Fuller's India Pale Ale - Fuller Smith & Turner PLC

nickfl

Florida

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - A small, white head of foam with good retention and a nice swath of lace as it recedes. The body is a clear, copper-brown color.

S - A fruity aroma of apple and pear with some bready malt. A hint of honey and a little bit of musty hop character.

T - Dry and toasty with moderate malt character up front. Moderate bitterness with and a nice hop character that begins rising in the middle. Tart, toasty dryness lingers into the finish with an increased bitterness and some red apple yeast notes as well as a lingering, singed toast character.

M - Medium body, low carbonation, and a dry finish.

D - Nice and drinkable with a balance favoring bitterness and musty English hops. Enough malt richness is present to balance the hop character and the fruity yeast helps to lend depth. This is a classic of British beer and while it is always excellent, it really does manage to acquire some extra depth as a real ale.

Serving type: cask

06-26-2010 06:11:51 | More by nickfl

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is an awesome pale ale... but an IPA?

A: Copper bronze with an off-white head, great retention & lace from the cask.

S: Earthy-orange with a touch of biscuity malt.

T: Great hop flavour, plenty of earthy-orange EKG. Great bicuity malt with hints of nuts & caramel to back it up. Balanced bitterness.

M: Moderate body is smooth with an off-dry finish.

D: A great drinker.

Certainly a sessionable IPA... but I still don't really get these low abv British versions?

Serving type: cask

11-03-2009 02:38:18 | More by Derek

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

After pouring beer for eight hours, and after working for a full sixteen, some beers taste pretty damn good. Cask Fuller's IPA is one of them.

Pours a lightly hazed gold with a finger of creamily smooth white head, that showed great retention and left sheets of lace. The aroma bursts with a leafy herbalness, backed by a creamy maltiness. A great biscuit base sets the stage for a high level of hopping that delivers flavour, but not overhwelming bitterness. Lots of lemon peel and herbal notes, so I'm going for goldings... regardless, it provides perfect balance. Bitterness weighs in at 30 IBU. Smooth mouthfeel, with a good deal of depth.

Balanced and sessionable. This is everything an English cask should be.

Serving type: cask

11-02-2009 01:14:47 | More by bobsy

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cask at Volo Cask Days 2009. A perfect English IPA. Nice hoppy aroma. Golden with stand-on-guard white head. Great balance, with understated Goldings hops that keep up a bitterness, some lemony citrus. Creamy mouthfeel, a good malting. Easy drinking.

Serving type: cask

11-01-2009 20:44:03 | More by northyorksammy

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Notes of 04/04/07. Tasted by a half pint at the Doric Arch, the previous Head of Steam and now a Fuller’s house next to Euston Station, central London. The strength is 4.8% abv.

A: nice reddish amber in colour, coming with a thin white foamy head and great clarity; very find and steady streams of carbonation detected.
S: Marris Otter malts result in a pronounced aroma, backed by pretty settled note of autumn fruits, berries, a touch of caramelised sugar, and orangey hops. Refreshing enough, but not as complex as one might expect.
T: dry-ish hop bitterness prevails upfront, accompanied by mildly lemon-zesty as well as apple-ish fruits, tannin, lots of floral & earthy hoppiness, and an intensifying flavour of juicy & lubricating biscuity malts, while the bitterness level also increases bit by bit in the long, dry finish.
M&D: softly textured and tasty as a fresh cask-conditioned pale ale, benefiting from rich hop characters, a nice structure, and a superb, slightly tannic aftertaste. It’s a truly decent and more-ish “little” IPA~~

Serving type: cask

12-22-2007 22:33:43 | More by wl0307

cbl2

New York

3.48/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance:

Crystal celar brown with little to no head, served extremely cold @ Lazy Boy in Westchester

Smell:

Nice crisp hoppy aroma with some moderate malt undertones.

Taste/Mouthfeel:

Nicely smooth. A strong malt backbone with definite hop presence in the forefront, coupled with a bitter finish.

Not as exceptional as I was expecting this to be. For a beer bar, Lazy Boy's should know better than to serve this beer just above the freezing point.

Serving type: cask

07-20-2004 02:13:21 | More by cbl2

Billolick

New York

4.08/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Happy to find this one on cask at the Lazy Boy in White plains NY a ways back (and happy I took notes). Poured light straw, with a fine white head, left alot of creamy lacing. Smootha mellow IPA. Very soft on the palate. British all the way. Velvety malt , soft hops. Balanced and very enjoyable. Perfect session brew.

Serving type: cask

07-05-2004 21:49:58 | More by Billolick

mndlssphlsphr

Washington

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

The brown color with an orange twist has a spark of flavor right from the start. The smell was refreshing and happily hoppy. I had a nice mouthful of the brew to refresh my lack of a quality IPA given my location, and it is cheaper to buy here (Panama) than it is back home in Her Majesty's kingdom.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 13:13:38 | More by mndlssphlsphr

CookstLiquor

British Columbia (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 500ml bottle. Pours a orangey-brown colour. There's plenty of malt in the aroma, but not much hops. Anyone accustomed to drinking a West Coast style IPA may find this a bit tame aroma-wise. However, the taste offers a some nice cereal/grain flavours and there is in fact quite a persistent hop bitterness to the finish. Just not much aromatics.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 22:57:56 | More by CookstLiquor

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - clear bronze, thumb of white head retained very well and left abundant lacing when it did recede
S - citrus, pine, fresh mint, leafy greens, and grain
T - citrus and fresh green up front, followed by a very refreshing mint that last through the finish, some dry grainy malt and peppery background, great flavour mix and definitely unique
M - relatively light with solid carbonation, slightly prickly, refreshing and dry finish with a lingering mint/eucalyptus feel
O - a fine example of the english style, it is unique in its fresh taste and feel without taking away from the hoppiness, a must try

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 05:05:25 | More by joemcgrath27

endovelico

Portugal

4.1/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Small head. Orange / Amber color with straw yellow highlights. Low effervescence. Poor lacing. Slight haze.

Aroma: Medium to medium low intensity. British hops representing: Resin, flowers, tropical fruits, mint, pollen, evergreen and yeast.

Taste: Medium to medium high in intensity. Hop dust blowing the palate. Earthy, vegetable, yeast bite, mango and grapefruit.

Palate: Medium to medium high intensity. Medium full to full bodied. Low carbonation. Lasting earthy mouth. Assertive astringency (mostly yeast bite).

Overall: Very solid IPA. Compliant with guidelines and good for the beginners looking for a taste of history.

Had this on the International Day of Beer with Indian Food, and it paired great.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 22:47:27 | More by endovelico

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle. Just had the Bengal Lancer a few days ago, and now this one shows up to add to the cadre of local Fuller's offerings. Pleasant presentation, as per usual, though the purple motif did throw me for a moment.

This beer pours a crystal clear, medium golden copper hue, with one anemic finger of broadly bubbly dirty white head, which leaves some short-lived high-altitude cloud ceiling lace around the glass as it rather quickly abates.

It smells of mild fruity, biscuity malt, a twinge of field honey, and soft leafy, earthy hops. The taste is sturdy bready, biscuity malt, a nicely understated tart fruitiness, and simmering, restrained, bitter leafy, weedy hops.

The bubbles are even and supportive, the body a fair bit on the lee side of medium weight, and smooth, but not really in a strong point sort of manner. It finishes just off-dry, the biscuit in the malt undergoing a personality metamorphosis, combined with the lingering leafy and fruity hops.

Expectations come high from me for this brewer, and, after a few minor hiccups, this turns out a-ok - no pandering to West Coast US influences, just a nice cracking English pale ale, with a smidgen more hops and equally iterative booze factor, all to indicate with closest probability what those Bengal-bound ships were actually laden with lo those many years ago.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 03:14:25 | More by biboergosum

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This dark but heavily burnished honey-golden IPA looks like it's had a spray tan. Whether yeast sediment or coagulate protein, whatever the little particles are, they are suspended as if in a Jello mold. It might make Jim from The Office proud, but it doesn't make the beer any more aesthetic. Its carbonation musters pathetically little head.

Fuller's India Pale Ale smells like a Fuller's product. It has a strong biscuity maltiness, an underlying of very green hops, and a distinct, prominent mineral content. I detect also a hint of honey. It smells reasonably OK so far as my senses are concerned, although in the big picture it would rank quite low so far as the IPA style goes.

I've become accustomed when seeing the words 'India Pale Ale' on a label to tasting fruity and grassy hop-driven flavors. Which is why, although the beer is perfectly agreeable, I can't help but feel disappointed. The flavors I detect - which are few - are mostly sweet and contain little of the citric, resiny nectar I so love in bolder examples of the style.

Instead, the beer is thick and heavy with toasted and nutty, slightly caramelized grain. It drinks more like liquid caramel than it does blended fruits, herbs and tree resins. The bitterness is as mild as the alcohol percentage (which is to say, about average). Not unusual for a British beer, high sulphate water minerals are the most prominent feature.

If most American IPAs are like Jimi Hendrix playing the Star Spangled Banner, Fuller's India Pale Ale is like somebody's grandmother sitting down to crumpets and tea to watch Coronation Street. No one can say this is a bad beer - I don't think such a thing can be said about any Fullers product - but it's definitely unexciting. Too status quo for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 22:30:30 | More by biegaman

Cozzatoad

Italy

3.63/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle

A- Big, dense looking white head on top of a dark golden (almost amber) coloured beer. Head soon recedes to about one finger but then it shows nice retention and lacing

S- A light grainy malts base is surrounded by fresh herbal and slightly spicy notes from the hops. Very simple aroma, but clean and still quite assertivly fresh at the same time

T- Clearly nearer to english bitters than to american ipas, then very much true to it's style. Crackery and caramel notes provide a nice amount of sweetness upfront, along with a slight soft, buttery touch that is typical with many english ales. Hop notes may feel a bit weak at first but they slowly take the main stage, with a nice complexity to them: clean herbal/floral notes, a bit of fuggles earthyness, also a slight citric hint. Bitterness is subdued but always present, expecially in the aftertaste

M- Medium body, maybe slightly on the light side of medium. Modest, delicate carbonation. Very smooth on both tongue and palate, with just a hint of pleasant crispness on the tongue

O- Easy and highly drinkable beer. Perfect balance between sweet and bitter notes. Nothing really impressive, just a nicely crafted ale

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 15:20:23 | More by Cozzatoad

BretSikkink

Mexico

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pretty clear orange color, the bottle seemed strongly carbonated but the head wasn't much, a wispy tan colored foam with little stick and no lacing as yet. Nose is pleasantly hoppy in its own British way, subtle caramel malts with a bit of toffee and a carbonation note. Clean.

The flavor is again hoppy in its own British way, without leading towards a strong bitterness, the hops are the bulk of the flavor. Light grains up front, finishing with a caramel sweetness, and an herbal hop note in the end as well. Aftertaste is herbal hoppy as well.

Nicely done but not terribly exciting. For the price here in Mexico I wouldn't have it again, but a nice alternative to American pale ales which are typically the happiest beer you can find.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 02:10:12 | More by BretSikkink

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a nice golden amber color ale with a large foamy head with great retention and some good lacing. Aroma consists of dry floral hops with light pungy notes. Taste is a nice drinkable mix between some dry floral notes with light pungy notes and solid dry caramel malt notes with some good cereal notes. Body is quite full with good carbonation. Solid mix of English hops and nice grain bill.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 03:16:32 | More by Phyl21ca

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Aka Bengal Lancer... had on tap at BBC in Franklin, MA.

Big nitro looking creamy firkin head 1.5 fingers, crystal clear pale tan brown color, lacing sticks all around.

Nose herbal earthy hops, more uk style but bigger, spicier and less herbal, light gritty grainy malt underneath, pretty earthy overall and mild grassy.

Taste again is more uk biter but almost americanized. Earthy slight herbal hops, little spicy and grassy, bring a decent bitterness. Then juicy malts, grainy and earthy malts. Clean ale taste, fairly bright and crisp, very drinkable. Finishes a bit more bitter and gets earthy and spicy hops and a bit grassy still, crisp and clean almost lager level, smooth.

Mouth is med to a bit lighter bodied, lighter carb coming from a firkin I believe.

Overall a nice clean sessionable uk style ipa. Doesn't get overly biter or herbal estery hedgerow hops, instead a nice bitter earthy grassy light spicy hop. they also stay away from the american big hops. Nice malts, juicy, and almost lager level clean and crisp. Really nice beer overall, just served a bit too cold but that's BBC not the beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-11-2012 12:40:41 | More by jlindros

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A quintessential British IPA that I'd highly recommend to anyone who enjoys the style.

Pours a dark golden colour with hints of amber. Head is off-white and yields decent lacing down the glass. Hop forward aroma underpinned with caramelized malt sweetness. Very well balanced flavour profile with a pleasantly bitter finish.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 00:23:03 | More by hopsolutely

Kartoffeln

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear, bright, coppery amber with a white, fluffy, bubbly head of middling size. Retention is modest, dissipating to a ring and patches of bubbles. Leaves lots of spotty lacing.

S: Bready caramel malts with a fresh grain character and loads of fruity and floral hop aromas. Leafy Goldings, spicy Fuggles, and zesty citric hops with a strong orange note. Undertones of butterscotch and yeast throughout.

T: Caramel malts with a bit of graininess give way to fruity and floral hops as per the nose: the leafiness is diminished, but there's a robust spice-and-citrus flavour created by the peppery Fuggles and orange zest note. Slightly resiny towards the finish, just a hint of pine woodiness, and the malts take on a biscuity character. Yeast, butterscotch, and minerality throughout.

M: Medium-bodied with modest, smooth carbonation. The balance is nothing less than perfect, clean and dry bitterness that doesn't linger to the point of aftertaste. Ridiculously drinkable despite the satisfying medium body.

D: A damn good English IPA with balance and drinkability that sets it above the competition. Flavourful and nuanced, to boot. Well worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 02:33:03 | More by Kartoffeln

lamergod

Singapore

4.15/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served into a Belhaven pint glass.

Appearance- Finger thick head. Nice yellowish orange body with slight carbonation.

Smell- Nice fruity aroma hits home with slight tint of floral and hops.

Taste- Bold bitterness coupled with hops taste and slight fruity taste.

Mouthfeel- Carbonation is IMO pretty darn alright. Enough to make it pretty light to have more than one and not too much till it taste like 'diet beer' Really nice slightly medium body.

Overall- Alright beer to drink. Slightly above average. Love the smell. A tad more bitter than other English IPAs I've drank such as Twisted Thistle and Old Empire. But not overly bitter in any way. Would be getting one again but not so soon.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2011 03:10:16 | More by lamergod

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.63/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours orange/amber with a large lasting creamy head.
Nose shows floral, fruity and grassy hops at first, lots of orange marmalade in there. Also some spicy notes alongside loads of caramel and bready malt.
Similar malt profile in the way of flavours, sumptuously malty. There’s subtle spicy and resinous hops in there too along with a bold bitterness that bravely tries to curb the sweetness.
Carbonation is a little full-on.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2011 01:54:13 | More by CrazyDavros

pioppo

Italy

4.1/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Light amber beer with a fine white foam, not many persistent. At the nose herbaceous by hop and a little of smoky, medicinal and ethylic already finded in other drinking of this brewery. Medium body, smoothy and so bitter like the aftertaste.

Bitterness, aromas, flavours of hop.. I like the way English mix this ingredient in a very suitable way!!

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 10:12:31 | More by pioppo

poporolo

Mexico

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Beautiful bottle with best before date on label served into a pint glass. Nice brown copper hue with a head that dissipates but never quite leaves you. Perfume and herbs hit the nose; a herbal, hop, buttery taste with a nice finish. Very good beer, quite refreshing and with a lot of flavor.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2011 06:29:57 | More by poporolo

beerdrifter

Germany

4.47/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked this up at Ammersino Feine Getränke in Vienna. Clear copper-orange pour with two finger off white head and great lacing. Big floral, perfumy nose with a bready, caramel sweetness. Toast, tea, toffee, and a solid bready, biscuity, sweet malt backbone in the taste. Hints of butterscotch and caramel, and the bitter hops really kick in nicely as it warms for a really well balanced English IPA. Extremely smooth and slightly chewy with a nice bitter, dry finish. For me, this is the definition of a perfect session beer. Full flavored but not extreme. Had no idea this was a seasonal brew. I'm kicking myself for only getting one of these. Fuller's was already one of my favorite breweries, but this beer totally surpassed expectations. Have to get more!

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2010 17:03:04 | More by beerdrifter

rarbring

Sweden

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The color is orange with hues of brown, an off-white a bit uneven head, good lacing.

Smelling of toffee, then pears and green apples, grass and pine cones.

The taste has a caramel start, brown bread, then grass and bitterness.

Medium high carbonation, a good body, a dry finish.

A well done and well balanced British IPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2010 20:11:54 | More by rarbring