english india pale ale
Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale
by admin on Sep.25, 2007, under ale, barrel aged beer, beer, english india pale ale, india pale ale, pale ale
Appearance: Hazy amber body with hardly any head.
Smell: Spicy, with a bready malt backbone, hints of cedar and sandalwood, and an underlying fruitiness.
Taste: Basically follows the nose, but the woody cedar influence is much more pronounced. Nice mild bitterness, a bit of sweetness comes through on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Spritzy carbonation on a smooth, light body.
Drinkability: Not an everyday brew, but I definitely like the effect of the cedar and overall the beer is quite complex.
St. Peter's India Pale Ale
by admin on Aug.21, 2007, under ale, beer, english india pale ale, india pale ale, pale ale
Appearance: Beautiful copper body, one finger of off-white head with decent retention.
Smell: Fruity malt and orange peel, with some piny hops.
Taste: Nice balance of malt and hops, not as in-your-face as an American IPA. Hop bitterness is medium, hop flavour is light and mainly piny. Malt is biscuity and slightly vegetal, with a honey-like sweetness. Wait, what's that in the background? I do believe it's a mild-mannered skunk. Skunk shows up mainly in the finish, and is fortunately not very strong.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with zippy carbonation.
Drinkability: Even with the mild flaw this is still quite drinkable. I really wish my local purveyor stocked this somewhere other than the brightly-lit cooler.
