India Ale
Samuel Smith in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England 🏴
Bitter - ESB / Strong Bitter Regular|
Score
6.59
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Brewed with well water (the original well at the Old Brewery, sunk in 1758, is still in use, with the hard well water being drawn from 85 feet underground); best malted barley and a generous amount of choicest aroma hops; fermented in ‘stone Yorkshire squares’ to create an exceptionally full-flavoured complex ale with an abundance of maltiness and fruity hop character. The label on the bottle is based on Samuel Smith’s Victorian letterhead when the brewery was a contractor to Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s forces.
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4.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 2
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Nice solid styrofoam head and reasonably cleae copper body. Odd aroma of dirty armpits (I checked... it wasn't me!). Flavour is a harshly bitter bunch of orange skins. No complexity and oily bitterness is all I can taste. Refreshing at least in an odd way. I'd say this was off in some way but I got it on tap in central London. So, there you go.
Tried
from Can
on 31 May 2018
at 16:39
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Bottle poured at home. It's been years since my last Sam Smith bottle, so this is a fun reunion. An attractive copper orange pour with plenty of loose foam head. Very bready malt heavy flavor from start to finish. It's a good malt flavor for my taste. A touch nutty as well, some earthy hop character, a hint of metallic. Filling flavor for sure. I get a hinted orange like spice and bitterness. Tea like? Very small factor. Certainly a unique beer, especially opposed to everything I enjoy under the India subcategory. An enjoyable brew with a session feel, and zero sacrificed flavor. If not, this brew is packed with more flavor than most. Pretty good overall.
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Apr 2018
at 02:30
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
550ml bottle. Pours a hazy gold-orange with a medium, creamy, long lasting, off-white head that laces nicely. Aroma of bready malt, caramel, orange peel, floral, tea and grass. Sweet flavour of biscuit malt, caramel, lemon, orange pekoe tea and floral with a dry, bitter, grassy hop finish. Medium body with an oily texture and average carbonation. Decent.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Mar 2018
at 03:09
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 6
355ml bottle from Wine & Beer in Moscow. Pours clear amber with a medium-sized off-white head. Aroma is floral hops, caramel, grassiness. Taste is light sweet, biscuity malt, light caramel, light earthiness, medium bitterness. Very good one.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Mar 2018
at 10:58
6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
550ml bottle into pint glass. Pours a slightly hazy golden bronze. Nose is burnt caramel and orange marmalade. Light carbonation. Frothy thin white head. Smooth texture, light body. Lightly bitter, refreshing with a bitter fruity finish. Good balance, nice example of an old style.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Feb 2018
at 07:43
7.1/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 10
Overall 6.5
Endearing in its old-school English stodginess, bitter only by the standards of centuries passed, yet still an enjoyable British ale with a distinguished caramel-apple malt profile and just a touch of gentle citrus to accent the floral-pine hop notes. European minerality underlines the bitterness, while a welcoming sweet undercurrent makes putting the pint away rather easy. Pours a gorgeous orange-gold with a permanent white head and giant globs of lace. Nose is pine, hints of citrus, and ale yeast. Creamy, mildly carbonated texture is to die for. Surprisingly good ESB.
Tried
on 05 Feb 2018
at 23:14
6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Man I just don't quite get the British distinction for an India Pale Ale. I understand that it's milder than the American version. But the original idea being that it was going to be higher hopped and alcohol to make the trip to India. I mean alcohol here is only 5% so I don't see how that's sufficient back in the days without Refrigeration to do that. I've had some of their esb's that seem to be a little hoppier than this. It's good drinking beer but I just don't get the IPA part of it.
Tried
from Can
on 06 Nov 2017
at 00:33
6.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Half-pint at Angel Inn. Clear golden-brown, filmy layer blanketing the glass. Floral hops on the nose with malty sweetness beneath. Nicely blended taste of apricot, citrus and caramel. Ends with moments of leafy hop bitterness. Clean and rounded finish. Likable. (Leeds 04.07.2017).
Tried
on 19 Jul 2017
at 14:04