True North India Pale Ale
Magnotta Brewery

True North India Pale AleTrue North India Pale Ale
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From:
Magnotta Brewery
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
English IPA
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.69 | pDev: 11.38%
Reviews:
33
Ratings:
40
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 21, 2016
Added:
Apr 27, 2002
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  1
An ultra-premium all-malt classic English-style India Pale Ale at 6.5% alc./vol. Enticing deep gold colour. Nutty malt aromatic nuances with spicy, grassy and fruity hop aromas achieved by dry hopping. Spicy, grassy and fruity hop flavours are combined with an assertive bitterness and mellow smooth malt flavour. Typical yeast-derived ale fruitiness and warming alcohol make this India Pale Ale a true-to-style classic. Enjoy with mulligatawny soup, roast beef, meat pies and stews, cajun fish, curry dishes and spicy foods, haggis, and strong cheddar and blue cheeses.
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Rated: 3.47 by rodlavers from Maryland

Jun 21, 2016
 
Rated: 3.59 by Electros from Canada (ON)

Apr 02, 2016
Photo of bylerteck
Reviewed by bylerteck from Canada (ON)

2.93/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bought a 12 of this to bring to soccer and had some leftovers.

A - Pours about golden with strong carbonation and a one finger white head. Minimal spotty lace and a half finger of retention.

S - Bready, lemon, biscuity. Hoppy but in an untypical way. Fresh cut grass maybe? Mild.

T - Grassy again. Lemon with biscuity malt. Not an overly pleasant hop character when in the glass and analyzed, but out of the bottle it was much more satisfying. Lemon, dust. Eggs?

M - Mild bitterness, strong carbonation, medium body.

O/D - Decent for a cheap IPA. But I'd look elsewhere before reaching for an entire 12 pack of this. Flavours buried in here are mild and not overly interesting for the style. I could have a few, but the fairly boring nature of this leads me towards other things. A valiant and accessible effort, but not worth revisiting.
Jul 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by zimm421 from Ohio

Feb 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by RedAleMan from Canada (ON)

Sep 22, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by fiftyorbust from Canada (ON)

Aug 08, 2012
 
Photo of DuffDry
Reviewed by DuffDry from Canada (ON)

4.94/5  rDev +33.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This is one of my favorite IPA`s it smells very fruity and flowery has a sweet taste to start then finishes nice and hoppy. As a plus its under $20 for 12 what more can you ask for. I highly recommend this beer for someone wanting quality / locally brewed great beer.
Jan 21, 2011
Photo of MattyV
Reviewed by MattyV from Canada (ON)

3.87/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Rather pale looking, golden-straw with a touch of orange and a thin soapy white head
Nose is subtle, but picking up a mixture of bready malt and some earthy, spicy hops.
The malt provides some bready/caramel flavour, but the hops take over slightly with an earthy/floral bitterness. There's also a toasty quality that prevails throughout that I'm having trouble trying to describe. Nice crisp, almost sharp finish with a pleasant light floral hop aftertaste.
Decent medium body, a bit slick, average carbonation.
A nice dependable IPA. Won't knock your socks off, but a great beer for the price (19.99 for a 12-pk). One of my usual pick-ups when I stop in at TBS. These guys have impressed me with their homebrew options (FestaBrew) and now this-- keep it up.
Jan 17, 2011
Photo of treque
Reviewed by treque from Mexico

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Pale traslucent yellow in colour, a tiny white head which disipates quickly altough some at the very top neves dissapears. small bubbles on the constant carbonatation, some waste is sticke to the glass

S: some hop and clove are noticed

T: extremely refreshing, crisping on tongue, the biterness is always present, at the beginning is soft as the beer is sallow the intensity increase, at the end is very deep, the clove appears at this time, the end is long and a little bit chewy

D: easy to drink more than 2 in a hot day for sure
Nov 20, 2010
Photo of kwjd
Reviewed by kwjd from Canada (ON)

3.91/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a copper-orange with a finger of white head and nice lacing surrounding the glass. Smells of earthy and floral hops with a small caramel malt swetness. Flavour is quite bitter for an English IPA, nice hop kick to it while still being quite balanced. Nice carbonation level. I kept meaning to go to The Beer Store to try this and I'm glad I finally did.
Oct 12, 2010
Photo of karait95
Reviewed by karait95 from Mexico

3.44/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A: An intense yellow color with a nice creamy head that dissipates almost completely.

S: Really nice hops aroma with a touch of floral smell complex combination but pleasant to the nose.

T: Bitter sensation since the beginning through the end, an extremely intense flavor but not to pleasant.

M: A dry bitter finish that last enough a little to bitter that makes the sensation no the best for the mouth.
Aug 12, 2010
Photo of Beervis
Reviewed by Beervis from Canada (ON)

2.73/5  rDev -26%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5
Pours a light straw color with large bubbles and a somewhat rocky white head that quickly fades.

Smell is almost non-existent, possibly maybe a whiff of sweet malt.

Taste is pretty clean, with a very light body, slight alcohol, but almost no bitterness.

Mouthfeel is very thin and clean, with not much body there at all.

This beer is very drinkable, but doesn't really show any signs of bitterness until it warms quite a bit. I was very disappointed with this one, as after reading some favorable reviews on here, I was expecting more.

In my opinion, there is no way that this should be classified as an IPA, as it barely shows signs of being an ale.

Howeverm, it is a decent, drinkable, session beer.
Jun 21, 2010
Photo of allergictomacros
Reviewed by allergictomacros from Canada (ON)

3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A - Clear gold with a moderate rocky head.

S - Nose is sweet and a bit of citrus. Slight caramel.

T - Lightly toasted with a strong bitter edge. A bit of citrus hop, and bare touch of coffee.

M - Medium all around. Smooth enough, with a bit of an edge.

D - Good drinkability. Well balanced and tasty.
May 26, 2010
Photo of CanuckRover
Reviewed by CanuckRover from Canada (ON)

3.74/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours a darker gold, but still rather pale for an IPA. Nice white bubbly head settles to a thin film which leaves decent lacings all the way down. Visibly carbonation.

Some very strong malt right up front in the aroma, almost whiskey-like. Hops make their prescense known with a nice burst of piney goodness.

Some very bitter citrus right up front, quickly settles to a lasting, resinous, pine flavour. Very resinous, this one really coats the mouth. Malt seems quite grainy, I was expecting a good deal more fruit, but am having a hard time picking up any sweetness. Overall English Impression, but the English malt just doesn't seem to be there.

I'm torn over the mouthfeel. I feel like the carbonation is a bit much, but it certainly accentuates the hops on the tongue.

A great buy, diamond in the rough at the BS. One of those Canadian IPAs that take from both the American and English styles.
Dec 30, 2009
Photo of bartle
Reviewed by bartle from Canada (ON)

3.62/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A light golden to orange body with a nice white cap head that seems fairly thick and decent retention. It laces nicely down the glass.

It smells of citrus and pine, but there is a bit of an apple sent lurking in between. Mildly Diacetyl. Not offensive in any way.

It has a good dry citrus snap on first sip, some very light sugary carmel tones and a nice floral aftertaste. A good balance of bitterness with malt. The alcohol isn't up in your face which I was expecting with an ABV of 6.5%

The body is rich and full for the style. Moderately carbonated, crisp, not too dry, smooth and very drinkable.

This is a good bang for the buck. The style is right on. The colour seems a little light for me, but it holds a lot of the other characteristics I enjoy in an english IPA. this won't be the last time I buy this one.
Aug 23, 2009
Photo of hegelec
Reviewed by hegelec from Canada (ON)

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A 12 oz bottle emptied into a branded "Innis and Gunn" glass (sort of a footed, tapered pint glass).

Pours a dark yellow with a nice 1/2" white head that recedes into a modest collar. Good lacing.

Smell is bready malt and noticeable hop, with hints of pine needles and a slightly rusty note. Definitely above average.

Taste is very good. Hop-forward (obviously), but this is not an American IPA. Hops are more floral and a little earthy (muddy?), as opposed to the clean, citric flavour of Cascade etc. common in West Coast examples. Exquisitely balanced ... sweet and caramelly upfront, giving way to a dry, rather bitter, and somewhat tart finish. Metallic aftertaste. I reiterate ... very good.

Fullish mouthfeel with average carbonation, though the richness and higher ABV don't quite make this a session beer.

Overall, both unique and tasty. This has the edge over many English versions of the style I've tried, which are generally lower ABV and more timidly hopped. Magnotta have a real winner on their hands here. This is as close to the "genuine article" when it comes to EIPA as you're likely to find in Ontario ... and better yet that it comes from a local brewer. Until I taste BrewDog's Atlantic IPA, this is my benchmark for the style.
Jul 24, 2009
Photo of cratez
Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)

3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Aside from Southern Tier IPA and Dogfish Head 60 Minute, this is the best retail IPA in the Ontario beer market. Caramel, fruit, and spicy hop flavours are balanced with a bready, biscuit malt aftertaste. Smooth and crisp in the body with a pleasantly dry finish. Huge drinkability, though the alcohol is fairly prominent. True North deserves credit for crafting the only session IPA available at The Beer Store. They also get points for affordability - a 12 pack is under $20. Definitely worth a try.
Jun 16, 2009
Photo of seand
Reviewed by seand from California

4.05/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Poured into a large red wine glass.

A: Pours a clear yellow-ish amber with 2 fingers of bubbly white head, which subsides leaving some foam on the surface and around the edges of the glass. Good lacing.
Though it doesn't have much to do with the beer once it's in my glass (and I didn't count it in my score), the bottle itself doesn't look all that great. The label looks almost like a discount lager to me.

S: Subtle sweet hops.

T: Relatively balanced, definitely hop-forward, but not overwhelming. Subtle hop aftertaste.

M: Smooth, well carbonated. Crisp, quite dry.

D: Easy to drink, if maybe slightly too dry.

While I probably wouldn't seek this out if it weren't easily available, I'd recommend picking up a 12 pack if it's distributed near you. It's very good, and not too expensive.
May 08, 2009
Photo of GodOfBeer
Reviewed by GodOfBeer from Canada (ON)

4.17/5  rDev +13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours kind of a murky amber colour with a thin white head, some nice retention.

The first thing I smell is piney hops, citrus hops with some nice bready malt undertones.

Tastes pretty hopy, citrus, not too overpowering but balanced very well with a nice malty backbone. Biscuity malts come through as well as some grapefruit. Leaves a very nice hoppy aftertaste.

Pretty smooth mouthfeel, not too carbonated, pretty drinkable IPA. This is definately better than the last time I had it, this is without a doubt one of Ontarios best IPA's.
Apr 16, 2009
True North India Pale Ale from Magnotta Brewery
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 40 ratings