intense, off-putting smell as urine does, very few (if any) ever actually harbor a smell resembling it. That being said, this beer, in all honesty, actually does smell a little like it (along with a dab of rotten orchard fruit and a good dose of vinegar).

Note that I've made no mention of hops. And I'm not likely to at all, unless to say that I'm not smelling/tasting/sensing any. If the beer's mismatched appearance didn't let on that this thing is an IPA in name only, there's no mistaking it from the taste. Not only is there no - not virtually no, but literally no - presence of hops, there's no maltiness either.

Instead, there is a cloying, disagreeable, synthetic taste of corn syrup and... only God knows what else. Thankfully the aftertaste is negligible, but those first few seconds after the swallow are pure hell for the palate. The beer is distasteful, nauseating, too repugnant even to be called insipid. It is abhorrently gross and, in plain English, ruthlessly bad.

I don't know what's worse: the fact that this is an offensive, objectionable, abominably awful rendition of a classic style or that it's just an utterly disgusting, unpalatable offering in its own right. No, it's the fact that they call this an "IPA" when clearly it's nothing more than an industrially-produced, adjunct-ridden macro lager (and a terrible one at that!)

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2010 21:25:15 | More by biegaman

GoldenChild

Michigan

2.08/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 4

it says this beer is a IPA on the label which is a complete lie it should same CREAM ALE because that is what it is. the aroma has no hops to it all grains or rice smells like a Budweiser, its a crystal clear golden colored ale like a cream ale or a bud, mouth feel is thin does not hang in your mouth. taste very tiny hop taste lots of rice slight malt sweetness.
thoughts- this is a good beer for a thirst quencher not allot of flavor but goes down smooth so if you like Budweiser this is the beer for you. glad that i did not buy it wife got it out of a hotel room where she works.

Serving type: can

06-25-2010 04:47:08 | More by GoldenChild

soju6

Missouri

3.43/5  rDev +29.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear pale golden color with head that fades quickly.

S: Faint grain aroma not much else.

T: Refreshing & clean with a slight bitterness.

F: Light body, crisp & quite smooth.

D: Good for more than one. Not really an IPA, but better than the usual BMC offerings.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2010 12:06:52 | More by soju6

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

2.4/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I've had this stuff many times before but never actually sat down and reviewed it, until now that is.

Pouring it into a glass produces a short-lived white head. The beer itself is a pale yellow colour, reminiscent of most adjunct lagers - and let's be honest, regardless of the IPA in the name, that's what it is. The nose follows suit - corn and adjunct smells, nothing very enticing.

The taste is similar to most mass-produced lagers. There's a bit of bitterness indicating that hops were used at some point in its production, but it's faint and not at all what one would expect from an actual IPA. The heavy carbonation, as many have already mentioned, is similar to soda pop, but it does give the beer a 'crisp' quality I suppose. The mouthfeel is thin and watery. As far as drinkability goes, despite all of the criticism I would have no problem tossing a few of these back, and in fact have done so many times in the past.

We all know that Keith's is not at all representative of the style that it claims to be. If I were judging it as a macro lager, I would likely give it above-average marks - by those standards, it's actually reasonably good and I would virtually always pick it over, say, Canadian, Blue, or Bud. If you are looking for an IPA though, you might as well look elsewhere.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2010 02:53:47 | More by thehyperduck

ericj551

British Columbia (Canada)

1.5/5  rDev -43.4%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Keith's IPA pours a clear light gold with a slightly foamy head that fades quickly, despite the heavy carbonation. The aroma is cooked corn and husky grain. The flavor is more cooked corn, DMS and pale grainy malt. There is maybe a hint more bitterness than the average macro ale/lager, and maybe there is a vague herbal hop flavor, but that's really stretching. The body is heavy relative to the flavor, but still pretty thin overall. Calling this beer an IPA is more of a stretch than calling Miller Lite a pilsner, it's just plain misleading.

Serving type: can

05-22-2010 02:25:24 | More by ericj551

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

2.08/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a fairly clear golden wheat colour, with a rich head that leaves little lacing. Oddly light for the beer that it claims to be. The nose has notes of corn on it and a slight bitterness, that seems oddly un-hoppy. The body is stupidly light with a crispness, but no hop flavours or aromas. I used to drink this as it had a nice subtle difference over macro lagers, but now that I know IPAs and good beers, man is it ever lacking. The mouthfeel is awful, way too carbonated with an astringent finish. If this were sold as an adjunct laden beer, it may have been better, but still....

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2010 05:55:01 | More by kjyost

PhillyStyle

Georgia

2.35/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

This one was a bit confusing, although not so much after having tried the Mike Duggan #9 IPA (another Canadian brewed IPA that didn't really live up to the style, in my opinion), but this appeared to be to much more of a pale ale or even a light lager. The color and smell of the beer had strong resemblances to most BMC-type beers. The taste was perhaps slightly more hoppy, but that may be a stretch. The beer was light and honestly not really all that enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2010 16:22:36 | More by PhillyStyle

Jaxxon61

British Columbia (Canada)

1.5/5  rDev -43.4%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I.P.A.? As my dad would say, "They should be arrested for False Pretenses!" It shares about as much in common with a full-bodied I.P.A. as Metallica does with the Village People. This 'beer' is weak. This 'beer' is flavourless. No wait, I can taste some corn syrup, and what's that...pickle juice? Honestly, I think I taste hints of pickle juice! No kidding! I hope I'm not having a stroke. Oh, please, dear God, make this aftertaste go away! It's almost making me crave a Bud Lite Lime! Oh, the humanity!

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2010 20:58:33 | More by Jaxxon61