Friday, April 1, 2011

Samuel Smith: India Ale (English IPA) 5%

Drank From: bottle, poured into a pint glass

This pours dark orange with nice chunky head. I hate to sound non-specific, but it has that European nuttiness in the smell, possibly yeast. The taste is fairly hollow on the first impression. It isn’t sweet or particularly malty. I don’t pick up on an abundance of hops. I think it smells like a Guinness, and it has the same cereal maltiness in the taste. I will say that this has decent drinkability and a good, medium mouthfeel. It is nice and bitter and has a pleasant bite. “Old world beer” is what I keep thinking in my mind. There is a metallic flavor that I don’t care for. This just does not have to fruitiness or hoppiness that I crave in an IPA. For me, this is more like a brown ale or an ESB…or an English Bitter for that matter. This beer makes me want to eat cheese. 

My Rating: B-/3.35

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