Twisted Thistle IPA
Belhaven Brewery Company Ltd.

On tap at The Haven in Boston, MA.

This one pours a clear dark-ish orange, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like bready and caramel malt, some tea-like and grassy hops, and honey.

Like most IPAs made in the UK, it’s well balanced on malt and hop ratios, with a solid malt character, more malt than I typically want in an IPA. It’s caramelly, bready, and spicy, with a light but refreshing bitterness.

This is light bodied and very drinkable, with a nice smooth finish.

This is relatively well done for the style, but I do want a more solid bitterness here.

 

 

 

 

Yields a clear orange color with a rapidly collapsing, spongy head.

Aromas are of toasted hazelnuts, cakey malts and lighter lime rind.

Got a light and refreshing mouthfeel to it with a well developed effervescence on top.

Tastes of rustic malts, a glimpse of molasses and bakers chocolate, gently entangled into caramel and dried limes. Offers a well nuanced toffee backbone together with maintaining, slightly dry limes and a stony mineral quality. Finishes with more caramel, lingering limes and white bread dough.

Quite boring and heavy on the malts without being able to create an intriguing balance.

 

 

 

This is similar beer has similarities with the Belhaven scottish ale. Caramel roasty malts sweetness, but with a stronger presence of hops, but not too hoppy for regular IPAs. Hops also gives a floral smell and fruity notes in the taste.

If you are expecting a good typical American IPA, you might be disapointed. If you like english bitters, or scottish ales with that nutty-toffee notes, this is by any means a nice enjoyable beer.

I like it, i will surely drink it again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unknown vintage; drank 3/28/16 @ the Yarchives.

See-through orange/red appearance.

A rough pour yielded a small white head; strong lace.

Grapefruit, raw sugar & caramel notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Grapefruit & caramel flavors; this is an American barleywine, not an American IPA.

I'm hoping this is old??

 

 

I’m okay with English IPAs, or at least I have nothing against them - but when it comes to what I like, I definitely vote for the West Coast one.
This one, like a real Englisg IPA is not that hop forward, although much hoppier than an English Ale. This one has quite balanced maltiness and the hops from the Old Continent complement it very well. It is good to drink it, however when it starts warming up it becomes somewhat sour (not sure what is the reason behind that...)
Apart from that it is a quite okay English IPA if you can love it for what it is and don’t expect it to be world class.