Ipswich Original Ale

Draft at The Barking Crab. Pours brown with amber highlights and a tan head. The aroma is light - some sweet malt notes. The flavor is similarly restrained - bready malts, a touch of residual sweetness, some toasted bread and biscuits. There is a strong yeasty character of soft fruit and esters that was a little unexpected. There is a subtle, earthy bitterness at mid-palate. The beer finishes grainy with a touch of melanoidin/toast. It doesn’t finish particularly bitter, but there is an earthy signature of English hops in there. The mouthfeel is medium in body and slippery with a medium level of carbonation. Overall, a drinkable ale, but a little too mild-flavored for 5.4%abv.

5-20-08 bottle shared with lb4lb thanks to joepais
Semi cloudy glowing orange amber with a decent almost white head. Smell is doughy and malty. Flavor is bitter and a hint metallic - a little to soapy and metallic for me. It doesn’t have a big body to back it up nor does it have a refreshing crisp bite to it. Just sharply bitter and yet somehow is still quite watery.

Nice solid pale ale. More retrained use of hops makes for a nice change. Decent wet malting provides enough sweetness before a pleasant bitter finish swoops in. Quaffable.

Bottle in trade from joepais. Thanks man!
Pours cloudy amber with a short lived offwhite head. Smell is slightly tart, and lighty musty, earthy hops. Taste is fairly bitter with grassy hops coming in at first and it finishes a little sweeter with some caramel maltiness. Moderately full mouthfeel with nice carbonation. Much more bitter and hoppy than expected of an EPA. Pretty solid and drinkable. Thanks Joe!

tutti frutti as first impression or as english earl grey tea after all :) interesting beer i wish i had it cold (i served it to myself at about 70 f)