Carolina India Pale Ale

Brewed by Carolina Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Holly Springs, North Carolina USA

Bottle. Sweet fruity aroma. Some hop. Beautiful, reddish amber; cloudy. Slightly off-white head. Some messy lace. Initial mouthfeel is very hoppy. Very lively on the tongue. Not as sweet as it smells. Could use a touch more sweetness to help cut the hop. Still a pretty nice brew. Enjoyable. Thanks Cornfield for hooking me up with this brew.

Nice sessionable IPA. It pours a slightly hazed amber body with a thick yellowish head. Good lacing. The aroma is malty with caramel. There’s plenty of fruity scents on top of that, grapefruit and pineapple and a touch of pine. The drink seems balanced more like an APA until a late surge of piney bitterness fills the mouth. Tasty.

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(Bottled on 10/18/06, Best by 01/18/07) This ale looks mighty tempting in the glass; the head is thick and the lace is tight. The nose is full of fresh hop aromas and tropical fruit. The palate is exotic with abundant flavors of coconut and piney hops. This is a nice and balanced ale that I would classify as an APA.

From notes 5/22/05: Pours a brilliantly clear deep golden color with plenty of orange highlghts. Thin airy white head reduces to a thin film. Loose spotty lacing left behind. Aromas have a hefty malt backbone, immediately followed by a citrusy juicy hop note. Malty flavors initially grace the palate, but juicy hoppiness then takes center stage. Not an overwhelming beer, but the hop nature is easily noted and not missed at all. Lingering bitterness in the aftertaste. Thirst-quenching? Definitely. Drinkable? Oh you betcha. We need more IPA’s brewed here in NC, and this one satisfies the need quite nicely.

Oranish tan, slightly hazy. Thin white head leaves quickly. Pleasant aroma, oranges, grapefruit, spice. Flavor is well balanced but somewhat boring. A nice refreshing brew, I would consider this more of a regular pale ale.

Bottle. Golden color with creamy white head. Aroma is grapefruit and straw which are both due to hops, but I would almost swear that I noticed some malt in there. Flavor is similar to aroma--mostly hops with a little malt thrown in. I would like a bit more of a malt balance. Overall, a solid beer.

Bottle. Pours a nice copper/gold color. This didn’t really do it for me. Citrusy and hoppy, and would be refreshing if it weren’t so bitter. Just bit a little too hard for me. Fairly complex, I can see why some enjoy this. This won’t change your mind about IPAs if you aren’t a fan.

12 oz. bottle. Slighlty hazy deep amber with a small, whitish head. PIney hop aroma followed by a hint of malt. The NW hops dominate the flavor from beginning to end. JThe base of caramel malt flavor comes through, most evident right before the bitter, astringent finish. Very drinkable, but for my taste needs a little more malt character to balance off the hops. Seems a little overly dry hopped for a true IPA in my opinion.