Banberry & Edwards India Pale Ale
Old European Brewing Company

This one pours a pale golden with the barest hint of amber. The head is weak white and short lived. The nose is extremely weak and malty sweet with a moderate hop nose. The taste is strong somewhat off balanced hops with a sweet malty flavor. The body is average and watery. Overall barely drinkable.

Bronze golden color with a small white head that quickly fades. The color of this beer seems rather dark for an IPA. Carbonation is slight; the lacing is actually quite good. Aroma is of slightly sweet malt, with very little hops in evidence, again quite in contrast to a typical IPA. Tasting yields very sweet malt and a hint of carbonation. The sweet flavors turn earthy and musty later in the taste; the trademark hop bitterness of an IPA seems completely absent. Finish is very dry. Mouth feel is OK, but watery. A mediocre beer that fails miserably to conform to the IPA style.

Package reviewed was a 16-ounce custom brown glass twist-off. ABV is 6.0%.

Part of the "12 Greatest Brews of the World" sampler pack found at my local Wal-Mart. I have to give credit to the labels of these beers because they are actually quite informative. You can learn a lot about how particular beers are made and how they get their names. Unfortunately, the knowledge to glean only serves to make you realize how horribly wrong these beers are compared to what they should be. Case in point: This beer pours a dark yellow color with a thick white head. Slight floral hops aroma. Probably the least hops bite in any IPA I have ever had. This is still one of the better Old European brews I have had though, because it is not as sour and dry as the others. Still a pathetic rendition of an IPA though.