Adnams American Style IPA (Cask)

Brewed by Adnams
Style: American Pale Ale
Southwold, England

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker

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On tap. Well, although my mark may seem a bit low, I don’t mind this beer that much but: Looks ok in the glass, pours a deep golden/orange with a small to non-existent white head with what look like bubbles lining the pint glass. Now firstly, there really doesn’t seem to be much of an aroma at all! Maybe, the slightest touch of citrus, grapefruit and cut grass, but it definitely seems dramatically subdued. Same for the flavour, a touch of resin, good bitterness, a little toffee and biscuit, some more grapefruit, funk, and a touch of pear-drop, having said this it is strangely mid-full bodied for Adnams. Bottom line: this is a good example of a beer that has decided to make an homage brew and stamp a label on it saying, "American Style IPA" thus raising the expectations of the punter only to deliver a standard UK IPA, there is nothing - to my palate - distinctly American about this beer, and as a result it looses marks for raising my hopes... Petty? maybe, but you don’t talk-the-talk if you can’t walk-the-walk. Objectively it’s a decent enough IPA for a summer day but it should be a lesson to all brewers, DON’T NAME BEERS AFTER CHARACTERISTICS IF THOSE CHARACTERISTICS AIN’T PRESENT! It just causes contention, and on top of this it’s just insulting to US brewers; I mean if I were American I’d be a little frustrated that this beer is being called American Style, because frankly this pales (no pun intended) in comparison to US IPA and is a little bland all in all. I wish it could have been different. I just feel if it was a beer said to be using US hops fine, but don’t call it a US IPA when it isn’t. Nuff said.

Cask at ’The William Jolle’, Wetherspoons in Northwood Hills. A dark golden coloured pour with a small white head on top. Vague hoppy, citrus aroma, maybe this pint was not so fresh as the aroma was not particularly good. Tasted better than the aroma thankfully, hoppy, citrus fruit, malty. Really drinkable and I’m sure it would be considerably better when fresh.

Cask at the Grape and Grain Spring Beer Festival 2012, Crystal Palace. Amber pour with a white head. Citrus, malt and caramel aroma. Citrus kick with a hint of pear in the flavour. Nice fruit action. Fruity-bitter finish. Tasty.

Cask at Blue Boar, Billericay. Pours a dark amber with a loose white head. A floral aroma with grapefruit notes. This beer skips over the palate leaving a light dusting of zesty lemon citrus with a grapefruit undercurrent that builds and bursts into a deliciously dry and citrussy aftertaste resonant of cracker biscuit and pithy grapefruit. A beautifully light and refreshing IPA that is subtley American in style and all the better for that as it maintains a little Bristish reserve.

Cask @ The Plough & Harrow, JDW, Hammersmith W6. Pours a pale amber color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity hoppy citrus aroma. Fruity malty citrus hoppy flavor. Has a fruity malty hoppy bitter finish with hints of citrus.

Cask at the King’s Tun (JDW). Lovely deep gold with lots of hopsack on the nose, rich body for a pale ale with citrus and pine notes. Lingering hoppy bitterness.

Cask. Beautiful golden color with a small, creamy white heap. US west coast hops on the nose, a bit piney, grassy. The taste is subtly sweet, some orange peel. Slightly hop-forward but not over bearing. Light body, soft mouthfeel, subtle carbonation. Overall, a very pleasant pint.

Nice imitation IPA with a very sweet flavour and lingering aftertaste to it.

Cask conditioned Handpump Moon On The Square Northampton. A golden beer with a white head and lacing. A lovely hoppy beer. great citrus notes throughout. Some peach and lime jelly in the mouth. Orange and lemon in the nose. The citrus finish is lovely. Malts are light and balancing. Very nice.

mellow aroma of american hops and some pine. touch of sherbet. mouthfeel is slightly thin. taste is subtle pine cone and hops, short bitterness a slight orange candy. amber in colour with good white lasting head. good beer for adnams. 

[Cask at Wetherspoons, Milton Keynes] Pale amber, slight white head. Traopical fruit, grapefruit, loads of pine - rather like the Roosters Last Stand I’d had just before, but with the piney hops stepped up, and more and slightly darker malts to provide rather more balance and a richer mouthfeel than the Roosters had. Best at this ’Spoons fest for me. Another great beer from Adnams - surely the best regional brewer in the land?