Bengal Lancer - Fuller Smith & Turner PLC

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On cask at Volo

Pours a pale orange colour, thick white head that dissipates quickly, some lace spots on the glass. Smell is quite malty, lemony citrus, faint grapefruit and a very light pine. Taste is malty up front but then has a nice bitter hop presence, citrus comes back with a long finish with some biscuity malt. Mouthfeel is thin to medium, very satisfying, light carbonation. Really good IPA, this is one English IPA that could hold its own against some Americans, cask well maintained, solid all around.

Serving type: cask

03-17-2011 22:16:57 | More by peensteen

JGam115

New York

2.89/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

From my Untappd history. Served at The Ginger Man NYC.

A: Dark straw color with a nice fluffy head.

S: Really hard to detect anything from the first few swirls and sniffs. Delicate floral notes came through, but I was really struggling to find anything.

T: Definitely light on flavor with a good amount of bitterness. I had to remind myself this was an IPA (albeit an English style, not American) because it was lighter than other English IPAs I've had. I'd liken the finish to a mild cider.

M: Easy drinking, not so long a finish. Just Meh.

O: I expected a little more because I'm a Fuller's fan, but this brew left much to be desired.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2013 13:52:35 | More by JGam115

kguard

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

05-13-2013 02:47:17 | More by kguard

Zorro

California

3.33/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Clear golden colored ale with a tall white head.

Smells mildly malty and of English Style hops. Scents of strong tea and leather with a slight tobacco aroma.

Starts out malty and a little bitter.. Butter and leather with some herbal hop. Bitterness is a little sharp.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall OK, light in flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 01:35:19 | More by Zorro

heygeebee

Australia

3.85/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Interesting... For the Fullers IPA I wrote

---

Pours a clear gold/copper. One finger head off white. Small bubbels rise, little lace.

Aromas mainly of earth English malts.

Taste is more complex, a delicate marmalade flavour takes over, which is complemented on the back palate by light hop bitterness. A little caramel and toffee. Very integrated and smooth.

Mouthfeel is medium/light and lightly carbonated. No twang thankfully, which seems the bugbear of English ales in bottes at present.

Top beer, suspect would be excellent for a session if price allowed.

---

Which is pretty much what I would write for the Bengal. At 0.3 ABV difference, I suspect very much the same beer, Especially yas the IPA is not seemingly available in the UK.

Go figure....

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 09:07:12 | More by heygeebee

Herky21

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

03-11-2013 23:59:07 | More by Herky21

Ciocanelu

Romania

4/5  rDev +5.5%

03-03-2013 21:36:46 | More by Ciocanelu

mattparsons

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

03-02-2013 02:29:21 | More by mattparsons

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

02-05-2013 17:07:59 | More by BeerLover99

Mattias

Sweden

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

01-26-2013 22:31:25 | More by Mattias

LostHighway

Maine

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

01-12-2013 17:58:07 | More by LostHighway

His_Royal_Hoppiness

United Kingdom (England)

4/5  rDev +5.5%

01-04-2013 19:08:42 | More by His_Royal_Hoppiness

kangarooAdam59

Pennsylvania

3.24/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

In a pint glass:

A: amber colored body with a two finger white head, a fair amount of carbonation is seen rising through the slightly hazy body.

S: hops up front with nicely packed English malts coming through to back it up decently

T: sweet and bitter through the hops and malts coming through in different stages of the beer.

M: light to medium with some harshness hitting the tongue, more so in a milder way than the last one I had of this.

O: I'm glad I gave this another try as the first one was expired. Though this one was better than the last one I had, I'm still not completely sold on this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 17:32:40 | More by kangarooAdam59

FLima

Brazil

3.63/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Amber color, made just one finger of a thin head (though had it on cask hand pulled straight from Fuller’s).
Predominant citric and fruity hop aroma.
Sweet malty taste balanced with herbal and citric hops. Dry aftertaste.
Light body with light carbonation and small bubbles.
Refreshing beer, mildly bitter and sweet, a very balanced and light IPA. That said, I was expecting more excitement out of this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2012 20:36:40 | More by FLima

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Not what a novice/budding IPA enthusiast would gush over, but it's dependably pleasing and enjoyable. An excellent choice for those who've yet to get into hops...

Comes out a clean-filtered (a little too-), amber (nearing coppery) color. Decent, feathery light and white head which sticks around as a thin collar to the end.

Predominantly a quite fruity-estery scent (somewhere in the range of apple/grape). Fresh, soft floral hop scent. A touch of light-toasted malt pokes through.

Estery fruitiness dominates the taste, from the start, lingering on the palate long after. As opposed to in the smell, those flavors come off like a mix of white grape (vinous) and cherry. Hops are mild in their floral qualities, carried nicely by the body's soft smooth flow, yet show a surprising degree of spice that, through into the finish and combined with a curious boozy warmth, draw attention away from the, decidedly, rather standard (or too familiar) British ale estery flavors and finish each sip off with a zippy, clean, and refreshingly-dry bite. I could swear there's actually a tiny rush of a buttery malt flavor way in the end...

I'm wondering if this is what I've always believed a modern British IPA should be like (not that I've had a ton of them). I mean, it's a nice beer, just not terribly distinctive. Then again, a fresher sample would likely alter my view of this. I thought I was told the keg was nearly a year old - cold stored the entire time - just forgotten in the back of the keg cooler.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2012 00:56:09 | More by Bouleboubier

doucmehu

Wisconsin

1.25/5  rDev -67%

11-28-2012 05:29:11 | More by doucmehu

BeerGogglesReviews

4.4/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hop hop hooray they've made an IPA that ain't Harsh. An absolute corker that is really punching it's weight as a serious contender. When genius nun, Hildegard von Bingen had visions of adding hops to beer, who'd have thought it would come to this.
Food pairing: PUKKA WITH A TIKKA!!
B G Score 90/100
http://youtu.be/-yYJCpw98N8

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 23:45:55 | More by BeerGogglesReviews

OldTime

Georgia

4/5  rDev +5.5%

08-11-2012 19:06:10 | More by OldTime

csmartin6

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5.5%

07-28-2012 20:04:48 | More by csmartin6

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A pint at Three Boars Eatery, on a sweaty 30+ (right, that's not +30) Edmonton afternoon. Listed at 5.3% ABV.

This beer appears a clear medium golden amber hue, with one finger of tight creamy dirty white head, which leaves a few water spouts of lace around the glass as it evenly subsides.

It smells of crisp, biscuity sourdough malt, lemon polish, and moderately bitter leafy, grassy hops. The taste is sweet bready malt, a bit of rising yeast, some well-ripened orchard fruitiness, and quite tame leafy, earthy hops.

The bubbles are rather sedate and listless, the body a sturdy medium weight, and more or less smooth. It finishes still heavy on the sweetness, malt and fruit aiding and abetting, with little push back from the other bit players.

An ok EIPA, but that allowance only goes so far - even this style suggests a more robust hop character. Without it here, the fruitiness runs amok, in a reserved British manner, of course, leaving me instead with a strong golden summer ale impression.

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2012 00:26:25 | More by biboergosum

spamages

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +18.7%

07-07-2012 19:25:18 | More by spamages

sludgegnome

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

06-23-2012 23:40:45 | More by sludgegnome

Rekrule

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -20.8%

06-01-2012 18:21:03 | More by Rekrule

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Light copper with a medium white head. Decent retention and lacing.

Smell is quite weak. Grassy hops and some caramel malt, s bit toasted.

Flavourwise, the beer is surprisingly balanced for an IPA, English or otherwise. Grassy hops and toasted caramel malt are in pretty equal proportion. Mildly bitter finish.

Medium body, moderate carbonation. Slightly oily.

Overall, decent but not exciting. Certainly not one of my favourite beers from Fullers.

Serving type: on-tap

04-21-2012 13:29:07 | More by jrenihan

woosterbill

Connecticut

2.93/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Handpump halfpint at the Jack Horner, a Fuller's tied house.

A: Clear pale amber body under a 1/2" of persistent eggshell head. Nice lace, too. Excellent.

S: Ummm... Cantaloupe, overripe apricot, prune, and floral hops. Smells like a decent beer in a bad cask, but I'd expect a tied house to respect their titular beer, so maybe it's supposed to be like this. Not good, in any case.

T: A little better here, as some biscuity malt at least shows up alongside the overripe fruit, and the hops deliver a solid kick on the finish. Still, pretty darn weak.

M: Lighter than medium-bodied, with similar carbonation. Perfectly fine.

O: Disappointing; perhaps I'll try this again somewhere else, but I'm certainly in no hurry. Even if the rotten fruit notes were absent, I didn't get the impression that the malt and hops would deliver anything all that remarkable.

Cheers!

Serving type: cask

03-28-2012 14:25:09 | More by woosterbill