Kipling
Thornbridge Brewery in Bakewell, Derbyshire, England 🏴
Pale Ale - Australian / New Zealand Regular|
Score
7.04
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South Pacific Pale Ale
Kipling was the first UK beer to use the exquisite Nelson Sauvin hop from New Zealand. We brew this as a SMASH (Single Malt and Single Hop) using the heritage Maris Otter as a base malt which works to allow the complex flavour of this hop to really shine through. There is a grassy, grapefruit character on the nose, followed by passionfruit and mango. It finishes with a balanced and thirst-quenching bitterness.
Kipling was the first UK beer to use the exquisite Nelson Sauvin hop from New Zealand. We brew this as a SMASH (Single Malt and Single Hop) using the heritage Maris Otter as a base malt which works to allow the complex flavour of this hop to really shine through. There is a grassy, grapefruit character on the nose, followed by passionfruit and mango. It finishes with a balanced and thirst-quenching bitterness.
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6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Bottle. Notes are from a BJCP practice scoring sheet. Rated as a 10A American Pale Ale. Numbers from the rating reflect ratebeer’s hedonistic rating system and not actual judging numbers.
Aroma: Initially slightly light struck (skunky) but this aroma fades rapidly. Replaced by white wine grapes reminiscent of sauvignon blanc and its associated minerality. Some tangerine peel and gooseberry notes from the hops. Medium esters. Nice bready graininess in the back ground that does not dominate. Hard water profile is slightly noticeable and okay. Spicy hop profile lingers.
Appearance: Very hazed yellow body with a minimal white head with somewhat poor retention. Head can be revived with a few swirls but retention still isn’t great for the style. Lacing is good but not great.
Flavor: Bitter and dry with a minerally note at first. Hop bitterness and some astringency noticed. This is followed by a bready/toasted graininess from the malts. Wish the hop flavor (somewhat present in the finish) was a bit stronger. Bitterness is quite present though. Maybe more than should be common in a beer of this style and gravity. A husky graininess. Esters are minimal.
Mouthfeel: Somewhat astringent and bitter finish. Low residual sugars (to style). Medium to medium light body. Carbonation is acceptable at a medium to high level. No noticeable alcohol warmth. Long duration of bitterness and astringency.
Overall impression: Great and unique aroma from the hops. Hop flavor appears a bit faded, but still, the beer retains an overly strong bitter balance for the style. A slightly husky astringency is also unwanted. Bitterness and astringency are a bit much for the APA style. Consider sparging and a slightly lower temperature (or make sure the runoffs are clear in vorlauf) to reduce grain astringency and shift a bit of the bittering hops towards late additions and dry hopping [note: yes I know this sounds a bit elementary and pompous as a amateur judge to a big and well respected brewery, but this is honest feedback that I’d give to a homebrewer on this beer] .
Aroma: Initially slightly light struck (skunky) but this aroma fades rapidly. Replaced by white wine grapes reminiscent of sauvignon blanc and its associated minerality. Some tangerine peel and gooseberry notes from the hops. Medium esters. Nice bready graininess in the back ground that does not dominate. Hard water profile is slightly noticeable and okay. Spicy hop profile lingers.
Appearance: Very hazed yellow body with a minimal white head with somewhat poor retention. Head can be revived with a few swirls but retention still isn’t great for the style. Lacing is good but not great.
Flavor: Bitter and dry with a minerally note at first. Hop bitterness and some astringency noticed. This is followed by a bready/toasted graininess from the malts. Wish the hop flavor (somewhat present in the finish) was a bit stronger. Bitterness is quite present though. Maybe more than should be common in a beer of this style and gravity. A husky graininess. Esters are minimal.
Mouthfeel: Somewhat astringent and bitter finish. Low residual sugars (to style). Medium to medium light body. Carbonation is acceptable at a medium to high level. No noticeable alcohol warmth. Long duration of bitterness and astringency.
Overall impression: Great and unique aroma from the hops. Hop flavor appears a bit faded, but still, the beer retains an overly strong bitter balance for the style. A slightly husky astringency is also unwanted. Bitterness and astringency are a bit much for the APA style. Consider sparging and a slightly lower temperature (or make sure the runoffs are clear in vorlauf) to reduce grain astringency and shift a bit of the bittering hops towards late additions and dry hopping [note: yes I know this sounds a bit elementary and pompous as a amateur judge to a big and well respected brewery, but this is honest feedback that I’d give to a homebrewer on this beer] .
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Mar 2011
at 20:38
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Re-rate 2/2/13: Bottle sample at a Stone Vertical Epic tasting at Mastikim. Thanks troubles. Clear yellow. Pleasant hoppy aroma of tropical fruits, citrus and quality marijuana. Rather dry flavor with light sweetish notes, fruity hops and a moderately bitter finish with refreshing tropical fruits. Medium-bodied. Nice and very refreshing. 8/3/7/3/14=3.5
[3/4/11] Bottle at ACBF 2011. Clear golden. Tropical fruits aroma. Flavor has some bready malty sweetness and a pleasant fruity hops bitterness. Medium-bodied. 6/3/7/3/13=3.2
[3/4/11] Bottle at ACBF 2011. Clear golden. Tropical fruits aroma. Flavor has some bready malty sweetness and a pleasant fruity hops bitterness. Medium-bodied. 6/3/7/3/13=3.2
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Mar 2011
at 08:50
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle from Half Time. Pours hazy gold with a transient,slight white head. Aroma is fruity - a bit tart, a bit strawberry. A bit grassy. Med body. Flavor is grassy and fruity. Definitely tart/bitter. Fruit comes on strong in the end, but so does a nobel hop type bitter. Finishes with fruit. Hard to pin the fruit down. Kind of like not quite ripe white peach. Interesting and different.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Feb 2011
at 17:43
6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 6
500ml bottle. Pours a pale gold with a large head. Aroma is hoppy, grassy and tropical fruits, found the kiwi. It’s nice enough but can’t find much flavour, some grass to start and some kiwi after. Medium bitter finish. A little thin for the strength.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Dec 2010
at 13:11
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Golden ale. Thick rich head is gorgeous - you never see a head like this in Britain. The aroma is floral, a nice mellow sauvin experience. Good bitterness. Fresh earthy hop with only mellow vinous sauvin character. Dry, earthy, leafy finish - typical Thornbridge - this is nice brew.
Tried
on 09 Nov 2010
at 13:49
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Draft at Euston Tap. Pours a clear gold with a fine, white, fluffy head. Light malt and grassy hop aroma. Flavor has mild sweetness but plenty of earthy bitterness. Light to medium in body with fine carbonation. Finishes clean, with straw, grass and earth hops and some more light malts, along with modest drying. Really good.
Tried
from Draft
on 09 Nov 2010
at 01:51
7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
(Cask at Cask & Kitchen, London) This was quite herbal brew. Herbalness and grass brought to my mind some German pilseners. The fruitiness softened the herbalness nicely and bitterness wiped all the flavours away. The bitterness didn’t last too long. Very good beer and enjoyable and easy to drink.
Tried
from Cask
on 26 Oct 2010
at 10:31
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
[Cask at the Back of Beyond (JDW), Reading] Gold, slight white head. Very sweet aroma, a little reminiscent of dolly mixtures. Big juicy tropical fruits on tasting, but a hefty dry leaf bitterness somehow doesn’t quite fit. An aftertaste of pine resins redeems it, and I was left with the impression of a jolly decent beer.
Tried
from Cask
on 17 Oct 2010
at 13:33