Butcombe Brunel
Butcombe Brewery Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottled
Pours a golden body with decent white head
A "British" IPA, but with more than a hint of flavour from the USA with some floral hops coming through. Overall a very nice beer.

 

500ml Bottle: best before 14 May 2013, poured into my Abbot Ale glass tankard on 12 Aug 2012.

Chestnut brown and clear body: on top a huge foaming crown of off-white bubbles.

Solid hop nose with mild malt undertones: an understated aroma, but got stronger as the beer warmed (I'd cooled it in the fridge).

The taste was interesting: hop bitterness countered by some malty sweetness (caramel and toffee notes): The body was well balanced and the 5% ABV suited the brew nicely.

I'll certainly have this again if I see it.

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a pint glass. Drank cold from the fridge.

Pours a copper-amber colour with a decent head that fades incredibly slowly.

Smells quite fruity and hoppy.

Tastes first quite malty with a hit of caramel and burnt-ness. Then comes a hit of fruity hops with is strong but not overbearing.

Overall a lovely refreshing ale.

A 500ml bottle with a BB of Oct 2011, so it's a bit out of date. Brewed to celebrate 200 years since the birth of Brunel - one of history's great engineers.

Poured into a Sam Smith's pint glass. A clear coppery-amber hue with good carbonation. Produces a decent head of frothy white foam that lasts for a minute or so before subsiding. Aroma of caramel malt with hints of grain and spicy bittering hops.

Tastes of caramel malt with a hint of sweetness and a balanced bitter finish. Notes of grain, caramel and a hint of leafy aromatic hops. A spicy stewed-hop bitterness upon swallowing, followed by a harsh note. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with good body. Quite astringent; dries the palate. Aftertaste of malt and hoppy bitterness.

Pretty good - definitely an IPA in the English vein. Personally I reckon it could have done with more aromatic hops to round out the character, but the balance was good. Not sure what Brunel himself would have thought though.

Half pint at JDW. Dark brown copper, very clear. Decent size head which it retained well. Corky soapy hoppy smell. Tasted quite bitter, hints of smoke with a fruity aftertaste. Decent mouthfull. Not a bad beer but too strong to really session and lacking the character of other IPAs.

You know you're in England when you see a 5% IPA on tap and think "wow, thats high in alcohol, could be a good one."

pours a light clear golden with a 1 finger head and tons of lacing.

smell is just some musty, bready malts with a slight bit of hop in there somewhere.

taste is a nice round, sweet maltiness with a very dry orange hop finish.

Mouthfeel is just never as good for me on cask beers, i'm trying.

Overall its a decent english bitter, not what i would consider an IPA from stateside standards, not nearly big enough or hoppy enough...but definitely a drinkable beer.

500ml bottle bought from The Vintage, Antrim...

Poured quite a pale copper orange colour. Slightly off white head poured big, thick and foamy then faded quite quickly to thickish covering with good thick edging that creeps up the glass.... barely any carbonation bubbles.... some good lines of lacing around the glass...

Aroma - Good juicy fruits to the fore (oranges, pears, dried apricots, some strawberry traces), caramel and light biscuity malts, quite grassy hops, peppey notes, some raw nuts, light marzipan traces, faint graininess, some sulphur...

Taste - Good peppery, grassy and citrusy hop bitterness up front, tart and spicy fruits (bitter oranges (marmalade?), grapefruit, apples), light biscuit malts, some caramel, toasted bread notes, buttery, faint metallic traces, floral, some chalkiness...

Feel - Sharp and dry... light bodied... very refreshing and thirst quenching - i could happily down a few of these in an evening...

Overall - A very good and pretty hoppy British IPA... their claim of being an "Authentic IPA" on the bottle is pretty spot on... recommended...

A dark amber IPA that left chunks of splotchy lace. Nice visuals to begin with. Decent hop aroma as should befit the style. Long lingering English orange accented hop flavor was smooth and satisfying. Very creamy mouthfeel was a delight as well. Very nice beer from a brewery that i have had some experience with.

Tasted by half-pint at my local JDW pub, the Half Moon, East End London. The pump-clip shows "Brunel 200 Authentic IPA".

A: amber hue, coming with no head but served at good, cool temp.
S: lightly apple-ish fruity aroma sits on top of a sweet malty base--the overall structure is lacking due to the condition of this beer being "not on form", IMO.
T: lightly sour-sweet fruitiness and juicy malts lead to a very light, mixed aftertaste with a bit of hops and a bit of bitterness here and there... full-stop. The whole structure is a mess, not what a healthy real ale should be like
M&D: this beer, as has past its prime, fails to show a sound texture and a supposedly rich flavour profile, and is overly light-bodied to be right. Next time I see it on form, I'll try it again for sure, to do it justice and also to check if it'd improve by a huge margin~~