Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA (USA) (Bottle)

Bottle. This amber-hued creation smells and tastes like citrus. Sweet and bitter, this beer is good but not great. Also, I’d like to know if thistle was used for more than a namesake ?

Cloudy amber appearance, maybe chill haze. Mild malt and a little caramel with a strong presence of citrus, grapefruit aromas. Thin body, crisp and quickly fading bitterness. Very dry in the finish.

Bottle from supermarket in NZ, a clear light amber colour with a rocky white head. An earthy hop aroma with a touch of pepper. A flowery hop flavour on a light but consistently bitter palate. The finish was disappointingly short though.

Bottle. Pours a light orange with voluminous head. Aroma is very hoppy... soap and pine. Taste is smooth, almost with a tropical fruit vibe going on. For an IPA, I’d like to be bludgeoned across the palate a tad more, but this is a good beer.

This is a surprisingly smooth IPA. Very drinkable and enjoyable. The finish is smooth and doesn’t overwhelm you with hops but they are still present.

On tap at Nicholson’s in Cincinnati. This was a nice example of a classic IPA. Malts and floral hops. Some grassy notes. Decent, but I’ve been into the extreme IPAs.

Bottle. Appearance is an eye-pleasing mixture of amber and orange. Forward aroma features tantalizing citrus salad with pineapple, good caramel malt and hints of wood/hop. Palate and flavour aren’t as powerful as the aroma, and this works to its benefit, allowing you to savour the mouth-pleasing dry grip and enjoy the fruit/bitter flavour contrast. Good length. A touch more malt flavour would help balance things out but this is still a well-made brew.

50 cl. bottle. Clear amber with a really nice, lasting creamy head. Sweet aroma, peaches, apricots, flowery, very slightly citrus. Not that expected bitterness even in mouth, dominated by sweetness, leading to a dry & a bit rough bitter ending.