Advantages: Top quality IPA with a wonderful hoppy flavour Disadvantages: More than 6 pints and you run out of superlatives!
My first experience of Jaipur IPA was in March 2007. I was holidaying in a cottage in the Peak District and decided to try a pint in the village local. I do have a penchant for hoppy beers and on taking my first sip realised that here was something special. Several pints later I trudged back down the lane in the snow to the cottage, already looking forward to returning to the same establishment the following evening. That following evening as the barman poured my first pint of Jaipur I wondered whether it would be as superb as my first encounter the previous night as things generally tend to impress most on first visit - I wasn't dissappointed! I asked the barman about the brewery and he told me that the Thornbridge Brewery was in fact only 1/2 mile away in the next village. The next morning I was on to a well-known directory enquiries ...
richph 21.01.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Jaipur IPA
Advantages: A great IPA Disadvantages: Not always available
Marston's Old Empire is a good exampel of the IPA type of beer. Or rather, for the modern version of what IPA is. (IPA stands for India Pale Ale.)
I had only ever tried the bottled version of this IPA, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to find it on draught in a Wetherspoon's pub in Birmingham.
Describing this IPA will not be an easy task. It has a decent, light colour. A nice head (not too much, just right) and a good smell which is a combination of bitterness and sweetness. Like a sweet and sour meal? Not quite...
The taste? Ah! The taste! There's a hint of fruit to it. Well, more than a hint. Some IPAs remind me of Irn Bru, as they veer too far to fruityness. Though Old Empire doesn't make this mistake, thank goodness!
There's also a very distinctive hoppy feel to it. This beer has, in the best traditions of IPA, been ...
Advantages: A fine example of the IPA type of beer Disadvantages: Nott all Landlords can keep it properly
Caledonian Deuchars IPA is a very good example of the India Pale ale type of beer.
Caledonian Deuchars IPA looks and smells like a fine pint of beer. But when you taste Caledonian Deuchars IPA, you will probably realise that it is one of the nicest beers that you could ever possibly taste. Well, that's my opinion, but then, that is what Ciao is all about, our own individual opinions!
Some IPAs taste too much like an ordinary bog standard bitter. It's as if the head brewer has heard of IPA, but somehow can't quite bring himself (or herself) to actually brew a proper IPA.
This is certainly not the case with Caledonian Deuchars IPA! The head brewer at Caledonian and his staff really know there brewing.
If they say they are going to brew a proper, traditional IPA, then that's what they will do.
Caledonian Deuchars IPA has ...
