Twisted Grapefruit IPA
Belhaven Brewery Company Ltd.

 

 

Lable is dayglo pink and yellow, with a cartoon sketch of a grapefruit wearing a beard net. You have been warned?
L- Deep gold, clear, pours with 5mm white head.
S- Smells of citrus, and yes grapefruit.
T- Tangy, grapefruit, some mild dry hops then come along. The grapefruit is so prominent that to me it's more like a rich grapefruit-ade than a beer.
F- I thought this might be excoriatingly dry/bitter but it's not it's actually quite rich, ie it has all the mouth-feel of it's 5.3% but in parallel is a bit too sweet for me.
O- More like a grapefruit soda than a beer, and a pretty sweet one at that. Certainly a strange brew IMHO, I can't imagine why a person would pay to knowingly get this.
500ml bottle. Bought from Waitrose £2.10 BB: etched at neck: Sep-2020
The lable confirms that it contains both grapefruit and grapefruit flavouring'.

500ml bottle. This is a basic Scottish pale ale with added grapefruit. Problem is, the grapefruit overwhelms everything. I guess citrusy yellow fruit is cheaper than citrusy New World hops. Also, weirdly sweet rather than tart. Not an American-style IPA, not a Scottish IPA, not a fruit beer. Just odd.

 

this is so bad. without a doubt one of the worst beers ive had in 2019, of any persuasion. i could hardly drink this. for one, its heavy and malty, a terribly platform for the grapefruit, but then, the grapefruit tastes fake and forced, its like someone dropped a girly college kid shot into a mediocre english pale ale and left it in the sun for awhile. it has almost nothing redeemable about it, but i will try. the pour from the tap is appealing looking, with a tallish white head on top of a clear amber liquid, there are no visual clues at all here that this will be gross. i smell oxidized hops, tired english crystal malt, and this plastic grapefruit candy thing going on, such an odd mix of elements, im not even sure this would be appealing with a more natural fruit profile. the flavor is both sweet and bitter at the same time, with the fake grapefruit really permeating. there is a caramel note, and then an odd stale hop thing, i have a hard time recognizing this as any kind of ipa. i could see a bitter and also malty beer with a grapefruit twist working, but this seems forced and cheap to me, and the proportions are all wrong. my friends wouldnt even taste it. a tried to give it a chance, but couldnt finish the whole thing. i have always known a far higher quality standard from these guys...

Amber color with a thick head with good retention.
Aroma with predominant notes of fresh grapefruit juice.
Flavor with notes of grapefruit juice, earthy and resiny hops, malt juice, tangerines, lemon drops and a bit of caramel. Dry aftertaste with a medium bitterness.
Light body with good carbonation.
Pleasant and easy to drink Fruity IPA. If you like grapefruit, go for it. It could have a bit more of a beer profile.

 

 

 

 

Quite a lot of carbonation with fairly large and vigorous bubbles. Decent sized head. Clear grapefruit nose though not especially potent, perhaps a touch of lemon. Some sweetness suggested in the smell but not in the taste at first. Relatively smooth drinking, a little dry, less 'fizz' than anticipated based on appearances with the carbonation easing of fairly rapidly, slightly frothy in the mouth. Gentle malt and not a huge amount of citrus or grapefruit in the taste at first. A touch of soapiness but not much. This also starts to come across in the smell after taking a few sips. The grapefruit develops more later on, with a hint of orange or tangerine in the background, at which point some of the sweetness expected from the smell comes in, but only a little. Taste suggests a lower percentage ale, but there is some body to it. Moderate bitterness and some cleanliness to the after taste. A summery ale, relatively light and a touch sharp and crisp. A pleasant, fairly easy-going drink.

A 500ml bottle with a BB of May 2018. Purchased recently from Morrisons. A variant of Belhaven's Twisted Thistle that includes grapefruit in the recipe.

A: Poured into a tulip. A clear golden-amber colour with good carbonation. Produces a large head of fluffy white foam that lasts for a few minutes before settling as a surface layer. Slight lacing.

S: Aroma of intense, zesty grapefruit with plenty of pith, accompanied by hints of citrussy hops, underlying caramel malt and ale yeast. Gives an impression of sweetness. Grapefruit dominant but rather moreish.

T: Tastes of overwhelming grapefruit with a zesty, aromatic character. Additional notes of citrus hops, subtle ale yeast and a twinge of caramel malt. Quite sharp; none of the sweetness implied by the aroma. A restrained hoppy bitterness upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, with spritzy carbonation and good body. Aftertaste of grapefruit peel, hop bitterness and yeast.

O: Tasty - perhaps too fruity for some but I think it's pretty good. Stuffed with grapefruit and relatively acidic. Looks alright, while the aroma and flavour are predominantly aromatic grapefruit with hints of hops, yeast and malt. Decent body. Refreshing and easy to drink - perfect for warm summer weather. Worth sampling.

Obvious grapefruit. Has the impression of sweetness but the finish is almost dry. Not too bitter. Needs a bit more burned toast in the backbone. Nice and cheap but pretty dull.

Canned
Pours a crystal clear golden body with decent enough white head
Big grapefruit aroma with that real tart nature rather than the usual candy
Same with the flavour

 

Orange/gold colour. Frothy head. Gently rising bubbles.
Fruity. Grapefruit (expected) along with tangerine.
Explosion of citrus on the palate. Orange zest bitterness. Sweetness too.
Really refreshing. Some may consider the taste and aroma somewhat false and out of balance but I enjoyed this.