India Pale Ales (IPAs)

Beer Review: Hopdaemon Skrimshander

07/03/2013

Follow @TheGuestAle It’s been a while since I last sampled an English IPA; it’s not really been the season. So I dug out the Hopdaemon Skrimshander, something I picked up on a trip to Faversham last autumn. It’s a proper Kentish beer, made from local hops. First impression is the massive head. It dissipates pretty quickly but it’s wonderfully carbonated throughout. The colour is cloudy marmalade, not wildly attractive. It’s described as “aromatic” but I didn’t really sense much of that bar a little distant tangerine in the nose. The taste is also rather neutral. There is a zestiness but it’s got a chewy maltiness to it that lingers at the back of the mouth for a long, long...

US Beer Review: Snake Dog IPA by Flying Dog Brewery

24/11/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle It’s Thanksgiving Bank Holiday over here in the US. Most of the country are powering up on turkey and pumpkin pie in readiness for the shopping extravaganza of Black Friday, while ex-pats like me are left twiddling our thumbs. It’s the perfect time to try one last India Pale Ale (IPA) before the Christmas season kicks off and I’m back sampling the darker, heavier winter brews. Enter Snake Dog IPA by Flying Dog Brewery. The artwork on the bottle is enough to get you curious. I knew there was something familiar about the illustrative style of the label. It turns out that Flying Dog Brewery have enlisted Ralph Steadman to provide the artwork. Brits probably recognize him...

Beer Review: Curious IPA from Chapel Down

24/08/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle There’s a vineyard in Kent, England that quite sensibly decided that it would be a very good idea to make some beer too. Chapel Down from Tenterden has come up with a quite superb India Pale Ale (IPA) in the form of its Curious IPA. If you’re familiar with the Kernel Brewery’s works then you’ll know what I mean when I say the Curious IPA smells a little like one of the Kernel’s brews: grassy with a citrus overlay of orange peel. It’s a big, fat heap of hopitude! The hops in this case are the noble Golding, Brambling Cross and the popular Citra variety. In tandem with the barley and wheat malts Chapel Down has created...

Beer Review: India Pale Ale by Wadworth Beer Kitchen

03/08/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle Here is a little gem from The Beer Kitchen, which is a new “hand-crafted” range from Wadworth. I think it’s right on the money here as it aims for the discerning beer drinker, certainly a growing breed as the range to choose from continues to expand. The company was kind enough to send me some samples and on what was #IPAday on Twitter it was only right that I cracked open the India Pale Ale. It looks to go back to the roots of India Pale Ale by avoiding the über-hopped modern American interpretation of the beer style and opting for a traditional British style. It’s made with Pale and Crystal malts, and Challenger, Citra and Target...

US Beer Review: Samuel Adams’ Whitewater IPA

18/06/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle This is my last American craft ale review for a month as in a few days I’ll be swapping the US beer scene for a short hiatus to Cornwall and Kent for a brief return to the UK world of ale. No doubt I’ll also be swapping the heat of the Pennsylvanian summer for the milder Cornish climate, but it’s a chance to crack open some awesome English beer. Cornish beer video review to come next month! My last offering for a short while then is from a brewery for which I have reviewed before: the famous (Stateside at least) Samuel Adams Boston Beer Company. It’ll be July 4th soon, the US Independence Day celebration where folks...

US Beer Review: Crooked Tree IPA by Dark Horse Beer

14/06/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle Hell just froze over. Yup, I finally like really chilled beer. I’ve lived in the US for almost 16 years and it’s taken me until today to even contemplate not resisting drinking a beer that has been “chilled”. I’m English, I like room temperature. But it’s another stinkin’ hot day in Pittsburgh, PA today and I’ve actually cracked and chilled an India pale ale (IPA) to cool me off. The sacrilege began when I selected a Crooked Tree IPA from the Dark Horse Brewing Co. Situated in Marshall, Michigan these mavericks began brewing their flavoursome offerings when they opened their microbrewery back in 1997. Of their year round Crooked Tree IPA they claim it’s “inspired by West...

US Beer Review: 60 Minute IPA by Dogfish Head

03/05/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle It’s early summertime in the USA and this year I’ve swapped tea in the pavilion and the thwack of leather on willow for strains of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” and hotdogs in the sunny baseball park stands. So, the search was on for a decent IPA to sup while I take in the ball game, hopefully one that’s good enough to make me forget how much I miss that glass of Pimms on an English green. I’m in luck. Dogfish Head does it again with one of its flagship beers, the 60 Minute IPA which it boasts is continually hopped with more than 60 hop additions, including Amarillo and Warrior hops over a 60 minute...

Brewdog IPA is Dead: Part Two

06/04/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle Scottish craft brewer Brewdog has launched its “IPA is Dead” series of four beers, each with a single hop taking centre stage with the same malt base. It’s a great concept – the beers will look all the same but taste and smell unique. The four hops come from different parts of the world: Challenger (UK), Galaxy (Australia), Motueka (New Zealand) and HBC (new US variety). This is the second of a two-part review. Previously we looked at the Galaxy and Motueka beers from the Southern Hemisphere. This time we’re coming north to look at the new HBC variety and the Challenger. HBC I can’t find much out about this new American hop online, save that no...

Brewdog IPA is Dead review: Part One

31/03/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle Scottish craft brewer Brewdog has launched its “IPA is Dead” series of four beers, each with a single hop taking centre stage with the same malt base. It’s a great concept – the beers will look all the same but taste and smell unique. The four hops come from different parts of the world: Challenger (UK), Galaxy (Australia), Motueka (New Zealand) and HBC (new US variety). This is the first of a two-part review starting with the Southern Hemisphere contingent. Galaxy This is a relatively new arrival to British brewing but Australians have been enjoying this Aussie-developed variety for a while now. I first came across Galaxy-based beers at Little Creatures, an awesome brew-pub in Fremantle, Western...

Beer review: Thwaites Indus Pale Ale

25/02/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle A conspicuous absence from The Guest Ale until now has been Thwaites of Lancashire. As I draft this I am downing a pint of the brewer’s Indus Pale Ale, its take in the resurgent India Pale Ale category of beer. The jury’s out on IPAs now with American-style, über-hopped zesty or grassy numbers flooding the market world-wide. Thwaites’ Indus Pale Ale plays to the old school style of English IPA which is wonderfully flavoursome and enjoyable in its own right without being spectacular. There’s a lemony nose which follows through to the taste, along with some cheeky berries. It’s full-bodied and hangs around on the tongue. Lovely! The essentials: ABV: 4.6% Colour: Amber Nose: Lemon Taste: Hoppy,...

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