Dragonmead Crown Jewels India Pale Ale

Brewed by Dragonmead Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Warren, Michigan USA

Bottle courtesy of Sammy: Poured a dark brown color ale with a medium bubbly head with minimal retention. Aroma of bitter hops with some citrus characteristic is dominating. Taste is a well balance mix between some caramel malt and some citrusy and bitter hops. There might have been some English hops in there since the bitterness was more dry then usual. I thought this was relatively well done and slightly different then most IPA out there.

Pours a murky wood-stain brown. Thick head that holds up well. Lace just coats the inside of the glass in thick layers. Nose is a bit like wet paper. Not carboard but wet newspaper. Flavor is heavy on the malts--particularly caramel. Hops would rise wuickly to provide balance before dissipitating and not leaving much in a balance that sustains throughout. Medium body and maybe a bit sticky even. Decent enough for the style but there is something missing to make this a more noteable beer.

This pours out a deep amber/copper with some red highlights and a modest pale beige head. It smells of fruity malts, caramel, grapefruit, and a bit of pine. The hops aren’t as strong as I would like in the flavor, the ale being overly balanced to the caramel and toffee tastes in my opinion. It finishes on a lingering, mildly bitter citric note.

<font size=-4>Thanks to my The LoSBD colleague <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=2 for the bottle.<font size=-1>

From a bottle, courtesy of Duane. Shared at a tasting. The light khaki colored head topped a dark orange colored body. The aroma was typical grapefruit with some toast and a little caramel. The taste was grapefruit with some peanut shells and dry toast. A standard IPA.

Pours a lightly hazed copper brown, topped by two inches of light tan suds. Good head retention and adequate lacing. Light mix of caramel and grapefruit in the aroma. Smooth and creamy caramel malt, with a healthy dose of toasted malt as well. This is deliciously balanced by a spicy-bitter hopping. Medium body and moderate carbonation, there is something about the smoothness that just invites drinking. Better bottled than on tap for some reason.

Pours a very murky dark brown, with some red highlights around the edges. There’s a solid one finger head, that fades slowly to a nice cap, leaving behind a thick webbing of lace. This is probably the darkest IPA I’ve ever seen. Smell; It’s little subdued caompared to what I’m used to in an IPA, but still pleasant. Mostly it’s piney hops, with a little bit of a floral and tropical fruit profile. A nice maltiness rounds out the nese nicely. Taste; up front it’s pine tree and floral hops, with just a touch of citrus thrown in. There’s a spiced quality that I did not pick up in the aroma, with a bit of cinnamon and something else I can’t quite place, and some bicuity malts. Those tropical fruits come out in the finish, leaving a bit of a sweet finish. I didn’t get any of the diacetyl flavors that other reviewers have experienced, but it is light on the hops as compared to what most people would expect from an IPA. Despite that, I thought this was a very tasty and very easy to drink English style IPA. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, and on the creamy side.

Bottle. Pours a murky copper with orange highlights. Malt forward aroma with caramel and toffee showing strength. Bitter hops upfront in the flavor that linger nicely. Finishes with a slightly stale aftertaste.

12 oz bottle thanks to demitriustown for this bonus. Amber brown color with a nose of malt and a little pine. Sweet malt flavors that go into a raw earthy hop flavor that isn’t bitter, just bad like raw hops. Cloying finish, and as i continue to drink this becomes unenjoyable.