Carolina Brewery Flagship India Pale Ale

Brewed by Carolina Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Chapel Hill, North Carolina USA

Copper colored, with medium white head. Aroma of floral, grassy hops, honey malt, and black peppery spicyness. Tastes hoppy, with finishing citrus, spice, and fruit. Complex and smooth.

Draught. Appears a orange/copper color as clear as can be with a small frothy white head. Aroma is strongly of C hops (citrussy with some pine) with some clean crystal malt in the background. Flavor is caramel sweet upfront with plenty of citrussy and grassy/earthy hops with plenty of lingering hop bitterness and finishes dry and clean with maybe a tad of astringency. Body could be a bit fuller but it goes down smooth. Great beer, probably Carolina Brewery’s best but it doesn’t know if it is an English IPA or an American IPA.

This is a pretty nice local IPA. Very dry. Nice copper color. Much more grass than citrus or pine in the hops, but still enough malt backbone to keep it interesting. Solid brew.

A very creamy head formed and held above a bronzed copper body which itself held a light haze. Citrusy hopping suggests bitterness but a light floral quality and some caramel sweetness add a friendly twist to the aroma. Balanced flavor with an English feel. Lemon tea, not overly bitter... yes, this is a nice English-style IPA.

<font size=-4>Bottle courtesy of <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/View-User-14352.htm&g />

beer pours a brilliant gold tinted amber, with a well-formed white head that sticks around for a while and leaves good lace. nose is pretty darn hoppy, of the Pacific NW type. lots of pine and citrus here (especially pine). some underlying sweetness as the beer breathes. flavor is quite nice - a bit drier of a malt body than I expected, supporting a good shot of hop flavor and bitterness. a little astringency in the finish, with maybe some soapiness. not a bad effort.

Cask Stillage from the Jug at the GABF, Colorado Convention Center 26/09/2009 Big pine hop aroma. White head. Golden coloured strong in alcohol and hoppy. Slightly creamy on the palate with a little dryness in a bitter lasting finish.

On tap at the brewery. Pours amber gold color, witlh considerable carbonation and a thin, foamy white head. Small nose, but this is probably a result of the very cold restaurant. The beer, however, is served appropriately chilled, with aromas of pine and citrus. Flavors are heavily tipped towards hoppiness, sharp and piney. Unbalanced, but at least in the right direction. Light citrus notes remind of a West-Coast IPA. Above average, and one of the brewery’s best.

Growler from Santa. Thanks!
Pours a decent amber with slight carbonation. Body is a tad thin but still exudes a beautiful luster of dark reds and heavy browns. A hint of sour strawberry is noticeable in the nose, with a touch of floral syrup atop a nice buttermilk biscut. Flavor is a rush of soured floral notes, complete with a nice, rounded grapefruit finish. The beer leaves a nice, slippery film on the tongue that allows the flavors to further penetrate the taste buds. Nice beer. I’d love to have this fresh at the brewpub. And since I now have a growler, I have an excuse to at least go to the brewery for a refill. Excellent beer; very approachable and thoroughly enjoyable!