India Pale Ale
Midtfyns Bryghus

Copenhagen 24/9 2017. 50 cl bottle from SuperBrugsen. Drawing of some very shiny Indian temple on the label. It seems that the name of the beer is written in Braille as well. Nice touch.

Very foamy when I pour it. Pours hazy opaque amber with humongous head. Settles as 3-4 cm thick head of fluffy foam. Massive lacing.

Aroma is fruity and sweetish. Peach and canned pears. Light citric notes.

Medium strong carbonation and medium thick palate.

Flavor is medium sweet followed by stronger bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter and finish semi dry.

Good balance without being very exciting. Not very IPA'ish - but a nice brew.

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.3%. Amber to brown colour, large off-white head. Fruity aroma, notes of marmalade, also malts and caramel. The flavour is malty and fairly sweet, some fruity hops, but not nearly as much as you expect in an American inspired IPA. Not unpleasant in any way, it’s just the "IPA" label that leaves you slightly disappointed. Hopheads should look to Midtfyns Double IPA in stead.

 

 

 

Bottle: Poured a hazy bright yellow color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of citrusy hops is quite dominant with light sweet malt notes. Taste is dominated by citrusy and grapefruit hoppy notes with some non-descript lightly sweet malt backbone. Body is about average with good carbonation. Not the most complex or powerful IPA but well brewed for the style with nice showcasing of c-hops.

 

The beer is amber in colour, opaque. It looks dense. Nice foamy head on top of it. The head is sticky too. Nice looking beer. The looks of an aggressive IPA, in my opinion. This one will be heavy.

The aroma is caramel malts with some piney hops and in the back citrus. Nice. Fruity too. Smells like a big beer. Taste is dominated by caramel malts with a good dose of piney hops in the back. I notice the citrus note too at the end. The bitterness is well balanced with the malts. It comes at the end of the gulp, and lingers in the mouth for a good time. Nice.

Overall, this beer is huge. Delicious and full bodied. Love it.

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #41 (Jun 2010):

The amazing lacing tells the story right away about the hops ... lots of them. Completely hazed amber color. Smells of citric rind, buttery cookie dough and ripe pears. Creamy medium body has just enough smoothness from the modest carbonation. Bitterness is strong and a little pungent, which goes well with the rustic graini- ness. A little fruity and a hint of buttery, nutty yeast in the middle. Grassy, semidry finish. An IPA in the raw, and well done at that.

The colour is deep amber with a tint of red. The finger thick head is beige. It leaves some lacing.

The smell is very hoppy in an American way: Citric notes… Grapefruit, lime, bitter orange. Some yeasty notes as well as a very mild touch of smoked malt and raisins.

The taste is… It might be more appropriate to call it “punch” than “taste” as the hops are all over with very bitter flavours of grapefruit and other citric fruits. There are also some earthy mineral notes and a relatively mild sweet caramel malty flavour. The aftertaste is sour, little like after drinking a glass of grapefruit juice. But there are also some earthy-grassy notes with a touch of gravy.

The carbonation is mild to average with some small almost sharp bubbles. Very refreshing. The liquid is smooth.

A good interpretation of this rough American style: Lots of hops and bitterness without being undrinkable. And… Not a single trace of all the alcohol.