Sunshine India Pale Ale
McNeill's Brewery

 

L: Pours gold with light copper highlights with a slight chill haze. A persistent 3” finely bubbled light cream colored foam collar owns the top and sides of the glass.
S: Biscuity malt and citrusy, piney hops.
T: Rich caramel malt with light biscuit gives way to big bitter grapefruit and grapefruit rind with a little pine. There is a little more bitterness in the foam collar than the body of the beer which adds a layer of complexity.
F: Very creamy texture and a rich medium body sit very softly in the mouth.
O: Well made, well balanced, wonderful texture and very easy to drink.

 

 

 

 

1 Pint 6oz brown bottle. A best before last day of a month is located at the top of the label, but there is no notch or mark indicating when the last day might be.
Poured into an Innis & Gunn stemmed glass.
It pours a hazy yellowish golden color with a fairly solid 3" off-white head, along with some patchy and webbed lacing.
Smells of grapefruit zest, white grapefruit, pale malt and gin burst out at first pour. Smells of resinous hop and a grassy field of sunflowers follow close behind.
This is one citrusy and juicy IPA! Tastes of grapefruit and mixed citrus dominate, while mild tastes of tart apple, gin, pine, black pepper and a slightly metallic tang come into play.
There is a fairly sweet malty backbone here, but this is certainly all about bitterness.
The mouthfeel is a tad raspy and edgy at first, but it becomes quite quaffable as it warms.
It's a bit puzzling why this very solid IPA doesn't receive higher marks. My only guess might be that there's some consistency issue with the brewing, but this one is certainly delish!

 

 

Poured into pint glass

A One finger head. Hazy amber/orangeish.

S Potent. Orange, lemon, and grapefruit peel. Floral - dandelion, tulip. Hops. Nice smell.

T This definitely mirrors the smell. Lemon/citrus zest. Nice malt backbone. Good hit of hops. Got a little soapy aftertaste. This doesn't linger though.

M A little watery, but also some breadyness. So, medium.

O I like this IPA. It is kind of off balance, but it works. The flavors are subtle and smooth. Very refreshing. Hides the ABV well. Drinks like a session.

 

$9-$12 bombers are plentiful and a gamble: so many times the price doesn't meet the quality,
so when you grab one in the $4-$6 price range the expectations tend to be much lower. Vermont has proved itself worthy in the arena of fine beers, and McNeil's Sunshine IPA is an underrated beer worthy of closer attention in the $4-$6 bomber class.

Pours a cloudy golden orange with a pleasing nose that is simple, clean and crisp: grapefruit and tangerine rind with a biscuit background. Nice 2 finger head in the imperial pint glass lasts a good long time with very impressive lacing for a lower to moderately priced IPA bomber.

The carbonation is slightly aggressive but not displeasing, mouthfeel is medium, and the flavor follows the aromas pretty closely. Not overly complex, but the simplicity is enjoyable and straightforward. Nice bitter aftertaste, but again not overly aggressive with some oily resins in there.

Bottom line: a very solid and thoroughly enjoyable IPA that competes solidly with the $6 West Coast bombers that have lined our Vermont shelves. Outshines the overrated and bland Bear Republic Racer 5 as well as Gigantic IPA, which has a slightly soapy aroma and aftertaste. Sunshine IPA offers strong bang for the buck with regard to quality, drinkability and overall enjoyment. Well worth a try, and a pleasant surprise for the money.

 

Gold orange with a sticky, persistent cap of foam. Muted orange citrus pith with sweet caramel, honey oat cake nose. Assertive carbonation and mild bitterness, citrus pith and pine resin flavor elements appear briefly but are washed away by lightly sweet caramel biscuit malt body. Not enough bitterness is established and thus is very balanced probably a little too much so for my IPA preferences. Mildly sweet finish.

One man's fancy is another man's filth. I think there's something in the tastebuds of McNeill's brewers that jives perfectly with my own.

Here's the thing. Any McNeill's beer, to me, tastes as clean and uncontaminated as could possibly be. The flavors tend not to be complex, however, they are very very deep. This brewery has it over any other nearly any other in the US, regarding this particularity, and it seems to me, no matter what bomber of McNeill's I drink, I get a gut feeling that I haven't ever tasted the style better.

So, as a massive advocate for something being done unquestionably super well, I qualify this beer an outstanding beer.

Specifically, they've chosen an herbal hop over a citrus or piney hop. The bitterness isn't excessive, it is well balanced and strong. Each drink to the last drop still tastes bitter and the complexity of the bitterness swirls to reveal layers of depth rarely experienced in a single sensation of bitter.

The mouthfeel of this beer, like all of McNeil's that I know, is perfectly light yet not thin.

It looks great. It tastes great. At $5 a bomber, it is a tad pricey, but you get back something to be very happy about. So, if you haven't, you must. This is such a great brewery and sooo under-rated here, it makes me think the bulk of the reviews here are worthless.

Of course, being a long-time hobby brewer, I don't have the average palate for beers any longer, so take it for a grain of salt. McNeill's caters to people who have drank a lot of beer and just want something really simple done really well.

You would think I know these guys - I don't. This is just my opinion.