India Pale Ale
Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & Guesthouse

India Pale AleIndia Pale Ale
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From:
Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & Guesthouse
 
British Columbia, Canada
Style:
English IPA
ABV:
7.1%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.54 | pDev: 11.58%
Reviews:
22
Ratings:
34
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 04, 2017
Added:
Jan 24, 2003
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  2
Based on the Northern English version of the style as originally brewed and exported to the troops in India, Spinnakers IPA is strong, full flavoured, with a very well balanced yet assertive hop character. This beer is a favourite of our regular patrons and beer aficionados alike.

55 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Rastacouere:
Photo of Rastacouere
Reviewed by Rastacouere from Canada (QC)

3.36/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Big frothy and rocky white head. Tons os sediments float around the glass. Strange aroma for an IPA. Very fruity (peaches, orange, pears) and almost belgian yeastiness where the wild hay come out, very flowery, lightly spicy. In mouth, range comes strong in the flavor development, but hops are not too flavorful, you wouldn’t think its and IPA. A sweet floral kiss comes back toward the end to finish with grace, if not with a wall of bitterness. Texture is perhaps a bit too bubbly, but still mostly smooth. Thanks frink!
Jul 05, 2004
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by jkermitj from Mississippi

Apr 04, 2017
 
Rated: 3.65 by ZachT from Canada (BC)

Mar 05, 2017
Photo of flyerzrule
Reviewed by flyerzrule from California

3.35/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Pours a pale amber with a thin head with poor retention. The first whiff reveals a lot of sulfur and mineral aroma, almost like seltzer water, although the toast and biscuit malt develop as the beer warms. Light floral hops in the background as well. Taste is dominated by the mineral flavor, followed by toasty and biscuity malt. Hop flavor seems a bit too low for the style. Finishes slightly sweet. Moderate mouthfeel and relatively low carbonation. Overall, it seems the mineral flavor is dominating the hops. Perhaps I just have a bad bottle, or perhaps the water needs to be treated differently.
May 24, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by Jotora from Canada (ON)

Mar 24, 2016
Photo of BCborn
Reviewed by BCborn from Canada (BC)

3.79/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
poured 650ml bottle
Huge pop, when opened, 1/2 beer - 1/2 head impressive
small tight bubbles (Duvel like), clear golden haze color
smell lots of yeast esters, sweetness, lemon
taste as the smell then ends with a light hop biterness
good beer, not sure if I would buy again, would go good with food
Jan 21, 2016
 
Rated: 3.58 by constantine_272 from Oregon

Jul 28, 2015
Photo of LampertLand
Reviewed by LampertLand from Canada (BC)

3.67/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Spinnakers Brewpub 'IPA' @ 7.1% , served from a squealer purchased for $6
A-pour is gold from the squealer to a clear gold in the glass with a small white head leaving a spotty lacing along the pint
S-hoppy off the initial pour , weak afterwords
T-we bit mild tasting English IPA , no wow factor , lemon dry bitter finish
MF-mild carbonation , medium body
Ov-ok beer , somewhat dissapointing
prost LampertLand
Jun 21, 2015
Photo of hotmailmsn
Reviewed by hotmailmsn from Canada (BC)

2.45/5  rDev -30.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
7.1% ABV, 55ibu
A - orange, half finger head
S - yeasty, not much hop aroma
T - definitely not an IPA, not hoppy not malty, short lasting
O - wouldn't have it again, not recommended.
Apr 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.23 by Beervana from Canada (BC)

Apr 03, 2015
Photo of PaulietheBrit
Rated by PaulietheBrit from Canada (BC)

2.76/5  rDev -22%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
wow, major disappointment. Nothing resembling an IPA. Cold metallic blandness.
Mar 20, 2015
 
Rated: 3.73 by BcCraft710 from Canada (BC)

Mar 04, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by 2beerdogs from California

Jul 23, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by KalanM from Canada (BC)

Nov 29, 2012
Photo of kjyost
Reviewed by kjyost from Canada (MB)

3.88/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
660 mL bottle given to me from my sister for my birthday, thanks J&T! Poured at 4C into a nonic.

Pours a sunset orange with a bit of head, though too little for the hardness of the pour. Dabs of lacing as it is consumed. Malty nutty aroma with light earthy hop notes. A very earthy hop flavour in the body with spicy notes and some biscuit or vienna in the body. Tasty for an English IPA, I jut prefer a stone assertive citrus note and American IPAs... Great crisp bitterness that couples almost perfectly with the residual sweetness. Solid beer, just not my normal cup of tea.
Jun 27, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by Bockerdoppel91 from Pennsylvania

Jun 26, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by bumchilly25 from Canada (BC)

May 13, 2012
Photo of Rutager
Reviewed by Rutager from Canada (BC)

3.7/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance. Pours a golden-straw colour with a thin white head.

Smell. Some slightly sweet, toasty, and bready malts and some light citrusy hops.

Taste. Bready, toasted malts, some cedar and pine, maybe a little bit nutty. A little bit of lingering bitterness.

Mouthfeel. Medium body with medium-low carbonation.

Overall. A good beer. Not exactly extreme like some of the west coast offerings, but it's pretty clear that's not what this beer is about. Easy drinking and unoffensive.
Apr 29, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by EskimoDave from Canada (BC)

Dec 01, 2011
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.22/5  rDev -9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Spinnakers IPA is awfully fair and frail looking for something supposedly modeled after beers that survived the unfavorable, several rough months long journey from England to India. Going on appearance, there ain't no way this one would have survived the trip! It hardly looks like it survived the voyage from British Columbia to Ontario: it's flat, filmy and dull.

The aroma, fortunately, shows some sign of life. The scent of toasted biscuits reassures me that some malt was used and a faint floral fragrance does likewise for hops. Any way it's sliced, however, this bouquet (and indeed the beer) comes up lacking in every regard. Even for a self-affirmed mild mannered example of the style, this is no great shakes.

If, as a homebrewer, you happen to have tasted un-hopped and/or unfermented wort you know how plain and often genuinely grainy a beer can taste. This tastes kind of like that. Despite a slight earthiness (which honestly comes across as little more than an afterthought) this beer is plainly cereal-y - not my first choice of flavour when drinking a beer.

This IPA is only as hoppy as the North Koreans are free. Sorry Spinnakers, but double-check your math - that calculation of 55 IBU has to be way off (and, to be fair, so too does the 7% alcohol claim). Those may not be such bad things as far as the conventional customer is concerned, but anyone who knows what to expect from an IPA is sure to be disappointed.

If the brewery wants to keep doing an IPA I highly suggest they do some soul searching on this issue - their current offering leaves much to be desired and really leaves nowhere to go except up, especially considering it's brewed so near one of the world's great hop growing regions. I get that it's meant to be an ode to the British offerings, but that requires more than just harder water minerals... I suspect even U.K. brewers would find this lacking.
Jun 30, 2011
India Pale Ale from Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & Guesthouse
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 34 ratings