Cape Ann Fishermans IPA

Brewed by Cape Ann Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Gloucester, Massachusetts USA

The beer pours a nut brown color with large bubbles and nice laceing on the glass. It has sweet smells of tart and hops. As you drink it the tart taste drys the back of your palate rather quickly and there is some mild woody and earth flavors. it kinds of tastes like a red wine meets hops.

Pours a ruby hued brown with a large sudsy, dimpled tan head with great retention and lacing. The nose is intensely piney and resiny with a solid sweet malty presence. Most of the flavour is dominated by the bitter character these hops, which hinders other flavours from coming through. There is a sweet bready malt backbone which adds some citrus (grapefruit), dried fruit, and caramel to the flavour, but piney bitterness in predominant throughout especially in the finish. The palate is so chewy and thick. This is a full bodied IPA if I’ve ever come accross one. The finish is extremely drying, sucking every last bit of moisture from the tongue, leaving only piney hop bitterness.

I am a big fan of strongly hopped American IPAs, so this is in the style I prefer. Deep amber pour, huge firm tan head suggests a big, chewy beer. Nose of sweet malts and citrus. Taste is a veritable slam of chewy malts, orange, caramel, and a long bitter finish. Great malts and great mouth suggest to me that this will be high alcohol, but it’s not, earning some bonus points.

Bottle: poured a nice rusty orange hue with a fairly solid foamy head. Subdued aroma, almost musty, almost like cheerios, really. The drink is equally chewy, richly malty, with a whole-grain bagelishness almost. There’s a bit of fruity edge right up front, but it mellows almost immediately into the quaff. Different than the average American IPA, but tasty and sessionable, to be sure. (#3001A, 8/16/2007)

Pours cloudy dark amber. Fruit notes from the hops with a sweet yeasty maltiness. The btterness of the hops comes into play with some toasty bread on the palate. Nice balanced finish.

12 oz. bottle from slob! Pours a hazy copper-amber color, with a smallish off-white head that leaves stringy lace. Biscuity and somewhat fruity malts, floral notes, dust and lightly citrus hops. Toasty with a bit of caramel, nicely hopped with herbal, dusty and more citrus, lemon zest and a bit of grapefruit rind in the finish. Medium body and gently, tingly carbonation. Not outstanding to a west coast boy like me, but certainly an enjoyable IPA.

Honey coilored with off-white head. Aroma is caramel malty with a hint of hops. Taste is same with some pithy grapefruit bitterness. Not bad, but not a great IPA. $2/12oz

Bottle; pours a brownish orange. Aroma of citrus, caramel malt, and fruit. Flavor has a nice earthy hop and roasted finish; fairly bitter. Some caramel malt in the beginning. About average for me.