Lost Sailor India Pale Ale | Berkshire Brewing Company Inc.

4.14/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

L: Very pretty brew: thick blonde-copper color with a rich white head. Plenty of lacing and lots of small bubbling from the bottom of the cup.

S: Forward fruity and hoppy smell with a good amount of malt sneaking through. Smell does fade away pretty rapidly, but when the bottle was first uncapped it smelled great.

T: Kind of a bitter-sweet-bitter thing going on with this guy. Starts off sharp bitter then sweet overcomes the hop flavor before hitting you one last time on the end. Really great in consecutive gulps as it seems to bring out the sweetness. single sips, alternatively, come off more bitter to me. There is a lot going on here in terms of which hits when, but there is one predominant hop flavor and one predominant sweet flavor that trade off. Pretty interesting to drink.

F: Nothing spectacular in terms of mouthfeel. Sort of thin but very bubbly/fizzy.

O: Not a bad brew! Great for a sunny day, and can deffinitely get you tipsy at 5.8%. Totally drinkable, I would recommend giving it a try.

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3.92/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Malt-biscuity, cracker-like thinness, a touch of caramel sweetness, a hint of dark fruit now and then from the malts, orange
Hops-mildly spicy, lightly floral, earthy, light citrus, resinous-fresh hop like, sticky, lingering bitterness.
Body is thin. Mouthfeel is tannic-like, has a drying effect/finish.
This beer reminds me of a hopped up ESB. The malts soften up as the beer warms, creating a more well rounded feel to the beer. Drink it a touch warmer than your usual piney, hoppy IPA.
It's a different style of IPA than I'm used to here on the West Coast, but still a well crafted brew.

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4.49/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Easily my favorite IPA of all time. Not quite sure what it is about this one that always has me coming back. You get the wonderful floral aromas as soon as you pop open the bottle. Personally, smell of the beer lining up with the taste is important, and this beer nails that aspect. You get such a floral taste to this that is slightly bitter and goes with the hops very well. It is relatively cheap, and it may just become one of your favorites, do not pass this one by.

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3.92/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Having access to several world class IPAs in New England makes it hard to buy just any old brew off the shelf. With that said I revisited my one time favorite lost sailor and was pleasantly surprised by how much I still enjoyed. Still a great beer!!

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3.89/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours amber with a frothy white head.

Definite floral aroma coming off this.

A bitter sweetness up front which lingers. Mouthfeel is a little thin. Solid IPA with a leaning towards maltiness.

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3.53/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours clear, gold with 3/4 inch head. Taste is caramel, grass, grain, and oily herbal hops. Really sweet at times and also really bitter at others. Above average sipper. Glad I had it, would not pass by it, but would not rush to get it again either.

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3.74/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a clouded copper, leaves a fizzy/frothy off-white head that reeces slowly, leaving some lacing in it's wake.

Smells malty, caramel notes, barely, herbal hops.

Taste is sweet malts, caramel. Surprisingly on the sweet spectrum for something with an IPA title. Hops do not have any forward presence at all. For all that it takes on a nice sweet malt bready flavor.

Light bodied, thin, smooth, very low carbonation, leaves very clean, has a surprisingly warm alcohol on the finish.

A good brew, definitely wasn't expecting the sweetness, but it has a decent flavor.

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4.22/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

L: This is a very attractive beer. Hazy copper/amber body with a decent white head after pouring. A thin white ring holds the edge of the glass throughout. Minimal lacing sticks to the glass.
S: Very subtle hop notes give it a mild stone fruit aroma. It has a sweet but not malty smell, not so much caramel, but some kind of sugar.
T: Very pleasant up front with delicate fruit notes that give way to mild sweetness. Again, not really caramel, more sugar cane. The balance is incredible in my opinion. Sweet IPAs typically turn me off, but this is walking the line between sweet and dry amazingly well.
F: I hate describing a beer as "smooth" but this one really is. It has a soft mouthfeel, but boasts plenty of carbonation. It has a nice body that isn't too thick and is definitely not too thin. Just enough bitterness on the backend too.
O: This beer surprised the sh#t out of me! I was expecting to maybe tolerate it, and definitely figured a can or two would stick around in the fridge longer than it should. That, however, will not happen. I intend to drink down this 6-pack quickly because this beer is tasty and a nice change of pace from the big hoppy New England IPAs I drink pretty much daily. This beer illustrates why people shouldn't sleep on English IPAs, because they can be fantastic!

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2.84/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I was so excited to try this beer after seeing bros score and avg. Review score. Until I first smelled from can and was surprised there was no hoppy aromatic sense at all. Then when I took first swirl in mouth I immediately had a sugary sweet Caramel flavor. Not what I was hoping for. I am guessing the English process in this is all about Caramel and sweet.

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4.68/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Got a bomber nearly fresh-bottled from a liquor store in Belchertown. What a brew! Drank it with a picnic lunch on the way back home to Ithaca from Sturbridge, and was delighted with everything about it. Good price on the 22-oz local product! Gorgeous head, sticky lacing, mighty hopping well-balanced by the malt, exactly perfect carbonation with tongue & palate tanning long lingering bitter hoppy aftertaste. This IPA made my fancy lunch a gourmet extravaganza. And the brewery donates a tenth of gross sales to The Food Bank of Western MA! This keeps me from feeling sinfully hedonistic when quaffing such epicurean delights.

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4.25/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Got it for 3.99 for a 22oz. bottle and well worth it as I sip and watch the US Open...very tasty and I wish I could find it in 6s or 12 packs..must look harder

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3.69/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

- 12oz. can half poured into stemless wine glass, other half straight out of can, on 14-Aug-15

Not familiar with English IPA's, but this one's a decent one that I wouldn't mind drinking all day on a lazy afternoon. I still prefer American dankness of course.

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3.59/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. can. And yes, that can did reach me by way of the captain of the canship, woodychandler. Has a dark golden/orange color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is malts, herbs, light citrus. Taste is malts up front, touches of caramel, herbal hops, a mild bitterness. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall a smooth and enjoyable beer.

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2.67/5  rDev -31.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

Love Berkshire's drayman porter, but this one doesn't do it for me, tastes like a hoppy lager. Too sweet in that pissy lagery taste way, with only a small amount of hops to hide that. Not my kind of ale. First time trying an english style ipa and I don't ever want to buy another example of it. I don't like wasting beer though so I will suffer through the rest of this six pack.

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4.04/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A: Apricot in color, hazy in appearance with a thin white lacing.
S: Raisins, grapes, sweet malts, wine like.
T: Slight bitterness, similar to nose.
M: Moderate carbonation, has a dry, slightly hoppy finish.
O: Was on sale for $14.99/12 pack. Was my first English styled IPA, not bad.

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3.85/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Excellent example of an English IPA, hop forward with a balance of malts, but not in a way that makes the body too heavy. Herbal and earthy with some resin mixed in. Slightly sweet.

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3.8/5  rDev -2.1%

Pours a straw golden color with a fizzy head. The smell is full of grapefruit notes. The taste was simple yet very tasty with the hops being center stage. The light grapefruit bitterness was balanced well by the malt and made for a refreshing finish.

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4.22/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

A: hazy; burnt orange in color; 1 finger off white head that receded slowly to a thin cap; very nice lacing;

S: well balanced; caramel malt with herbal and floral hops;

T: follows the nose; caramel malt is right there along with floral hops; mild bitterness with some earthiness at the finish;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation;

O: really well made English IPA;

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4.16/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving: Sampler at Supreme Liquors in Central Square, MA
Serving: 19 September 2014

Appearance: Pours a nice golden color, lighter than many other IPAs, and lacking a lot of the robust copper/golden deepness we see from a lot of West Coast IPAs. I attribute this to the English IPA style and fact the malt backbone is thus reduced. Looks great though! 4/5

Smell: Smells very herbal and floral, some malt sweetness. The hops don't beat you over the head and are rather subdued in the nose. 4.25/5

Taste: Another great one by Berkshire. The flavor on this one is fantastic, especially considering it's an English IPA. The hops and malts interplay wonderfully, leading to a slightly sweet, floral beer where the hops add a lot of flavor without being ridiculous. What's notable here is that the hops don't take center stage, but share it with the malt, which provides some nice sweetness and requisite depth. Really love the hop flavor in this one too- it's very floral and reminds me someone of how your hands smell after holding a bouquet. 4.25/5

Feel: Excellent carbonation and body. 4/5

Overall: Another marvelous beer from Berkshire. I'm glad to see them really hit the ball out of the park with this English IPA. I think it's rated lower by people who expect an American style IPA and are then surprised by the subtlety in this one. The hops used in this beer are magnificent and provide a really rare flavor for those used to the traditional American varietals. I would highly recommend this beer, with the caveat that you know it's not an American IPA and you should not expect it to taste like a citrus bomb.4/5

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3.89/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz can into a shaker pint glass.
A - Nice clarity, strong carbonation works through the straw colored backdrop.
S - White pepper, strong hop presence but on the Noble side, a wonderful malt base.
T - Starts with a slight ester, then the spicy hops roll through, finish is dry.
M - Lite in contact, a medium level of carbonation cleans the palate nicely.
O - A very nice English style IPA. I really enjoy the use of the spicy hops.
Well done

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3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

A - Cloudy amber and effervescent body with thin off-white head. Not be the best retention or lacing.

S - Slight citrus, with stronger sweet malt and caramel

T - Starts out a smokey, doughy, caramel malt followed by dry, earthy hops.

M - Medium body with moderate fine carbonation. Somewhat sticky.

O - This was really good. Not much more to say.

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3.95/5  rDev +1.8%

Enjoyed from bottle into tulip glass, cloudy orange colour with a pleasant hoppy aroma and nice full maltiness, maybe more hopped up than most English examples this is quite pleasantly sessionable and balanced. Certainly an enjoyable session ipa, nice flavour complexity and hop profile. Very clean and crisp on finish.

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4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewing live so this will be short. No big citrus or floral hop nose on this. There are hops but this has a superb malt bill. This is among the maltiest IPAs I've had and I'm loving it. No extreme bitterness, just smooth caramel malt with enough hops to balance it. An old fashioned IPA. Wife has a Stone IPA and I like this better.

Second try confirms. Hops could be more noteworthy, but the malt really shines through here. Lack of aroma keeps this from being better.

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3.84/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12. oz. can poured into a tulip.

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy light orange. Kind of a marmalade color. Nice one-and-a-half-inch white head. Lacing minimal.

Aroma: Smells of pine, hops, malt, grapefruit, and lemon.

Taste: The taste follows the nose, and it's pretty good. It's just over the APA/IPA line, with moderate alcohol and high-but-not-super-high bitterness. Nice malty backbone.

Mouthfeel: The beer has an appealing sessionable quality - not an intimidating beer, but a complex and quaffable one.

Overall: Fun sessiony IPA from this western Mass. brewer. The term "session IPA" makes a lot of folks groan, but this is a very well executed one. A good everyday beer and a good companion for any meal.

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4.23/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Hard to believe I have loved this beer for years and never reviewed it here! It's out in 12 oz. cans now, formerly only growlers and 750ml bottles. Time to play catch-up!

No dating info on the can that I can find, but BBC just came out with this in cans two or three weeks ago.

Poured from the 12 oz. can into a Samuel Adams English tulip glass.

a: Clear amber with lots of carbonation bubbles clinging to the sides of the glass. A finger thick white head receded to thin even surface foam and dense lacing.

s: Sweet malt. Also a kind of cedarish aroma which is very pleasant. Only other beer I have had that has a similar aroma is Cigar City's Humidor Series IPA, but that is more Spanish cedar, like the inside of a good cigar box. This is more like clean clothes that just came out of a cedar chest. Yeah I know. Wild. Oh yeah and when I was younger, Bud seemed to actually have a kind of beechwood flavor note to it.

t; Mild caramel malt forward followed by a light to moderate hop bite which builds towards the back sides of the tongue. Sweet to dry finish.

m: Light to moderate.

o: Seems a bit lighter than I remember, but the malt and cedar combo is very pleasing. This is sure to become a regular in my beer drinking rotation now that is in convenient 12 ounce cans.

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