Sheriff's India Pale Ale
Sherwood Forest Brewers Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange color and grain smell. Caramel and biscuit malt, mostly earthy hops with some tinny, one-note fruit flavor, with a bitter finish that doesn't seem to be attached to anything... I really don't like this one, and I couldn't tell you why. It's way over-carbonated, with a very large head. I don't quite know why I'm giving it 3s across the board but I couldn't justify better in any category except smell... I feel wishy-washy about a wishy-washy beer! I want more clarity and vibrancy in my IPAs, of any sort.

Bottle into pint glass. Pours a hazy amber with a large white head that fell very slow and left nice lacing on the glass. Nose was of pine and citrus and those flavors were dominant throughout the glass, but I did detect a little caramel sweetness from the malt as well. this is definitely a bitter IPA, but the flavor was balanced and refreshing. Very drinkable.

Pours a three finger cream head that fades slowly and leaves a good lace. Hazy amber color. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Pine/grapefruit nose and flavor is strong pine/grapefruit hops with occasional hints of caramel, lingering bitter aftertaste. No doubt this is an IPA. $2.15 for a 12 oz bottle from Julio's Liquors Westborough, Ma.

Pours a very cloudy amber color with quite a bit of sediment floating around. The pour generated a good two inches of light beige head, which keeps pretty well. Lace is pretty full and there's some good coating on the sides.

Smells of some very ripe fruit, peaches and a bit of citrus, plus some pine. It's what I would call a balanced IPA nose, with bready and caramel malt also quite prominent.

Taste is also pretty well balanced although it's also surprisingly bitter. The malt base is bready with a light caramel sweetness. Hops are piney and earthy with some fruit flavors as well. Not my favorite hop bill in terms of flavor, but as I said earlier it's surprisingly bitter. A good smack of hop bitterness lingers into the finish.

Mouthfeel is a creamy medium body, somewhat dry in the finish owing to the hop bitterness. It's reasonably smooth.

This is pretty decent, not a standout IPA but not bad either. If it were local to me I could see it being a pretty good local standby in the beer fridge. Not too shabby.

Appearance: An exceptional pour, with a clear pale amber color topped by a lofty head; nice retention and lacing, too

Smell: Biscuity and floral, with a herbal lemony aspect

Taste: Not a lot of malt flavor here, just a clean canvas upon which to paint the hops which burst with a lemony citrus character that verges on herbal; after the swallow, there is a bit of residual sweetness that adds a nice balance to the hops; perhaps a bit of orange pith in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: This beer really opened up nicely after I let it rise to temperature; to me, it tastes more like an American IPA than an English one, particularly considering the hop bill; in fact, a quick glance to the website reveals that the brewer considers this an AIPA as well

12 oz. bottle poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Hazy burnt orange hue with a solid foamy head and superb lacing. Excellent head retention, which is expected from the style.

Smell: Mildly hoppy. Hints of grapefruit, with floral expressions. Nice malt/hop blend. There is a slight bread note in the background. On the sweet side of the IPA range.

Taste: Breaded hops. Citrus and floral notes. Not very hoppy, which is typical of the English style. Oily on the palate. Lingering dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Medium to low carbonation. Creamy and smooth.

Ending notes: A good attempt at an IPA. Could use more depth with the hop profile and a higher ABV. Overall enjoyable and a good sipper.

appearance: pours a light cloudy brownish orange, with moderate carbonation and very notable floating sediment; little foam, slight lacing.

smell: most notable scent is that of the hops, dry and bitter notes comprise most of the scent, enough that the dryness tickles the nose.

taste: begins clean, but dry-bitter hop taste almost immediately follows and dissappears as quickly as it presents itself, leaving a bitter lingering; the hops lack significant character, the dryness is adequate but the bitterness that follows is slightly over-doing it, almost as is trying to over-compensate for the lack in abv.

drinkability: has basic elements of an IPA, but the use of hops seemed limited, the abv is lower that one would expect, but still drinkable for the style.

Appearance - A dark orange and brown color with white floaties inside the glass. The head isn't that big but its thick and creamy and stays with the beer until the end. Plenty of lacing left on the glass after the beer is finished. An ideal looking IPA.

Smell - A sweet orange and citrus smell comes through the strongest. Strong floral hops and grains under the orange aroma. Mild sweet caramel malts and grains round out the rest of what I could detect.

Taste - Bitter. The hops are wonderful, they flash on the tongue with a solid bite and fade smoothly but too quickly. An orange, light grapefruit and caramel malt after-taste that stays with your palate.

Mouthfeel - The hops hit your mouth like a suckerpunch, and then a quick retreat. The body is solid and has a light amount of carbonation but its a little too watery for an IPA.

Drinkability - A nice and bitter sipper, not the best IPA but I wouldn't think any hop-head would scoff at it. Enjoyable and hard to put down as you drink it.

All the beers from this company have a Robin Hood theme to them. This label features the Sheriff of Nottingham. I found this one at the Binny's in Plainfield, IL for $1.49. 12oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

The beer pours a cloudy copper color with a creamy white 1½ finger head that lingers awhile and produces some great lacing.

Definitely full of hops. I get both piny and citrus varieties along with some sweet malt in the background.

Smooth and delicious. Nice blend of pine flavored and orange peel flavored hops without being overly hoppy. Bready and caramel flavored malts used for balance. Overall a really good tasting beer.

Smooth and creamy mouthfeel with only moderate carbonation. Medium to full bodied - very filling.

A little too thick to down a 6 pack all in one sitting, but I certainly wouldn't turn down a second one if offered.

Must be a new label with the promise of "citrusy and floral flavor's"

A golden honey color with really large "floaties"...obviously not a filtered brew! the head is large and very thick like whipped cream and some brown tinting on the otherwise off-white color head. slow dissipation with really nice lace.

A sweet but gentle honey scented malt, and a big 'ol whiff of pine tree sap and orange citrus scented hops. a rather well balanced aroma.

The flavor is much less balanced with a bunch of bitter hop flavor. the hops taste really fresh but not very complex, it's all earthy bitterness and citrus without any sweet aspect. The malt that comes through in the aroma is nowhere to be found over the one-sided bitter hops attack.

The feel is a crispy medium body with a rather astringent bite that doesn't really fade in the finish.

if you like your IPA's bitter featuring the hop=attack with little balance this one is for you.

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #32 (Sep 2009):

Marketed as "The Sheriff of Nottingham, a devious fellow with a certain affinity for women and for hops." Uh?

Pours a semi-hazy, rich, copper-colored brew that's topped with an eggshell-colored, creamy foam head. Great head retention and stick to the glass, too, which is what we expect from a hoppy beer. Aroma is perhaps a bit too subtle, but balanced with sweet malt suggestions, some biscuity notes, fruity citrus and herbal hops. The first sip gives way to a medium body that's slightly chewy, and a foundation of sweet malt and hint of caramel.

A firm smacking of hops clears all of this, with herbal and citrus on the palate that sticks a bit with an oiliness that lingers well into the finish. Sweet floral and orange notes pulls through. Finish goes dry with an out-of-place biscuity character.
Focus less on the marketing shtick, clean up that malt profile and amplify the hops with some added depth, and this could be a great IPA for New England beer geeks.