McEwans India Pale Ale

Brewed by John Smiths (S&N, Heineken)
Style: Bitter
Tadcaster, England

12oz bottle. Hops? Erm... I didn’t know we were supposed to put hops in it. This beer is a very pretty color (dark coppery brown), but the nose is bland and generally beery, and the flavor is just as bland. I can still smell a hint of hops, to be truthful, as I can taste it, but I’m disappointed in this one. It’s also got a bit too much sharp carbonation for my taste.

Tap at MacNivens. Looks like a brown. So why call a bitter IPA? Definately not an IPA. IF it is an IPA it is terrible. Off-tasting metallic water. No bitterness. No real anything that is good. Like alkaline water. Very bad. Two sips and done.

From the bottle.

Pours a brownish tan with a modest head. Sweet malts dominate the aroma, with grassy hops whispering through here and there; the flavor is similar, sweet malt like a scotch ale, a bit of UK hops but certainly not IPA-level, pretty strong sweetness, not much of a dry finish. Coupled with the rather aggressive carbonation, this sweetness leaves the overall product tasting closer to a cola than a good IPA or even a good bitter. On the positive side, there’s nothing glaringly unpleasant about the beer; I’d be happy to drink it if necessary and so it can pull a 2.5 or 2.6 without having much else to recommend it.

This was the only IPA that they had at the bar I happened to be at, so I figured why the hell not. Color is a subtle golden-amber with a short-lived quarter-inch head. The aroma reminds me of Spanish Peaks Black Dog Ale, more of a molassas scent than hops. Slight almond hints as well. The taste is more like a typical American Pale Ale, I can barely taste any hops at all. The finish is slightly bitter, like sourdough bread. In a pinch it’s not that bad, but if you really like IPA’s, pass on this beer.

Poured from bottle into shaker glass. Light brown and clear body with an off-white head. Aroma wasn’t very appetizing. All I could think of was "stale hops". Bleecghh! Taste was somewhat similiar, but with an unwelcome addition of boot leather. This is the weirdest IPA I’ve ever tried. I’m glad I didn’t pay for this one.

I’m not sure how they call this an IPA, it is more like a watered down northern brown ale. Very clear, dark copper with a sustained white head. It has nutty, caramel flavors, and no real hop character. Very watery and dry, with no finish.

Bottle. Pours an almost golden brown with a light white head that lingers. Light malty aroma. A caramel bite to it with a watery aftertaste. Definitely not an IPA. Boo! I’m happy I only got one bottle of this at the store, I would have been pissed had I bought a six pack and gotten this crap.

Mar. 17, 2006; 12 oz. bottle

Re-rate on Apr. 4, 2006: This stuff is bad. Tastes like an old, flat diet cola. Definitely avoid.

A big surprise -- not what I expected at all. As others have said, this is not an IPA as they are commonly known. Full aroma of metal and burnt fruit as dark as the pour. Bitter (read: metallic)? Check. But, there’s no good recipe of malt sweetness to envelop it and give it meaning. Watery? Check.

The first half of this glass was very hard to take; the second half, less so. I have the remainder of a six-pack to win me over but, at the moment, I’m giving this a "thumbs down."