Ipswich 20th Anniversary Imperial Pale Ale
Ipswich Ale Brewery

 

 

 

 

Ipswich's 20th anniversary was in 2011, so this is probably one of the oldest beers I have had yet. Since it is described as a hopped-up version of Ipswich Pale Ale, the hops are probably somewhat muted to say the least. But I found the balance to be excellent.

Poured from the 22 oz. bomber into a stemmed tulip glass.

a: Trans,lucent amber with a finger and a half thick offwhite head which receded to thick even surface foam and dense lacing.

s: Rich butterscotch and biscuit.

t: Bready malt followed by a medium hop bite and some fruit notes. Bitterness lingers somewhat at the sides of the tongue and the back of the throat. Some butterscotch candy (not the more common caramel) flavor notes come in later too.

m; Medium and smooth with great body.

o: Really loving the color and the flavors in this brew, sweet malty yet fruity, with plenty of hop bite for balance. If this tasted at all similar when fresh, I would like to see Ipswich offer this in sixpacks. Hopheads may wish for even more hop bitterness, but the balance of strong flavors and hops is outstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a mug glass.

A: The beer is a cloudy amber color, with a thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains caramelized malts, citrus and a good amount of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with strong flavors of caramel and citrus. Then a hearty but not too heavy malt character comes in. The hops presence is strong but not over-powering and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, good kick, good representation of style, this is a solid beer worth drinking for a while.

I found this 22 oz bottle in a bottle shop and snatched it up right quick. i'd had the 20th Anniversary before and knew they weren't making it anymore. I was saving it for quite a while, but decided on a whim to open it up tonight. It's probably 1-1.5 years old. Glad I did. Poured into a snifter.

A - Great orange color with a thin white head.

S - Hoppy even though it was in the back of my fridge.

T - Again, good and hoppy. Nice citrus notes, more orange than lemon. High alcohol kick in the back. I really like the flavors here and I wish they would make this a year round or seasonal offering.

MF - Very smooth. I think the long time on the shelf/in the fridge did this one a lot of good. Very drinkable.

O - Again, I really like this beer. It is very well crafted but not overly complicated. It's all in the name - American Strong Ale. It has strong hop flavors and smell, strong alcohol... just a really strong offering overall. I doubt I'll come across this one again, but if I do I'll snatch them all up.

 

 

 

 

Appearance: Very slight haze on an orange/copper color. Head is white and rocky. Drops to a thin vestige of a cap in short oder. Carbonation is solid and on point.

Smell: Loads of pale malts. Some caramel malt sweetness. Biscuit aromas run rampant. Earthy citrusy hop component. Very mild, but still packs a nice depth. Very earthy and grassy.

Taste: Pale malts and biscuit dough. Gritty, almost dirty, citrus rind from the hops. Grapefruit rolled in fresh dirt and grass clippings. It's intriguing. Malts are sweet and doughy with just enough body to counteract the hop presence. Nice level of balance. Lingering touches of bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Smooth with a lingering grassiness that dries things up a bit. Body runs on the lighter side of moderate. Carbonation is stronger than I would like, but it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Overall: I had this when it was only a month old and I thought it was oxidized and lackluster. Now that it's many months older, I wonder what I was thinking. It's what it says it is, an imperialized version of their Original Ale with some interesting dry-hopping. Take it for what it is and it's pretty tasty.

 

Wow: If you like a genuine, raw, local brew, this was it! It's an IPA with a hops flavor that lingers with a spicy aftertaste. There's a whiff of estery alcohol, but that is balanced by the hops aroma, and overall mouth feel. Can we ask for a 21st anniversary redux?