Adnams Jack Brand Rye I.P.A
Adnams plc, Sole Bay Brewery

 

 

 

330ml bottle, BBE 31.10.15 - poured into a straight-sided half-pint glass

Look: A rather lovely deep coppery red/brown - no hint of sediment or floaty stuff and not a massive amount of carbonation beyond the occasional bubble. Off-white head which doesn't stick around long, reducing to a layer of surface foam in fairly short order.

Smell: Very 'grainy' - certainly not what I'd associated with something classified as an American IPA. If there are any hops in there then they're very muted, with a bit of fruitiness wafting through if you try really hard. Maltiness means sweetness which, in turn, means a slightly stewed smell. Not unpleasant, but again not what I'd associate with an IPA.

Taste: On slightly firmer ground here, although the taste is still heavily tilted towards the malt end of the scale. There's a bit of spiciness in there, along with a distinctly tannic kick, and the hops don't make themselves known until well into the aftertaste. The sweetness in the nose isn't as apparent as it is in the smell.

Feel: Decent enough mouthfeel - the flavours are a bit more balanced than the smell would suggest and the end result is pretty smooth and drinkable.

Overall: I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Adnams - one of my first (legal) pints was the rather excellent Broadside. This, on the other hand, is a bit on the 'meh' side - to be fair, I'm still a bit of a newbie when it comes to rye-based beers and I think classifying this as an American IPA is a bit wide of the mark - it's not hoppy enough, for a starter. It's a good beer, but if you approach this with expectations of it being a hop bomb then you stand to be disappointed. Even so, worth a shot on its own merits.

 

 

A 330ml bottle with a BB of March 2015, so it's just out of date. Purchased a while back from the Adnams webshop.

A: Poured into a tulip. A deep coppery-brown hue with good clarity and medium carbonation. Yields a decent head of creamy off-white foam that lasts for a few minutes before subsiding to a patchy surface layer. Slight lacing.

S: Aroma of grainy caramel malt with hints of toasted grain, bread, rye, ale yeast, subtle fruity hops, mild earthiness and faint stewed leaves. Slightly sweet. Rather subdued for an IPA.

T: Tastes of grainy malt with a leafy bitter finish. Notes of caramel, toasted grain, rye, mild bread, ale yeast, a touch of spiciness, stewed hops, earthiness and faint fruity hops. A twinge of sweetness, followed by a leafy bitterness upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, with spritzy carbonation and decent body. Somewhat astringent, accompanied by an aftertaste of grainy malt, rye, bitter stewed hops and earthy yeast.

O: A bit lacklustre, probably due to the age of the bottle. Looks OK, while the aroma and flavour are quite malty with hints of grain, rye, ale yeast and subtle hop notes. Body is alright. Doesn't come across as an IPA - I'll try an review a fresher version when I have the chance. That said, it's drinkable enough. Give it a whirl.

 

 

Copper color with a thin thick head that vanished quickly.
Aroma of caramels, herbal hops and English yeast. So far no US accent despite choice of hops.
Flavor is more interesting with lots of citrusy hops, spices, some rye, grapefruit, pine, tea leaves, yeast, iced tea with lemon, nuts, tangerines, and caramels. Dry aftertaste with a nice bitterness.
Light towards medium body with appropriate carbonation.
Interesting Rye IPA mixing British and American flavors. It did match well.

Bottled
Light brown body quite a respectable big bold off white foamy head
carbolic soap and malted rye aroma
hop & burned caramel tasty stuff
good solid mouthfeel
def worth a try