     Slottskällans Pale Ale (Slottskällans Bryggeri AB)
Slottskällans is located in the university/medieval town of Uppsala about 45 minutes north of Stockholm. They've been in operation for about 15 years and have established themselves as one of the forerunners when it comes to Swedish craft breweries. (Many count it to be the best...) My personal experience with them is that when they are on target they are very good, when they aren't then it's just not worth the money they charge. This pale ale is of the English variety, there is a blurb about Burton on Trent on the back as well as the term Britisk Stil on the front...if you had any hesitation as to what kind of IPA you bought. It is also organic, this wasn't always the case they started brewing it this way just this year, I believe this is their first and only such beer. (I'm still looking for an organic beer to recommend as highly as a non-organic one.) Pours a light copper color with a frothy head that leaves plenty of residue on the side of the glass. Carbonation is limited to small, slow rising bubbles in the center of the beer. (A good sign.) The smell is hoppy with some malts, almost sweet. It has that biscuity aroma that goes with the likes of Bass as well as some caramel. And now the taste...bitter....the first one anyways. It actually comes across as almost acidic, yet watery. If one, like myself, was expecting the easy drinking smoothness of a Burton brewed ale then this is not it. Gets a bit more subtle and grainy after a few sips, but it's got a lot of hops in it. Which sort of spoils the idea of an English IPA. Where it's really lacking is body, there just isn't enough to sustain the bitterness. It's not till about 6 sips into it that you even notice the malt, but by then your pallet is hopped out. This is really sort of a hard beer to place, I'd call it a mixture between a hoppy American IPA and a subtle English IPA. The biggest problem really is that it's not completely rounded. It lacks something to take care of the wateriness. Maybe some more alcohol, maybe some more malt, maybe less hops. Some people may like it, but I'll go on searching for a good organic beer...
Posted by Kelly Labels: English IPAs, Swedish Beers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  Atlantic IPA (BrewDog Ltd.)
BrewDog's Atlantic IPA, this is a beer that could tell some stories. Atlantic IPA is an authentically brewed historic English IPA from a "210 year old recipe". Brewed using traditional ingredients to create as close to the original style as possible BrewDog could have called it a day with this one. However, since India Pale Ales spent some serious time in barrels aboard ships, BrewDog put this beer into wooden barrels and loaded them on to a fishing boat to spend two months at sea. The end result, an IPA true to its historic roots which includes the time at sea. Only 960 bottles made it to the US market, there may have been more if one of the barrels hadn't fallen into the ocean while being loaded (see video below). From the BrewDog site: "We religiously followed the 210 year old recipe and the beer has now fully fermented. It is a sturdy 8% ale loaded with classic English hops such as East Kent Goldings and Bramling Cross giving a ferocious 90 IBUs. The beer is already unlike any we have ever tasted. Most strong IPAs tend to focus on American high alpha hops, giving them very fresh citrus, pine and fruit favours. However our old school hop monster's robust malt base is contrasted with very spicy, herbal and earthy hop notes and an immense enduring bitterness. We can are qualified neither scientifically, nautically or spiritually to do anything more than speculate as to how the flavours will develop and what may be added during the 2 months in oak at sea." Here we go... Pour - Atlantic IPA pours a murky, slightly flat orangish amber color. The head is very slight and its looks fairly viscous in the glass with some streaks inside the glass. Aroma - Earthy hops, caramel, a bit of smokiness, some vanilla and a surprising hint of chocolate. Very interesting. Taste - Very much a sipping beer, especially since I've only got 5.5 ounces available to me. Lots of vanilla flavor along with some spicy hop bitterness. The sweetness from the malt does a great job of backing up the hop flavors. Its defintitely got the qualities of an English IPA however the barrel aging and time at sea do add some complexities. I'm trying hard to pick out any brininess but its tough. As it warms there is some hints of smoke and plenty of roasty/toasty flavors along with some sweet bread dough flavors. Overall - It was unique and enjoyable. Quite tasty stuff but the characters from the voyage at sea were not too distinguishable unfortunately. That being said I don't believe the people at BrewDog had any way of knowing what to expect from their experiment and I still give them lots of credit for what they did. Cheers! Would I buy more of it? Luckily this bottle was shared with me by my good friend Luke over at BlogAboutBeer. Cheers Luke! Otherwise, I don't think I'd be shelling out $26 which is what a bottle of this is/was going for retail.
Posted by Russ Labels: English IPAs, Wood-aged Beers, Beer Videos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
   Innis and Gunn Oak Aged Beer (Innis and Gunn)
Innis and Gunn's beers are unique, they are all oak aged and are made like no other beers on this planet. They tell you that on their website - they also tell you that the entire process was discovered by accident. Oddly enough they were trying to lend a beer taste to the barrels and not a barrel taste to the beers... This is a very popular beer in Sweden and has been since it became a permanent resident at the liquor stores. Some people will consistently point out that it is the best beer available (others will counter this with Pilsner Urquel...so you be the judge...) Despite the design and impression this is not matured in barrels that once held whisky (although they recently released one that uses rum barrels). In addition to the original they also make an IPA and a Cask Strength version with the same process. The barrels in question are hand-cut and hand picked in Kentucky before being shipped to Edinburgh, Scotland for use. That in itself belies the serious nature of these brewers. Pours a wonderful copper color with a good thick beige and solid head that leaves some lacing and a crater on top of the beer. Moderate amounts of carbonation. The smell is intense in the direction of the malts and not the hops. Lots of aromas from butterscotch, nuts, caramel and folds of sweet molasses. Very nice! The taste is very bold, buttery with vanilla and even a tad of tobacco. Rich, thick, round and tasty. This is definitely a unique beer and one that holds up to it's own boasting. Not something you are going to find on tap at your local, nor is it something you will every buy a case of. Buy one and sit back and contemplate it like a crossword puzzle, there's a lot going on. If you drink it quickly you'll miss the show. For something at this strength, and with such a maturation process, it's a remarkably smooth beer. The oak comes in right at the end giving it that little bitter kick. If you like craft beer you'll like this. It may be a tiny bit too sweet for some people, but it really has an incredibly defined taste and character. I look forward to trying the rum aged version at some point.
Posted by Kelly Labels: English IPAs, Wood-aged Beers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
   Ekholmen Ekologiska Ale (Nynäshamns Ångbryggeri AB)
Nynäshmans Ångbryggeri (steam brewery in Swedish) is one of the more popular small breweries in the Stockholm area. Their beers can be found in any number of bars and beer stores, and they have established themselves as a favorite for people looking to try something different - and still Swedish.
Posted by Kelly Labels: English IPAs, Swedish Beers, Organic Beers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Circle Master (Wychwood Brewery Company Ltd)
Circle Master, brewed by Wychwood (best known for Hobgoblin), is the company's organic offering. It is called a "Golden Pale Ale", but for simplicity's sake we will call it an English IPA. What exactly a "circle master" is I am not sure, one can suspect that it has something to do with scarecrows from the label...
Posted by Kelly Labels: English IPAs, Organic Beers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Bödeln (Hantverksbryggeriet AB)
Bödeln, which to put it simply means hangman or executioner in Swedish, is another beer from the small Hantverksbryggeriet here in Sweden. This is probably their best seller and most popular.
Posted by Kelly Labels: English IPAs, Swedish Beers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Pilgrim Ale (Jämtlands Bryggeri AB)
Another multi-prize winning beer from Jämtlands Bryggeri that is based on a classic English style. In this case an English Pale Ale.
Posted by Kelly Labels: English IPAs, Swedish Beers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  Hopnotic IPA (Cricket Hill Brewing Company)
Pours a very bright golden orange color with a nice looking thick, white head. When held to the light, its clean and clear.
Sticking my nose into the glass I get a bit of orange and lemon citrus smells along with some sweet and sour malt.
Taste is very much dominate by the malt flavors and not so much the hops. This is however an English-style IPA so that is to be expected as compared to the hop bombs that are American IPAs. The malty backbone to this is really the standout flavor with only a slight bit of cirtusy hop bitterness in the finish.
This may not be everyone's cup of hops. Its much more of a subdued IPA than anyone jonesing for their hop fix may be looking for. This one makes me think of Fuggles IPA by Shipyard, another English-style IPA. I'll have to give their Jersey Summer Breakfast Ale a try next time I am down that way...
Note - Cricket Hill folks, what is the deal with your website? How can you not have a section detailing your beers????
Posted by Russ Labels: English IPAs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 ImPaledAle (Middle Ages Brewing Company) From New York State comes this offering from Middle Ages in Syracuse. An English-style IPA, ImPaledAle should be nicely balanced beer. Pours an almost glowing orange color! Wow. Nice color with a very well defined, fluffy white head. Great looking stuff. Initial aroma is a lot of citrus followed by a buttery sort of smell that usually means the yeast strain used is Ringwood. Its got a nice sweetness to it as well, sort of like honey or caramel. Taste is a nice combination of malt sweetness, the buttery yeastines and citrus. Definitely more of the English-style than the West Coast style IPA. Its nicely balanced and slightly astringent from the hops. The finish is crisp and dry with a good amount of hop flavor coming out. Be aware that this is the type of IPA that won't taste piney and grapefruity when you buy it or you'll probably be a little disappointed. That being said, for the style it is a great beer.
Posted by Russ Labels: English IPAs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Lost Sailor IPA (Berkshire Brewing Company)
A careful look a the Lost Sailor label and low and behold, the two dudes behind the BBC success story appear to be ship wrecked in the middle of a desert. Interesting... Lost Sailor pours a nice deep golden color, almost peachy. I threw this into the glass to get a good head and some hop aroma to come out. What I got was a very thick, fluffy white head that clings ridiculously tight to the inner walls of my glass. The aroma is initially that of sweet, toasty malt with a very faint scent of lemony citrus. This is not a piney, grapefruity IPA by any means, its much more balanced in aroma that is for sure. Tastes very much like it smells (go figure). Lots of biscuity, toasty sweet malt with that faint lemony citrus flavor lurking in the background and rounding out the flavor profile. There is a bit of spicy and earthy flavor as well, I really need to remember what the hops are they use in this IPA. I know that one of them is one that I've never heard any other brewery using. Can anyone solve that mystery for me? Lost Sailor is a very solid beer, one of many from BBC that really hits all the marks for the style. This is however a traditional English-style India Pale Ale, remember that when you drink it. This is not a West Coast hop bomb, its much more balanced and the hop profile is subtle but definitely there if you give it a chance. Good stuff! Cheers BBC!
Posted by Russ Labels: English IPAs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
    Hoppy Otter India Pale Ale (Otter Brewery)
I've wanted to give this beer a try for awhile now. A lot of my interest, I must admit, is in the label. I really love the shot of the otter and the hops. Luke over at BlogAboutBeer brought a bottle of this over to check out. Cheers Luke! The label reads: "The purest spring water drawn from the River Otter is used to brew this traditional 19th Century-style IPA with a bit of a twist. Handcrafted with English floor malts and our very own yeast, we have added five of the US Pacific Northwest's most citrus-flavored, aromatic whole cone hops to create a new, complex, highly drinkable beer." Pours a nice dark golden color with a very thin head. Very subtle carbonation and it settles very quickly.My first impression is that this beer looks very much like a lot of the IPAs I drink from this side of the pond. The smell is definitely different than I expected. I figured those Pacific Northwest hops would really come through in the nose. However the smell is sweet and more earthy and spicy. Not the citrusy C-hop smells I was hoping for. Its definitely got a more British IPA smell to it. By that, I mean its not the big fresh hop smell that American IPAs tend to impart. But, the label does say this is a traditional 19-century IPA and not a 21st century "San Diego-style" nuclear hop bomb. Taste is sweet and rather syrupy. I guess one could say its "cloying". The earthy spiciness is definitely present as is some hop bitterness on the back of my tongue. If you are expecting an IPA that is similar to a hoppy American IPA this is not going to satsify that craving. I don't think its a bad beer and as it warms it definitely has a lot more IPA qualities. I guess I was hoping for something a little different. But hey, its a British IPA and it is likely to fit the traditional style better than most. Also, did I mention that the label is really cool. Other Otter related breweries: Otter Creek Brewing Company (Middlebury, Vermont) Gilded Otter Brewing Company (New Paltz, New York)
Posted by Russ Labels: English IPAs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  Brewer's Choice 2008 Royal IPA (Shipyard Brewing Company)
This year's Brewer's Choice from Shipyard is a traditional English IPA that was developed by Mike Haley and Nick Murray at Federal Jack's in Kennebunk. A little bit of history behind this release: "It seems 'imperial' this, and 'double' that are all the rage these days," noted head brewer Mike Haley. "We found the 'big' IPA's we tried were all pretty one dimensional and very similar within the realm of 'extreme' hoppiness. That's where the use of the British hop varieties differentiates this beer from others of the same style. We also followed the design philosophy of Shipyard's other beer recipes, placing the emphasis on balance and drinkability." I had this on tap when it first came out but I've yet to drink it from a bottle. It pours a dark golden color. Its a very clean looking beer with a nice frothy head. It does indeed smell more earthy than citrusy. It also has some notes of hay and grass and the familiar smell of Ringwood. I am actually surprised by the alcohol percentage on this one (6.5%). It really doesn't taste as strong as it is. Its a very smooth drinking IPA. Its not overly hoppy and like the statement above makes, its a very balanced beer that is true to the traditional British style IPA. Its got a nice malty back to go with the earthy hops. It's good stuff. The Royal IPA has some bite at the end, its not so much a strong hop bitterness though. I actually think I like this from the bottle more than on tap. Its a very easy drinking beer and if you get over the idea that Royal is not another word for "Imperial" and that this is not going to be a West Coast style IPA, its an enjoyable beer.
Posted by Russ Labels: English IPAs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  East India Pale Ale (Brooklyn Brewery)
Brooklyn Brewery makes some solid beers and the East India Pale Ale is no different. This one pours a nice dark golden color with a nice creamy head that doesn't seem to want to go away. The smell is sort of sweet with some citrus notes and a little pineapple. There is a slight astringent smell to this almost like a hop soda. Taste is bitter and tart with a nice malt backbone. Its not too hoppy and is balanced nicely. This is an ode to Garret Oliver's sticking with traditional balanced beers. Brooklyn's IPA is nice and balanced. Its got a strong bitter hop bite and aftertaste that is well matched with the pale malt sweetness. This is an excellent example of an English-style IPA.
Posted by Russ Labels: English IPAs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
