Scotch Irish Sgt. Majors IPA

Clear bronze. Sticky, well-retained foam of milk consistency. Pinesap, honeyed malt, and pineapple aromas. Velvet soft carbonation. Initial earthy hop bitterness accompanies a juicy resin-sweet center and a deepening sweep of dryness. Delectable nutty malt profile thwarts the staunch pinecone bustle. Minuscule fruitiness, and, thankfully, most of the hop acids are outweighed by the resonant earthiness and fat, biscuity malt sweetness. Woody hop character slowly loses definition, before finishing sharply dry while pinecones further amplify the dryness. Not overly exciting, but very well done.

Robe blonde dorée très claire surmontée d’une faiblarde mousse blanche. Arômes de malt, de caramel, de citron et d’épices. Saveurs de houblon aromatique, de houblon amertume (agrumes) et de malt. Long arrière-goût d’agrumes et d’amertume. Corps bien rond.

Draught. Sampled at 2005 Toronto (Fort York) Festival of Beer. Always a favorite with me, not *too* much a hop-head delight. Poured a mostly clear amber, average head. Aroma - very sweet and oaky, with orange jucie and rind, damp moss, roasted pine nuts and plenty of mild hops to balance. Flavour starts quite citrus-sweet, finishes with good ol’ Scotch-Irish hop bitterness, but on balance it’s ... balanced. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied and slightly astringent. Very pleasant pint. Better on tap than in bottle.

Bottle... RBSG2005... Orange ale with a small, creamy, white head. The citrus, floral aroma is of toffee, orange peel, pine and grapefruit. Medium bitter. Decently balanced with medium caramelly malt. Grassy. Medium-bodied and creamy with lively carbonation. Lengthy, bitter, grassy finish. Thanks to dougshoemaker (I think) for the bottle.

Bottle sampled @ RBSG 05’ (Montréal) Post-Cidery Impromptu Hotel Room Tasting
Amber color, light head, nice lacing. Nose if creamy, lots of earthy hops, some malts along with lipstick and MSG (?). The flavor is bitter, nutty, not too balanced but not far off. Finishes creamy, keeps up.

07.10.05 Bottle, RBSG. Honey amber, creamy white head laces in spots. More tea, some floral, dry; all hops in flavor. Long bitter finish. Nice session beer that may have been wasted on a slightly spent palate.

Pours a clear copper bronze with a frothy, nice lacing off-white head. Subtle grainy caramel and fresh English hoppy aroma. Body has a light sugary caramel sweetness and good, crisp hoppiness, but is a little thin. Otherwise, a nice, drinkable and well-balanced beer.

Re-rate April ’07. Stubby bottle (D047 batch). Nice light amber color and an initially fair head. Dominantly hoppy. Fairly bitter. Underlying layer of cheese. Grapefruit finish. Not bad for the style.