Dragonmead Crown Jewels India Pale Ale

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

Poured a very dark copper with a decent head which stuck around for almost the entire beer. Smelled very sweet and slightly spicey. Tasted sweet with perhaps a hint of honey. Finishes with an interesting and delicious smoothness that makes this beer very drinkable. I would definitely recommend this brew!

Hand pulled at D’mead. Nice hoppy aroma. White, medium, frothy head. Redish orangish color. Flavor starts off hoppy and finishes mild. Try this one first when you visit Dragonmead.

Number 601 starting the next 100 with a Michigan beer.from the dragmead website it looks the only why you can get this good beers is in the bottle. poured reddish copper with alight tan head that stayed around and left some good lacing. aroma a nice blend of caramel and hops a nice sweetness, than out came some malts. flavor I don’t think I have had a IPA like this one the way the flavors came out were a little different was expecting to hops to jump out first but no the malts and caramel hit the taste buds first, than got the blast of hops at the finish and some sugar sweetness comes out. I think this is one of their bettr beers I have had

Very clear copper body roofed by a medium sized, spongy soft, off-tanned foamy top that keeps for a few minutes before leveling off to a good skim and collar. Big curtains of lace stick in foamy ledges. Malt sided aroma with toffee sweetness topped with a fresh leafy hoppyness thats quite unique with a nice herbal oil quality. Slight citric, oranged edge to it too. Taste is mild yet broad with a sturdy hop flavor of freshly dried hop cones and oilyness mixing with a biscuity caramel backing and a buttery soft sugaryness that grows as it warms. The hops tend to slide to the middle then the sides as the maltier tones take over the remaining palate. Toffee and butter extends its arms from there. Some orange oils seep and soak in and out as does a flighty herbal/floralness. A bit warming in the trailing half as the body is fairly solid from the malt base. Feel is interestingly complex and well crafted within the flavors as its quite smooth with the malt foundations and yet textured in a liquified, fluffy cotton candy hopified leafyness. Remarkably bold and fairly big with a belly filling silky smooth breadyness and throaty warming. A solid EIPA. About what an actual Pale would taste like after the long trek, just like back in the day of using the elephant. Or so I imagine. Perhaps a taste of history with this one.

Dragonmead Crown Jewels India Pale Ale 12 oz bottle Recent brewing, plundered 03/07 Moderate pour in a tulip glass. Poured a slightly hazy amber brown with a moderate frothy somewhat lasting head. Smelt of strong grapefruit, dried fruit, sweet barley sugar, moderate pine and sweat. Taste was upfront moderate to strong roasted barley and pine and grapefruit with sweet dried fruit tones followed by a moderate to strong bitter sweaty and moderate fruity sweetness on an average length finish. Palate was medium bodied, creamy, velvety, caressing and soft, lively carbonated and moderately astringent. Overall, an IPA that feels like an american strong ale or a weak barleywine. Flavors are very nice though. Softest palate on a beer that I’ve seen yet.

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.

Pretty quality standard ipa. Notice more malt than usual, but I kind of like how its coming across. Quite sweet, with a nice hop backdrop. Wish I picked up more of this stuff.

Date: 06/02/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Roadtrip

dark clear red, whispy off white head, touch of lace, sweet carmel malt aroma with big grapefruit, creamy body, nice grapefruit flavor, good carmel sweetness, lasting mellow bitter finish, a great creamy session IPA without being over the top

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4