It’s Labor Day, and this morning we took the kids to the local parade. We came back and had lunch on the deck, and it seemed like the perfect afternoon to grab a beer and chill out for a bit. I grabbed this beer out of the door of the beer fridge, where I still have a few beers my friend Joe gave me when I helped him pack for his move to Atlanta last year.
The bottle says, “East India Pale Ale is our version of the sturdy ale made by the British brewer George Hodgson in the 1820s to survive the voyage from London around the Cape of Good Hope to Calcutta. East India pale ale is brewed from English malt and hops and will taste best before the freshness date indicated.” The freshness date on the bottle is Sept. 2012.
Location: Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 6.9% ABV, 47 IBUs, 17° Plato OG, 200 Calories
Ingredients: Malts: British Pale Ale Malts from East Anglia, Wheat; Hops: East Kent Golding, Willamette, Northdown, Centennial
Appearance & Aroma: It’s amber in color and very clear, with no head and barely even a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass. There’s an earthy hoppiness and caramel-bready malt aroma.
Taste & Feel: The body is medium to full and very smooth. There’s a nice caramel maltiness up front with some earthy hop flavors in the background. In the middle, the earthy hops started to come forward a bit more, with a very nice balance of caramel maltiness and earthy hop bittereness in the finish with some light nuttiness and breadiness in the background. The hops last briefly in the aftertaste, along with some caramel maltiness.
Food Pairing: This beer had a nice balance between caramel maltiness and earthy bitterness, and I think it would go great with some American pub food. I love this type of beer with a thick, juicy cheeseburger, as the maltiness works well with the bun and meatiness, and the hops mix with the cheese and other toppings. This beer would also go with a bready, stone oven pizza.
Overall Impression: I’ve heard good things about Brooklyn beers, and this one didn’t disappoint. It had a very nice balance of caramel malty flavors and earthy hop bitterness, and the subtle flavors in the background – including breadiness and nuttiness – were a nice addition. It was a great IPA for a cool, fall day like today. I enjoyed the variety… that it wasn’t a huge hop bomb, like an American IPA. Overall, I recommend this one, and am going to have to see if I can find it locally.
My Rating: 
Recent Comments