John Henry West Indies Pale Ale - Cold Spring Brewing Co.

jera1350

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Deep amber color with a thinner head of foam. Decent lacing.

Kind of a soapy/cola smell going on. Mild whiffs of rum and oak in there too.

A bit of a watered down flavor. Getting some toffee, caramelized sugar, hint of pine with the rum coming in at the end pretty noticeably, but not overly strong. Plenty of spice/spiced rum at the end actually. Touch of oak and alcohol on the finish also.

The feel is thinner than it should be, but the carbonation is low and has a nice soft feel. The finish dries out the tongue considerably.

I really like the idea of this beer, but it's not executed perfectly here. Not sure if it's the base beer or the use of the spirals as opposed to barrels, but just not quite a complete beer. The flavor is pleasant, but more body and malt flavor would go a long way. Worth a try though at a reasonable $6 750ml bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 02:07:25 | More by jera1350

jwgkicks

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +22.6%

05-31-2013 05:43:47 | More by jwgkicks

likeemdark

California

4/5  rDev +9%

05-31-2013 00:22:25 | More by likeemdark

ColdWaffles

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9%

05-17-2013 00:16:54 | More by ColdWaffles

IPAchris

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%

04-29-2013 21:36:12 | More by IPAchris

hollywood_15063

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +22.6%

04-29-2013 01:11:51 | More by hollywood_15063

Beerswag

California

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%

04-15-2013 16:08:06 | More by Beerswag

josephwa

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -11.4%

03-30-2013 15:45:28 | More by josephwa

t2thebro

Iowa

4.85/5  rDev +32.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle

A- pours a very dark amber, almost black but red shades in light.
Thin one finger head that quickly fades. Slight lacing.

S- strong brown ale tones. Dark roast coffee, brown sugar, vanilla, and musty chocolate hints of rum.

T- Yum! Roasted coffee, chocolate milk, rum, vanilla, sugar cookie.
This is so complex nice and sweet, but not to heavy, and I can taste the pale malt.
Flavor in one word.

M- perfect, enough said

O- this is a crazy fantastic beer, in my top five of all time. Rivals surly darkness in my opinion, just a step behind. The rum makes this smooth and adds that sweet, vanilla to balance the dark roasted malts. A must have at the steal of a price! Exceptional!

Enjoy!

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 23:10:33 | More by t2thebro

King_KongDCO93

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%

03-22-2013 01:28:12 | More by King_KongDCO93

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev -11.4%

03-13-2013 06:29:42 | More by Zachtheporter

maximum12

Minnesota

3.2/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

An affordable bottle of barrel-aged (OK, spiral-aged) beer in Minnesota? Say it ain't so. Sub-$5 price point reeled me in, & since the 3 Lick Spiker is pretty good, gonna give this one a shot too. 750 ML bottle split with my wife.

OK, first of all, the label says "pale" & this comes out a rusted pail red. WTF? A brewery should really warn a guy with a weak heart. Low carbonation. Smell is nice. Ton of maple syrup, bit of rum, then plenty of toffee. Interesting. Draws me in & makes me want to drink. Mission accomplished.

John Henry West Indies Pale Ale's identity confusion works its way from the name all the way into the taste. What is this? The pretty nose is lost in a strange web of tastes. What I get most in the mouth is scorched-earth sugar. Muddled in the middle is a bit of rum, reminder of alcohol, burnt toffee. Finish is burnt rum sweetness. Taste is indeed thin, neither the rum nor the base is sufficient to hold this one up. For what it's worth, it is easy to consume.

Well, this didn't quite work for me. Mediocre. Needs a bit more punch. The thinness of the brew works against it, & there's no cohesion to the flavor (lord, was that pretentious - I'm ashamed - but it's true).

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 02:56:20 | More by maximum12

Rick760Sd

California

3/5  rDev -18.3%

12-30-2012 17:39:58 | More by Rick760Sd

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in an Ohio State shaker pint glass.

A deep-seated ticking instinct and a lack of skill with regard to Spelunky isn't a safe combination... Anyway, this stuff pours a murky sunset amber topped by a half-finger of glowing off-white foam. The nose comprises toasted oak, light toffee, and a hint of pine needle in the distance. The taste focuses on the toffee and pine, with the oak a bit of a side story. The body is a light medium, with a very light moderate carbonation and a slick feel. Overall, a meek bit of oak-aged pale ale, with the constituent parts kinda muddled in the confluence thereof.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 14:25:54 | More by TMoney2591

jakea

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%

12-25-2012 00:40:12 | More by jakea

UCLABrewN84

California

3.08/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle pour at the BevMo Holiday Beerfest held at Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles, CA.

Pours a clear brown with a foamy orange-tan head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, alcohol, and some herbal hop aromas. Taste is much the same with a mild hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is an average beer with a pretty boozy aspect that comes across in the flavor.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 06:26:44 | More by UCLABrewN84

mkennedy119

Illinois

3/5  rDev -18.3%

12-01-2012 22:43:48 | More by mkennedy119

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750 ml bottle poured into a pint.
9.4% ABV, Rum spiral aged.

Review from notes.

A - Clear mahogany in color with a thin tan head that leaves dots of lace on the pint.

S - Maple syrup opens with very light oak and caramel malt following. Faint warming spice notes from the rum come through but very little alcohol perception.

T - Incredibly malt with sweet caramel, light woodiness, and touch of spice on the back end.

M - Smooth with biting carbonation and light alcohol spice on the finish. Warming but not suggesting alcohol as high as it is.

O - Sweet malt and a medium body pave the way for faint alcohol spice and moderate drinkability. The name is quite confusing, however.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 16:04:09 | More by BeerFMAndy