Dragonmead Crown Jewels India Pale Ale

Brewed by Dragonmead Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Warren, Michigan USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Very clear copper body roofed by a medium sized, spongy soft, off-tanned foamy top that keeps for a few minutes before leveling off to a good skim and collar. Big curtains of lace stick in foamy ledges. Malt sided aroma with toffee sweetness topped with a fresh leafy hoppyness thats quite unique with a nice herbal oil quality. Slight citric, oranged edge to it too. Taste is mild yet broad with a sturdy hop flavor of freshly dried hop cones and oilyness mixing with a biscuity caramel backing and a buttery soft sugaryness that grows as it warms. The hops tend to slide to the middle then the sides as the maltier tones take over the remaining palate. Toffee and butter extends its arms from there. Some orange oils seep and soak in and out as does a flighty herbal/floralness. A bit warming in the trailing half as the body is fairly solid from the malt base. Feel is interestingly complex and well crafted within the flavors as its quite smooth with the malt foundations and yet textured in a liquified, fluffy cotton candy hopified leafyness. Remarkably bold and fairly big with a belly filling silky smooth breadyness and throaty warming. A solid EIPA. About what an actual Pale would taste like after the long trek, just like back in the day of using the elephant. Or so I imagine. Perhaps a taste of history with this one.

Bottle purchased at Siciliano’s Market in Grand Rapids, MI in December, 2011 and rated on 4-01-2012. Poured a huge very foamy semi-fizzy khaki head that mostly diminished over time, fair amount of lacing, hazy body, fizzy, fast-rising carbonation, and an orange, golden tint hue. The Aroma was malt, caramel, pine and grapefruit hops, and somewhat earthy. The Flavor was semi-sweet, lightly bitter, malty, caramel, and pine hops. The Mouthfeel was tingly and this is a light-medium bodied IPA. Overall, this was not very hoppy tasting for the style which in turn was an easy IPA to drink for me personally because I am not a hophead. Worthy of a try.

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, no bottle dating. Pours super hazy reddish orange color with a huge 2-3 finger light khaki head with insane retention that reduces to a thick cap that lingers. Loud hiss upon opening, and it took a while to pour this one. A lot of carbonation. Decent lacing on the glass. Aromas of orange, caramel, lemon zest, bread, pineapple, and herbal hops. Very malty aromas with decent strength. Taste of orange, caramel, biscuit, floral, lemon, herbal hops, pine, light tropical fruit, and a touch of pepper. Good amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, biscuit, herbal, and caramel on the finish for a bit. Very good malt balance with the bitterness make this easily drinkable for 7%. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a creamy, slick, and fairly crisp mouthfeel. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming after the finish present. Overall this is a pretty good IPA. Definitely drinkable and balanced.

12oz bottle from The Beer Depot in Ann Arbor, MI. Pours a clear, amber-copper-orange colored body with an inch thick, dense and foamy, off-white head that dissipates slowly and leaves a nice lacing. Aroma is sweeter caramel with a good amount of grapefruit hops. Florals and some piney resins, earth, and a touch of toast. Flavor is similar, but feels a bit unbalanced. Sweeter caramel with a light toast and a good amount of floral grapefruits. A few resins and pines towards the end as this finishes mostly dry and sweet with a moderate, earthy bitterness that gives off a bit of a spiciness. Lengthy aftertaste following a smooth, medium body and a fairly lively, moderate carbonation. Overall, a decent IPA. A bit sweet with lots of grapefruit hops. Nothing exceptional, but not bad.

Bottle at le mondiale 2011. Well not much to repot here, run of the mill american ipa. Citrucy hops, light bready malts. Good.

A hazed amber IPA with a thin off white head. In aroma, floral hops and clove honey notes, nutty. In mouth, a crisp malt with smooth floral hops, British, grassy, not bad, medium bodied. Bottle at Mondial 2011, June 11 2011.

Bottle sampled at Mondial de la bière 2011 (Montréal). Hazy copper with a thin frothy beige head with great retention. Aroma is biscuity with toasted malt and herbal notes. Flavor is toasted malt, nuts, fruity notes, cereal arshness and a bitter aftertaste. Medium body with fizzy carbonation.

I had this on tap into a tulip at Ashleys...The beer pours a light hazy orange, not a ton to look at here...The aroma and taste are both ok, nothing special either, ligth pineapple on the nose, a mild hop presence. The feel is ok, and its ok to drink but with the lack of hops, it really doesn’t justify drinking more than one.

Tap at Dragonmead. Pale amber-red pour. The nose is a little bit hoppy. There is some actual hoppiness on the nose with this one. Orange peel and some candy fruitiness as well. Like all of their beer, it’s quite malty and just a little bit too sweet. Pretty assertively bitter on the finish though - definitely the best of the lot so far.

Bottle, shared with Tim. Dark ruby body, fluffy white head. Nose is pineapple & pine, a bunch of caramel & a hint of chocolate. Flavor is pine, rich malt, strong but not overwhelming bitterness. Seems a bit burnt.

12 oz. bottle from Siciliano’s Market in Grand Rapids, MI. Muddy dark orange pour with a thin off-white head. Aroma is strong pineapple and tangerine. The flavor is sweet tangerine, brown sugar, and graham cracker with a very slight whiskey flavor in the background. This is really lacking a lot of hop bitterness that would be expected in an IPA. Not undrinkable but there are many other choices for an IPA that I prefer over this.