Original IPA circa 1850 (for Alexandra David-Neel)
Zebulon Artisan Ales

Original IPA circa 1850 from Zebulon Brewery. Mystery beer received from @nc41 in BIF 12. Received 10/8/20. Reviewed 10/11/20.
Undated bottle. Stored at home at 42 degrees and served at 45 degrees (Smells like a wild ale) in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 59.5 degrees.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Pale straw (SRM 2), hazy.
Body – Pale gold (SRM 4), hazy. When held to direct light, very active effervescence is noted.
Head – Large (Maximum 4.5 cm, aggressive center pour), white, initially fizzy but quickly settles to medium density, average retention, diminishing to a six to 12 mm smoothly undulating crown and a complete rocky cap.
Lacing – Fair – Narrow band of tiny bubbles.
Aroma – 3.5 – Smells acidic and a bit fruity, like a wild ale. No hops, no yeast. As it warms to 60 degrees, the nose weakens to barely noticeable. Horning the sediment in the empty bottle initially smells like flowery hops.
Flavor – 3.5 - Begins strong, with a fruit I cannot place, like Osage orange and baking soda. No hops, no yeast. No alcohol (8 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Thin, watery, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.5 (Minus 0.25 point for undated bottle) My best guess would be a wild ale, probably from Wicked Weed – the bottle and cap are the wrong style for Jester King.
I’ll stand by my original guess. According to the label, this is an English-style IPA that is aged with a Brettanomyces strain in oak barrels. It may well be the way IPAs tasted when they got to India, so no longer an IPA but a hop-based wild ale.