IPA - Ridgeway Brewing

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 500ml brown glass bottle with a wide body and thin proboscis-like neck. Sealed with a metallic red crown cap and labeled as “Ridgeway IPA bottle conditioned ale India pale ale”. Alc. 5.5% Vol. My bottle is just as the one pictured in the BA Avatar.

Appearance: Turbid tangerine body with a luscious Satsuma orange background. Big white head rises up and just about fills my handled 20oz Mug to the brim. Excellent carbonation with a feisty hurricane conditioning when swirled. Look like it was pulled from an Angram only seconds earlier.

Nose: Rasping aromas cut right across the namby-pamby norm. Harsh hop flowers and a scorching bitterness with an astringent wipe. Citrus hops are Glaswegian in their harshness; Rab C. Nesbit hops sits tight in his string vest and projects that raw befuddled accent that only a limited few can understand.

Taste: Hostile bitterness does little to please the middle-of-the-road (feckin) Jessies, this IPA is acrimonious and the hops are unrepentant and forceful in their unforgiving unripe bitterness. Astringent and acerbic with a caustic dryness. The finish has a sharp edge that feels like dropping off a cliff. A base jumping IPA but it is damned good nonetheless.

Mouthfeel: Yet again I find the soft conditioning Cask-like and highly comforting, juxtaposed against the brusque bitterness it works extremely well.

Drinkability: Despite its uncut roughness, irregular profile and coarse unrepentant bitterness, as opposed to a gentle hoppy character, I Iove this brew. Not for the feint of heart but for those that love cutting their wrists it is an enjoyable distraction.

Overall: A harsh, raw, astringently bitter IPA that I believe more accurately reflects the older English versions rather than the softer more romantic “hoppier” versions banded about these days. Solid stuff and a great brew. This English IPA will not to be to most tastes, tough shit, it is certainly to mine and I thoroughly enjoyed its harsh edges which I consider pivotal to its heritage.

Recommended. But not for Jessies or Wankers.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2006 07:21:04 | More by TheLongBeachBum

haz77

United Kingdom (England)

4.03/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a light orangey-copper with a golden hue. An inch of head falls to a bubbly, thin eggshell layer quite quickly. Low carbonation, from the look of things.

S - Herbal/floral hops, juicy citrus, a slight methane note, sweet bready malt.

T - Initial tingling carbonation leads to citrus hops over a backbone of sweet candy-like malts. At this point the refreshing mouthfeel becomes more and more coating and the bite of the hops become intertwined with caramel, which builds into a dry, bitter aftertaste.

M - Starts light and becomes more creamy and coating. Medium carbonation.

D - A tasty beer which I would like to try on cask.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2006 18:03:44 | More by haz77

Ego

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

$3.59 for a bottle @ spirit's in red bank, nj

eyes...
streaming carbonation upon bottle cap extraction (it's good to have a buck tooth gimp around), poured into my chimay chalice (a recent replacement for the one my dog broke.. man that sounds lame "the dog ate my chimay glass"), 1 full finger of pure white head.. microbubbles in a thick and inviting blanket cover the beer, yellow hue with just a splashe of orange,the active carbonation keeps the head going.. and going.. lacing is absolutely absurdly good, it coats the sides of the glass in a gentle sea foam tide and stays there... damn, this is as dead on as jessica alba on a stripper's pole. this falls just short of perfection (unlike the aforementioned ms. alba)

nose...
pretty hoppy for an english brew, you can definitely smell the hop leaf, this one can stack up to some normal american IPAs, which frankly is not common with many english IPAs (depends on what you prefer). you can detect the bottle conditioning with a very slight "funkiness" in the nose under the lovely hop aroma, harder still to detect are slight carmel malt notes... but they are there. this one is nice.

taste etc..
oh my lord is this smooth, velvety even. this one really "floats" on the pallette then delivers the hop oils on your tongue, this is nicely bitter and it does linger, perfect to the style. this is light but has enough body to almost be "medium". The caramel tone is evident in the taste after the bitterness subsides here. Caramel? hmm.. maybe a hybrid of maple syrup and caramel is more like it. If fuller's were an IPA (I know fuller's makes an IPA..), it would be this, so I would have to recomend this to lover's of fuller's ESB. This is hoppier but has much of the same overall flavor profile..with a little more carbonation (which is nice imo). The mouth feel is ridiculous, it just coats all over..

verdict?
a great example of a true english IPA. sure, this is "milder" than american IPAs (well.. most of them) but this is just solid. I can see where some might find this to be too sweet as this is maltier than our stuff here in the colonies.. but to each his own, to me that spells "balance" (not that I am always looking for a balanced beer but this style cries out for one)

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2006 02:39:06 | More by Ego

rebel1771

Florida

4.3/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a pale gold color with a huge head.
The aroma is comprised of an intense hop aroma along with a few spicey herbs.
The flavor is outstanding with the typical hop flavors found in an IPA along with some nice fruity flavors and crisp finish.
I love this beer, this is just a damn fine brew I would drink anytime.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2006 00:36:38 | More by rebel1771

soulgrowl

United Kingdom (England)

4.53/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Appearance: Deeply hazed sunflower with a superb ivory-white head and fair retention; first a tiny-bubbled, smooth and creamy foam, then a medium-bubbled, quivering film.

Smell: Pear and lychee juice, mossy earth, plenty of clove, and some very resinous, woody hops that lend the impression of an antique store.

Taste: Lots of vanilla, floral hops, some tangy yeast, and sweet, almost nutty malts. Woodsy (cedar?) notes also appear before a sweet-then-dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Very, very creamy and medium bodied.

Drinkability: Wow, this is a good one. Very complex, especially for the style, but still easily sessionable and refreshing.

Serving type: cask

07-17-2006 00:39:41 | More by soulgrowl

EPICAC

Massachusetts

3.4/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I got these a few nights ago at Downtown Wine & Spirits. I let this warm slightly and served it in my NERAX pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a copper color with good clarity. A half-inch white head tops the beer briefly before it thins to a patchy layer and then disappears completely.

Smell: Nice malt aroma, with sweet fruits and a light resiny hop aroma. I expected more hops.

Taste: Sweet fruitiness greets the palate upfront, followed by a toasty maltiness, and a moderate hop bitterness in the finish. I think this beer is really lacking in hop character to balance the sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Moderate carbonation, light-bodied and slightly thin.

Drinkability: Easy drinking with pleasant flavors.

Overall: There are some nice flavors in this beer, but in the end it's too sweet for an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2006 03:35:00 | More by EPICAC

Naes

New York

2.93/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This is a golden colored ale with a tall white head that retains well and provides decent lacing.
The aroma is nicely hoped with a slight malt presence.
The flavor is surprisingly sweet with a fruitiness that is followed by citrus hops.
Mouth feel is on the lighter side with ample carbonation.
This is a good beer, but is just a bit too sweet for an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2006 00:38:41 | More by Naes

Crosling

Colorado

2.4/5  rDev -37.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

My sample was in the early stages of infection. It tasted like my semi-infected beginner homebrew IPA’s. Very little character overall, with a light tart and sour nature, along with an unusually large head. This was a very fresh bottle, even for import standards, and I would imagine this will become much worse in the next few weeks/months.

Have had other samples of the Colorado batch recently and have formed the same opinion.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2006 06:17:13 | More by Crosling

oberon

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another shot at a well regarded English IPA.Poured a dull light golden with a very nice creamy,tight one fingeed head that never leaves giving me a mustache at avery drink.Herbal aromas mainly mint and geranium with some mineral quality and lghtly sweet caramel.Now this isnt the brash American IPA that I adore but this is a fine version,herbal and grassy hop flavors not big but nicely subtle over top of toasted grain and lightly sweet.I think this English IPA would be great on the beer engine nice subtle complexities,very good for what it is.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2006 04:05:40 | More by oberon

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to TomDecapolis for this...
Appears a transparent dark gold with a mild white head that fades quickly into a small collar.
Smell is Earthy, grassy, funky sweetness, overbrewed herbal tea.
Taste is sweet, grassy, and filled with lemony zest.
Mouthfeel is dry, funky, ugly, with a lemony tea like feel sticking to the palate.
Drinks a bit like yesterday's tea with a shot of lemon pledge.
****UPDATE 6/19/06****
I tried this one again and didn't get as much funkiness as in the first attempt to drink this. I may have had a bad bottle the first go around. I've found that this is a delicate, herbal, earthy tasting IPA that is very English.
Old Score:
A -3, S - 3, T - 2.5, M - 2.5, D - 2.5

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2006 22:40:28 | More by weeare138

Hautacam

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Dark gold; almost brown....huge light tan head..very foamy..laces nicely.
Smells mostly of hops and some malt...no alcohol detected.
Tastes much lighter than I thought it would. Nice tasting floral hop...no sweetness at all..malty.
Very light mouthfeel... high carbonation...bitter finish, not unpleasant.
Pretty drinkable...this pint went quickly for me.
I'm a little disappointed in this one.. it's my first English IPA...maybe the flavor is just too subtle and mouthfeel too light for someone who likes DFH 60 and 90 min.

Serving type: cask

02-07-2006 00:05:27 | More by Hautacam

longpondbeerman

Maine

3.6/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bubbly and frothy, the English IPA pours a pale amber, and the three-finger head rises to a billowy peak. I smell lots of citrus--lemon, rose hips--and a touch of ginger? After searching, the slight buttery wafts to the nose, but you really have to be looking for it (unlike most of the English IPA I am accustomed to). There's an unusual smokiness to the taste, something I found unexpected given the tart redolence and, frankly, a wee bit disappointing because I was expecting something fresher. The finish is earthy, yet the mouthfeel is light and highly carbonated. The second and third tastes are better, and I'm getting more of the hops at the outset.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2005 22:09:12 | More by longpondbeerman

edbeered

Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This pours a clear very pale almost golden color with a quarter inch white head that lingers. It is bottle-conditioned, and while my second pour decreased the clarity(by adding yeast to the glass)it did not alter the smell or taste. It smells almost lemony. The taste begins with a nice hop bite and continues with a lemony floral flavor that turns into a subtle malt finish. It is very light on the tongue and has a delicate mouthfeel quite unlike American IPA's.The relatively low alcohol content(for the style)only enhances this ale's drinkability. This a nice change of pace from the more intense American interpretations of the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2005 04:32:56 | More by edbeered

Matcpd

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance:
Golden, almost tawny in color. Pours a huge head! It is immediately evident this beer is packed with carbonation. Head retention remains great throught the entire drinking session. The head is creamy, but had large "soda-like" bubbles on top, resulting from the prominent effervescent nature of the beer. The head laces and sticks to the walls of the glass. Overall, very lively apperance.

Smell:
Very fresh hop bouquet in the nose which seems to result in distant notes of candy (cotton candy perhaps). Spicy. Light maltly scent.

Taste:
The initial taste when the beer attacks the palate is a nice smooth blend of hops and malt. The hops, however, soon bleed through and become the dominating flavor. They leave a delicate dryness in the mouth and a slight lingering of flavors. After swallowing, the middle and back of the palate become very dry, but the sides remain moist and wet. This beer is extremely quench-thirsting with a spicy, peppery, almost grapefruit fruitiness, resulting in a very lively taste.

Mouthfeel:
Carbonation! The texture is almost soda-like. It fizzes and tingles on the palate. The beer is somewhat vinegary and coats the palate with a thin film of "IPA residue."

Drinkability:
Drinkable. It quenches your thirst, isn't too high in alcohol, and has mild flavors. A nice summer session beer perhaps.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2005 20:37:37 | More by Matcpd

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.4/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bright lemony amber with glittering lemon drop borders topped by an incredible head that is rich cream in color and as sticky as honey... which is only fitting since it leaves gobs of lace in a honeycomb pattern. Bee-utiful! This is one of the best lids that I've seen in a long while. It's hugely pitting, rough-hewn and mountainously rocky.

The nose is a good one, even keeping in mind its country of origin and my preference for U.S. hops. It smells of sweet, bread-and-buttery pale malt with a generous amount of little green cones that are as exotically citrusy as they are herbal. If the flavor is a fair approximation of the aroma, look out.

This is an excellent ale. If malt-driven-but-still-hoppy English IPAs are your religion, Ridgeway IPA is your god. The beer tastes like a thick, hearty slab of crusty sourdough slathered with sweet herb butter and sprinkled with a small handful of shredded hop leaves. The hops are, at once, floral, citric fruity and herbal. Earthy appears to be on holiday.

I can't get over the head and lace. Each pour generates a living, breathing foam monster that deposits ring upon crusty ring on the glass when it reluctantly drops away. The flavor profile stays in balance throughout, with an increase in both definition and intensity on the back end. The mouthfeel is medium-full and is buttery smooth, modestly mouthcoating and finely carbonated. This stuff must be pure heaven on-cask.

The Shelton Brothers website says, in effect, that this is the same beer as Bad Elf, but has been renamed so that it can be brewed year-round. If that's true, then the brewery has improved on the Bad Elf recipe circa 2003. Ridgeway IPA is a keeper and is, quite simply, one of the best beers of this style in existence.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2005 19:30:48 | More by BuckeyeNation

WesWes

New York

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

The beer pours a gold color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a wonderful bitter hop aroma that balances well with the Maris Otter and carapils malts. The taste is good aslo. It has a solid malt bill that adds a base for the hops which are quite bitter and floral in nature. The whole leafs really stand out and make this beer. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a really good drinking English IPA. I like the hop content. It has a light bitterness, but a standout aroma and finish.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2005 01:54:27 | More by WesWes

Fugazme

Nebraska

4.15/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a light copper. Near clear.

Awesome, near mountain head that situated itself perfectly in an imperial pint. I've had this beer sitting for nearly ten minutes and just under a half inch still remains. Sticks to the glass like a champ.

Aroma isn't near as hoppy as I was expecting. Honeysuckle and lavendar. Very flowery. Truthfully, it smells like an old lady's perfume. Very delicate. An Evening in Paris? ha!

Wonderfully smooth. Creamy. Hoppy, but not huge. Delicious. Slightly dry. Rosemary.

Rings forming down the glass.

I would describe this as incredibly real.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2005 02:40:55 | More by Fugazme

OldFrothingSlosh

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Per my uber-dorky Treo 650 surfing while at OUAV, I saw the first few reviews for this beer and needed to purchase it.

Pours a clear, copper-tinged golden yellow in color with a densely-packed bright white head that lathers up the sides of my imperial pint glass with gusto. Stately 1" layer of head persists for eternity. Aromas are mostly a fresh floral scent, with some lingering sweetness hovering around the edges. Flavor sees more of a 1-2 punch of floral and earthy-bitter hops mixed with caramel sweetness in the middle, followed by a long-lasting, dry and bitter finish. Well-carbonated, with very nice mouthfeel and drinkabilty.

It's been my personal experience that a casked version of a beer takes some of the edge off a really hoppy beer (example: Hop Devil). Given the realatively low ABV of this one, I shudder to think of how many pints I could toss back if this were offered from a cask. A nice find.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2005 02:36:58 | More by OldFrothingSlosh

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Light gold, lighter than I expected, pretty transparent overall (some fine yeast in the second pour) with a massive bottle-conditioned head. Laces are light but sticky on the sides of the glass. Cheesy sulfury aroma, quite sharp and possibly attributable to light effects as well as a hop influence. Light body, more than adequate carbonation, moderately gassy. Unlike many UK IPAs, this one is quite bitter, more than floral and mostly at the end -- almost a calcium carbonate/cement type of taste with some pithy elements. Malts are fairly weak and its tough to get by the pervasive smell as well. Relatively expensive single bottle, and not one I would pick up again.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2005 22:27:54 | More by ADR

krberg

Oregon

3.28/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

I think I have had the Ridgeway IPA before at Mahar's where it is referred to as Ridgeway APA.

Golden with a towering, solid white head. Not as bright as cask.

Tons of hop aroma. Very American IPA in smell. Also lots of sweet malt, with just a hint of citrus.

Biscuity malt. Slight lemon zest with some hop flavors and mild bitterness. The biscuit flavor lingers for a while. Tastes like a British take on the American PA. Its very good.

Way too much gas! There is a big CO2 bite that covers a lot of the flavor. I have de-gassed it a bit with a fork in order to rate flavor.

As is from the bottle, Ridgeway IPA is too carbonated to make it a session beer. Too bad, because on cask this is a winner.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2005 19:47:48 | More by krberg

UncleJimbo

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 25 oz bottle at the Moan and Dove.

This IPA poured a clear, golden color with creamy white foam that persisted a while. The aroma was a very lovely floral hop scent with a bit of malt coming through as well. The flavor was a very nice medley of floral and bitter hops together with the balanced malt backbone. The mouthfeel was smooth and well balanced with medium body and good carbonation. The hoppiness lingered pleasantly in the aftertaste. This was a very nice English IPA. This brewery certainly makes some fine beers.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2005 22:29:36 | More by UncleJimbo

sublimesipping

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A VERY INTERESTING BEER. I'LL WRITE IT AGAIN AS I SAID IT OVER AND OVER AS I DRANK MY PINT. YUM AND "VERY INTERESTING". One of the best cask beers that I have had ever. This is an amazing session beer. Served on the hand-pump at Monks in Philly, it paired as good or better than many of the belgains with mussels(spicy selection) and the frites. Beautiful yellow lemon straw color. Subtle hops aroma and great malt balance. Balance excellent- smooth pour into the glass and down the hatch. I would reccomend this in spades for an excellent summer thrist quencher. Bonus points for my wife enjoying it too!

Serving type: cask

07-14-2005 22:11:06 | More by sublimesipping

dbamarsj

New York

4.5/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had this on cask at Mahar's in Albany and have to say it is one of the best beers I've ever had. Hoppy, flavorful and very drinkable. It can also be had in bottles but I have to have it other than on cask. Absolutley outstanding and highly recommended if you can find it.

Serving type: cask

06-14-2005 14:35:03 | More by dbamarsj

gentlebubbles

Massachusetts

4.47/5  rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

NERAX 2005

Brilliant as sunlight with a bright yellow glow and an airy white head.

Sweet fresh scent. I can hardly wait to dive in--and there I find lots of lemony bright goodness and a lingering resin finish.

Conditioning is spot on and most drinkable.

Serving type: cask

05-01-2005 19:16:27 | More by gentlebubbles