English IPA Appreciation Thread

I outright love them over American IPAs.

Samuel Smith's India Ale is fine, and Worthington's White Shield is good.
Ridgeway IPA is a still-very-English brew that is Americanized to a degree.

I like all of them as well as Well's Bombadier and Fuller's ESB and London Pride and just about any of the English pale ale family I can get my hands on. The English IPA, in particular, is a fantastic style and part of why I love the English pale family.

And btw, anytime the You-Have-To-Drink-The-Real-Thing crew is ready to sponsor my trip to London and the English countryside, I'm ready to go (and ready to agree with you that all of the English imports suck).

 

Once in a while I crave a hop bomb, but in general I love an abundance of hops balanced with the malt. So English IPAs often satisfy that. Samuel Smith's IPA is a delight, and St. Peters' IPA is their best brew apart from Cream Stout. I'd love to see more American twists on maltier, slightly less aggressively hopped IPAs.

 

Do you have any local ones you recommend?

 

Very good, indeed. I have to go back to St. Louis this weekend. Think I'll be grabbing some more !

 

Good timing on this thread. Tuesday night I had Woalver's India Pale Ale. I had assumed that it was an American styke IPA when I bought it. When I drank it I was *really* surprised by the taste. It was mellow with caramel flavors and only mild bitterness. I liked it a lot. I was surprised when I saw it had an 80 rating on BA (it is currently my beer with the highest rdev - I rated it much higher).

I realized that many of the reviews were people that were disappointed that it wasn't an American style hopslotion. I like some hoppy beers - but some are too bitter. They taste like OJ after brushing your teeth.

That being said. The Wolaver's was great and it made me want to seek out more in the style. So like I said this thread is well timed.

 

Summit lol

 

Schlafly XIPA. English-style IPA. Fruity, lemony, hoppy and lovely!

 

Yep, it sure is. That's why mentioned it. An English IPA not in the English Style IPA..umm..style.

 

I like Monday Night Brewing's Eye Patch IPA nice change of pace from the AIPA

 

Love it is available in Charlotte and that we can get it fairly regularly.
Got to give Green Man some credit for bucking the face melting American IPA trend for a flagship beer. They nailed the English IPA style.

And you don't have to drain pour two week old beer.

 

Ahhhhh.

 

I've tried some of Brewdogs IPA s and I thought they not bad. I'd say they are English style IPAs with a North American influence. Their single hop series IPA with golding hops was really good. The noble hops can still kick it if if you use enough of them.

 

Worthington's White Shield is THE quintessential example of the style IMO and is delicious. Fuller's Bengal Lancer is good too, but IMO Worthington's takes it. My favorite American example is Shipyard's (all-Fuggles) IPA. DAMN good, though it's 'cool' to hate on Shipyard. I'd like to take some of the best elements from each and come up with a nice homebrewed version. I'm NOT a huge fan of swamping English-style IPAs w/ungodly amounts of late-hops and dry-hopping though...the English varieties seem to do better IMO when used more delicately and w/a bit of finesse.

 

As I understand the "hate" for Shipyard, it is due to the elevated levels of diacetyl (buttery flavor). Are you capable of perceiving diacetyl (something like 1/5 of the population is insensitive to diacetyl)? How much diacetyl do you perceive in the Shipyard IPA? Do you like the flavor of diacetyl?

Cheers!

 

I enjoy a good Ipswich IPA

 

Titanic Anchor is pretty delicious if you ever find yourself at the Victoria in Birmingham, England.

 

What about an English ESB/stong ale appreciation thread? I am really liking those these days.

 

I like Meantime IPA. It has some beautiful floral aspects.

 

I've had and still have many relatives in Birmingham and Austin, and they say "Dangit". That is a good word!

 

I like english IPAs, Arcadia Hopmouth is awesome. Victory IPAs seem rather English to me.