Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA (USA) (Bottle)

hazy deep golden body and lighter yellow at edges. tall creamy and thick foamy off-white head. biscuity sweet malt and mild floral hop aroma. faint honey too. flavor is a bit metallic up front, then goes to light honey, grassy malt, and bitter hoppyness. sprightly carbonation, gets a bit spicy and then a peaty finish and dried grassy aftertaste.

On draught at The Pub. The beer pours a slightly clouded orange-amber color with a thick and foamy off-white head that diminishes slowly. Small patches of lacing on the glass. Floral hops aroma with notes of fruit. Medium body with moderately bitter hops coupled with fruity and floral notes. The finish is somewhat hoppy with a lingering bitter aftertaste. Decent overall.

When i was drinking this I said to the people around me that this is more like an APA rather then an IPA. Come to find out while I am rating right now it says its an APA. God Im good. Anyway, golden yellow pour, floral nose and slightly hoppy flavor. Not great, not horrible.

Bottle. Pale amber, small white head. Nose is fruity with some floral and citrus hop. Sweet yeasty malt with a nice bitter dry finish. I would like this beer to be drier and more carbonated, but hey I’m an American so that’s probably my problem. But I do like the hop flavor and balance.

Pours a dense dark amber color with a lasting white head and lace. Very nice pronounced hoppy aroma. Medium body, malty sweet flavors immediately matched to a multitude to hop flavors and a mild hop bitterness. Very "fresh" hop character, assertive but not overpowering. Very nice.

If you walk into this thinking about any other IPA you’ve experienced before you will not be prepared to appreciate the true compexity of this blend of big american hops and old world brewing tradition. Belhaven managed to combine just enough peatty smokiness with the bite of columbus (or challenger?) hops.

Poured cloudy gold with a one finger head that left a thin film and ok lacing. Grassy floral hops were strongest on the nose, but with a generous caramel smell as well. Similar sense with the taste, as citrus and floral hops are well balanced by the maltiness. Not the hop bomb you get with an American-made APA, but a nice alternative. Medium body and carbonation with a clean crisp aftertaste.

On tap at the Pub at Polaris. Cloudy orange pour with a medium white head. Floral and citrusy Cascade hop aroma with a touch of malt. Crisp hop flavor up front with a very English malty finish. I liked this brew.