India Wharf Pale Ale
Mystic Brewery

 

 

look; pale golden orange with lots of tiny bubbles. first normal pour resulted in head rapidly foaming over glass rim for half a glass of beer. A much more careful pour resulted in a foamy 4" head. leaves thin sticky lacing
smell; apricot hops and malt, some citrus, a little bit of cherry when the head calms down
taste; dry hoppy grapefruit up front with grass, tart cherry and wood blending in, medium light malt, nicely balanced
feel; crisp, fresh, lots of carbonation, almost seltzer level. Works for this beer.
overall; a nice very live and entertaining hoppy fruity bitter pale ale. a lot going on but balanced, nothing out of control except maybe the head.

500mL bottle. Pours a burnt orange color with, even with a soft poor, yields about 4 inches of fluffy white head. Tons of lacing. Yeasty aroma with some apple, citrus, herbal and floral hops. The taste is much like the aroma. Apple and herbal hops with some wood and floral hops. Bready. Floral, herbal hops finish. Heavily carbonated. Overall, meh.

I have no clue how old this bottle is since there's neither a bottled date nor does the label match the one on the website which, oddly, shows the ABV in the picture but lists a different ABV in the text beneath. More like a hoppy ESB than an IPA, this beer starts with a rusty, golden brown pour with a thick, fluffy head. Aroma indicates an imbalanced malt/hops profile. Smells of lite cedar, earthy notes and citrus. Taste follows suit with wood, hay, orange and bubblegum with a slight trace of alcohol. Certainly not the juicy, citrusy, tropical fruit-forward IPAs we've all been enjoying; this is a more bitter, malty cousin that, depending on your mood, can be enjoyable. Wish there was a date on the bottle. Drives me nuts.

first time was having this at a Mystic tasting at the fireplace in brookline MA, have enjoyed it many many times after, as this was the first IPA i truly enjoyed. I really loved this beer, juicy hop profile - very easy drinking and refreshing. I really wish they didnt retire it!!! hopefully mystic will do another IPA soon. rip wigglesworth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: clear; steady stream of bubbles rising; copper colored; 2+ finger ivory head that receded slowly o a thick, rocky cap; very nice, thick lacing;

S: floral hops, bready; a little herbal; as it sits, the aroma changes - very interesting;

T: follows the nose - well balanced; mild bitterness on the finish;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation;

O: this bottle may be old - no date, but it's been retired in BA; interesting flavor profile; glad I tried it;

 

 

I was up in Massachusetts again on Friday, stopping at Yankee Spirits in Sturbridge on the way back from a job, and picked up a few beers brewed in the Commonwealth that I have yet to try. This one caught my eye, just because of the name: Wigglesworth India Wharf Pale Ale. When I poured it from the half-litter bottle initially it was mostly foam, even when tilting the glass. I let it settle for about 5 minutes, and it still had a very thick head that lasted as long as it took to drink it. I attribute that to the bottle conditioning. Light amber in color, the first sips revealed mild piney hops flavor, and some mild bitterness on the finish. I think that word describes it best: mild. Not a strong English IPA, nor a hoppy flavored West Coast IPA, but in between - perhaps the Wharf has something to do with it. Pleasant, but not memorable (except for the name!)