mkgrenwel (420), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Aug 30, 2007 Bright, floral and spicy. Really touches all the bases of possible hops flavors. Some citrus, pine, resin, pepper, earthiness, etc. Really the floral character is what stands out, though. Has somewhat of an alcoholic flavor, but no real burn. Malt is also prominent, balancing nicely. Caramel and toffee abound. Nice full, darker malt flavors, allowing them to stand up, rather than some american attempts that give the hops nothing to stand on. Bitterness is ample for the style. Nicely palate cleansing, but not tongue scrapingly bitter. Body is full and mouthfeel is wonderfully slippery and smooth. While it pretends to be truly traditional, this is really a melding of the English and American styles. Either way, it is superbly done. Easily one of my favorite IPAs. Brilliant beer.
Brewbie (217), New York, USA Aug 27, 2007 bottle. Nice driking beer, not overly hoppy with just a hint of sweetness in the finish hopson (591), Williamsville, New York, USA Aug 27, 2007 A highly drinkable, true to style, English IPA. Very earthy, not at all comparable to the APA’s of today. Still, nicely done. cbeers21 (563), Miami, Florida, USA Aug 23, 2007 Clear copper/golden with smaller head. Floral hops and caramel malts dominate the olfactory. The taste is a little subdued and malty with subtle hop bouquets emerging mid to late palate. A solid, drinkable IPA, but nothing extrordinary. jon112981 (327), Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA Aug 22, 2007 Bottle. Light and hoppy. Not much of a finish but a decent IPA for a cheap beer. Good session beer. NJJereme (262), Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA Aug 21, 2007 Pours a standard copper pale ale color with a light head. Not overly spicy. Mild hops flavor and mildly crisp on the palate. Overall, a good beer. bdigital (585), Ft Wayne, Indiana, USA Aug 20, 2007 Bubbly orange in color with a small white head. Not much retention on the lacing. Subtle malt and floral hop notes with a freshly squeezed orange juice and bread dough aroma. Pretty smooth with just enough carbonation. Malt domination over the hops which really threw me off. I was expecting a big hop character and didn’t get it. Slight piney hop-kick on the finish. Overall, a decent session brew. peepthesot (5), New Jersey, USA does not count Aug 18, 2007 A pretty lame IPA...not a bad ale, mind you, but wrongly named as IPA. The brewer is being rally shy about using enough hops to live up to the style. The original Ballantine IPA is still the one to beat, and no micro has even come close.
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