Fullers India Pale Ale (Bottle/Keg)

Brewed by Fullers
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
London, England

Quite a mass of malt here with a fairly subdued hop presence. Deep amber in color with an explosion of a head, this caramel malty drink has a hopping that really only comes through in a balancing, bitter finish. It’s little wonder that none of the ales that the British breweries label as IPAs (regardless of their originating the style) make it onto this database as such, usually becoming ESBs or pale ales in the transition. A "mild" American IPA would smother a tasty brew like this with its killer IBU levels. Whatever. I like this drink.

Bottle: Aroma is very malty with out much hop presence. Pours a transparent amber with a small creamy white head. Slightly watery caramel malt up front that lasts all the way thru with slight hops added in the finish.

Smells and looks good. Interesting flavor. One of those beers where after the first couple sips, I don’t know if I like it or not. After a couple more, it’s average/

Clear amber colour with light brown head. citric hoppy nose. mild bitter grapefruit hop taste. real mild for tha style

Pours a clear amber with an off-white head. Aroma is malty with biscuits with a hint of apple. Taste has notes of caramel malt, butterscotch, tofee and a mild dose of hops. Not that sweet moderately bitter. The taste fades into wateriness. Medium mouthfeel with good carbonation. Could use more malt in the body. Very boring. Definitely a Bitter, not an IPA.

Nice head...lovely garnet color,...aroma is fresh and fruity. Taste is not too hoppy, not too mild. All in all, underwhelming. For me, the American take on the IPA is the best example of what I love about the current brewing scene. American craftbrewers have returned it to the flavor, the hoppiness, the character it once had, centuries ago, while British brewers continue to dumb it down for our unsophisticated palates.

12oz bottle BBD 19/July/04 Very little head, only loose film, lazy carbonation. Hoppy, wet lumber in butter aroma, some carmel/bready malt. Nice body, good maltiness...hard water finish...bitterness mixes with sweet malt. Peppery UK hops highlight the solid malt base. Aftertaste really lingers. Overall, I hope this fairs better on cask. THis bottle was about a month past the BBD, but it wasn’t off...it just seemed OK. Certainly not as bitter as US examples.

Picked this bottle up in a "mix-a-six" at this hole in the wall liquor store in Clearwater. Rusty amber body, dense white head, lots of carbonation. Very malty....maybe to malty for an IPA. I suppose some would say this ale exhibits more balance than typical US examples. Maybe so, but I think the pendulum has swung too much the other (malty) way. Cookieish malt nose, some dryness as well. Decenbrew, so-so balance, and little complexity.