Soft coppery body and okay foam, very vague hops on the nose. Flavour is mostly malt and a hint of hops. Full enough on the mouth. Way too malty even for an old school IPA, and actually really hard to differentiate from their ESB. When it's a total crapshoot and even the waitress can't tell (and even brings over an extra sample of the ESB so you can make sure), well.....

On tap at Sailor Hagar's, pours an opaque dark orange with a medium beige head. Nose brings out medium strength hops, some metallic notes, and crisp biscuity malt. Flavour is quite astringent, with a very harsh hop bitterness dominating everything. Nothing refined or pleasant about this. A little abrasive.

Draught at Sailor Hagar’s
Golden color; creamy head. The aroma is lightly fruity, at least this one has some aroma, from Sailor Hagar’s. The mouthfeel is quite dry, but there is a good toffee flavor, a very strong bitterness, with a good share of hop oils and resins, and bitter orange peel. Solid.

An orange beer with a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet hoppy with hints of caramel. The flavor is nicely hoppy, and the alcohol burns slightly on the tongue.

Again, I drank this beer last week at Sailor Hagars. An excellent balance of grapefruity hops and tobacco notes, ending juicy and bitter with notes of apples.

Cloudy amber,lasting beige head.Grapefruit hop nose. Tart grapefruit hop flavor, with mild, lingering green hop finish.Great lace. Poorly balanced.

One of four IPAs Gary Lohin made, probably about the third one to hit the market but ultimately the one that’s been made in the past few years. A shame, since Star of India was the best, and Monsoon was better than this one as well. I never did get to try Dean Carriere’s IPA, at least not brewed by Hagar’s. Regardless, Bengal is the IPA that Howe Sound makes. Unlike the Narwhal and ESB, it’s served cold from the keg. Bright golden-amber colour. Moderately hopped. The other IPAs were hopped to PNW standards, this is more like to BC standards, though at the high end of that scale. Slight chewiness from crystal malt, overlayed with resiny bitterness. The aroma is woody hops and fresh biscuity malts.