Meantime India Pale Ale

Bartzilla’s Death Metal Beer day June 07. Shared with Bartzilla, Naven, WeeHeavySD and others. My palate was shot, but it tasted like a good solid IPA. Good nopiness and not too sticky. I’ll have to try this agian sometime.

I got this 750 mL bottle for my birthday, and it was great. Excellent lacing in the light white head, and a clean translucent golden straw color. A rather mild aroma, but I immediately identified the Golding hops in this one (I had just brewed my own batch of Pale Ale with some Golding, so the scent was still in my mind). Flavor starts with a nice fresh grassy, hoppy bitterness, and then you begin to taste the piney tingle on the back of your tongue & mouth. Long finish with that piney bitterness. Very well-made British-style IPA (as opposed to an American IPA).

Original Rating, July 17, 2007; 750mL corked: Murky copper color with a thin head. Very interesting aroma... It smells a little citrusy, but a big blast of light earthy hops and maybe fresh hops. Bittersweet malt taste. The hops are definitely there, but are also decidedly English and lacks the orange/pine of an American IPA. As long as you are expecting an IPA in the British tradition, this is quite excellent. Very well balanced. 8/4/7/3/16

Re-rating, April 4, 2009; 375mL, capped: I wanted to re-rate this for two reasons. One, it’s one of the only really good English style IPAs I’ve had and two, there were some definite issues with later corked 750s. Had to try a regular bottle. Slightly cloudy copper with a medium and lasting head. Light grain aroma and a dusty, earthy hop quality. Strong caramel and biscuit flavor. There is an underlying bitterness, but the actual flavor of the hops have vanished. Certainly not an IPA anymore, more like a very alcoholic Bitter with more caramel malt. Still okay, but not the great example of the style I remember.

I haven’t been too impressed with Meantime’s beers, but this was actually pretty good. Sometimes it’s nice to have a more traditional IPA that is high gravity but not syrupy and overly hopped. This is a drinkable yet unremarkable IPA.

750 mL bottle. A very different aroma from California IPAs. An earthy and grassy aroma of hemp and wet vegetation; it reminds me of the smell of tropical jungle when it rains. Thick sweet bright palate. Tastes of grass, grain, and malt with a mellow hoppy bitterness. Another interesting brew from meantime.

Beer 17 of Bartzilla’s Death Metal Beer Tasting 6/30/07. Shared with Bartzilla, Naven, BikesandBeer and others. Not bad but pretty hard to decipher this late in the game. Tasty certainly, tons more flavor than the BIG DIPA but could be better.

Deep gold, thick white head, slightly hazy. A superior IPA - firm rich malt, strong hoppy aroma and flavour, very bitter and dry yet smooth and flavoursome. Excellent.

Sampled from a 750ml bottle. Filtered and golden hued. Soapy white head. Pine and floral hops in the nose. Medium bodied with good bitterness. Acidic and dry. Solid malt backbone. Citrus and piney hops. Big bitterness. Well done.