Isle Pale Ale
Axholme Brewing Company

 

A 500ml bottle with a BB of Oct 2013. Picked up a little while back from Trembling Madness in York. This is quite a new brewery, and when their beers appeared on the shelves my interest was piqued. Both beer and brewery are named after the Isle of Axholme, a small area of North Lincolnshire that is separated from the rest of the county by the river Trent. The label describes it as a hoppy pale ale with spicy, grassy notes.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. Bottle conditioned. A flat golden-amber hue with slight haze - it looks rather like apple juice. No head, just a few flaccid bubbles that disappear almost immediately. Something is wrong. Aroma of mild vinegar, light malt, grain, earthy yeast and leafy noble hops. The earthiness and faint sourness combine to give a distinct impression of pickled beetroot - most bizarre. Certainly doesn't smell like an IPA should.

Tastes of light malt with a mildly sour, earthy character and a dry finish. Notes of earthy yeast, grain, faint vinegar, tart apples and a hint of grassy hops. Again, the impression of beetroot lingers on the palate. A mild dryness upon swallowing; no real bitterness to speak of. Mouthfeel is flat and watery, though well-attenuated. Not much body. Slightly astringent, with an aftertaste of earthy yeast, a hint of vinegar and faint grass/grain.

Fail - I'm pretty certain this isn't what the brewer intended, but I'll review it as I find it. This brew is definitely off - flat, mildly sour and the flavours weak/muted. Not completely undrinkable; I think the cap seal must have broken at some point and allowed oxygen to enter the bottle (as opposed to an infection, which would probably be more funky). At any rate, no great shakes. I might review it again in the future if opportunity allows. I can't tell if this was just a bad bottle or a bad batch - if you see it, caveat emptor.