Meantime India Pale Ale

Brewed by Meantime
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
London, England

Corked and wired 750ml bottle into pilsner glass. A slightly hazy orange beer with a good sized off white head that is mostly lasting and which provides good lacing down the glass. Strong malty caramel aromas with those fruity English hops dominating. The palate is quite sticky with a medium-full body and flavours of prominent oranges and caramel malts finishing with a lingering citric bitter hop blast and a subdued alcoholic presence. Another winner from the Meantime Brewery - I rather fancy checking the place out next time I am in London.

A clear golden colored beer, with a thick foamy white head. The aroma of sweet fruits of orange, mango and citrus. There is also hop bitter. The taste is sparkling fresh, with a nice bitterness. There are fruits like citrus and mango. The aftertaste is dry with bitter and sweet in the back.

Bouteille de 750 ml, avec bouchon de liège, partagée lors d’une dégustation Ratebeer Montréal chez MartinT. Arôme: Odeur d’agrumes avec une pointe florale. Apparence: La couleur est orangée voilée. Présence d’un mince col mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût d’agrumes avec une pointe d’épices et aussi de sucre. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement huileuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Arrière goût sucré. (Rating #2578)

The one thing which immediately catches the eye with any Meantime beer is of course the great style and presentation of their bottles. This beer also keeps the promise made by the stylish packaging. A well-rounded taste that certainly has the spicy hop taste an IPA is supposed to have, but without the extreme over-the-top quality many beers of this style have today. All about this beer is subtlety and complexity which create a synergetic whole.

My Bottom Line:
Spicy, herbal hops get overpowered by the caramel malts in this pillowy and sweet English IPA.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A frothy head of beige foam crowns the cloudy orange.
-Even though the wooden hop bitterness is pleasant, I didn’t find the hop profile all that bright.
-Malts also contribute bread connotations.
-The body is a little too big for sessioning, imho.

Bottle.

750ml bottle from Sainsburys. Hazy, pale amber in colour, with a big, frothy off-white head. Aroma of sweet mlats, some marmalade and a touch of pine resin. Flavour was sweet, with pkenty of caramel, orange fruit, a whiff of green herbs (coriander?) and a dryish finish. Good.

corked 750 - i gotta say up front i’m a big fan of american, especially west coast ipas, although the british versions can be quite good as well, but to me, they have a lower ceiling. this is a solid example of the latter, but not the best. biscuity yeast, and a well balanced malt and hop presence in the aroma & flavor. mouthfeel is smooth, but a touch thin. the overall taste is nice, but there’s just a touch in the finish that has a macro-brewed quality to it that prevents me from rating it higher. I’d drink it again if offered, but there are better IPAs for far less.

750ml bottle from Sainsbury’s. Clear orange gold with a frothy white head. Citrus and floral hops in the aroma with a touch of malt sweetness. The flavour is superb. Sweet with a spicy earthiness, fruity with a long dry and bitter finish. Beautifully balanced. The palate is considerably lighter than the ABV would suggest. This is a classic beer and holds up in comparison to the great USA style. It’s also one of those rare brews that fully comlements spicy, hot foods.