McNeills Dead Horse India Pale Ale

Brewed by McNeills Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Brattleboro, Vermont USA

(22 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with Eyedrinkale, thanks Mike!) This is a beer that really seems to get better as it warms up. My first few sips weren’t very pleasant, but as this beer has warmed, it’s opened up considerably. It’s a moderately flavorful IPA with a decent hops bite and bitterness balanced by a lightly sweet, mildly bready maltiness. The hops shows some yellow citrus notes vaguely like grapefruit, particularly in the finish, but it’s not a clear cut grapefruit flavor. The nose isn’t all that hoppy, however, and in fact isn’t even all that aromatic. Bright amber in color and fully cloudy in appearance. Large dark chunks flow out of the bottle on the final pour, many of which remain suspended in the beer, but some are large and heavy enough to precipitate quickly. Pretty small head is bubbly and off-white in color, fades to a small, bubbly ring, and leaves a few sprinkles of lace on the glass. It’s definitely not a bad tasting IPA, but with so many good IPAs out there, this one falls out around average to me.

I just kind of stumbled across the McNeills brewery on a drive up from New York City to Quebec, and quite frankly, Brattleboro was about the last place I expected to find a decent brewery. I was to be proven wrong, however. Seeing as how it was a while back, I can’t really remember all of the beers that I tasted, although the Dead Horse IPA was one of the ones that stood out. It was a coppery, rusty colour that was loaded up with a great deal of hops. It was cloudy, and packed with flavour. Though it about 500 miles out of the way for me, I’ll get back to Brattleboro and McNeills again.

Bottle conditioned. Rusty orange color with a grassy hop aroma and taste. Cloudy. Decent body and hop bite. I got this for $4.95 for a bomber and compared with other east coast beers it is over-priced for what it is.

Hazy red copper ale with off-white head. Pungeant hops and funky herbs. Complex sweet prunes and earthy hops, lots of grapefruits, intense bitterness and good hop finish. Rich mouthfeel. Bottle sampled with TiggMtl, MartinT, muzzlehatch and Rastacouere.

Hazy, deep amber hue, with a torrent of floaties flitting about...what’s that? Head is small, thin, tries for awhile, but never quite makes it... Aroma: nuthin’ much...I flare the nostrils deep and come up with precious little, some citrus, and sweetness lying underneath. Hops are quite quiet here. Taste: tiny tickle from hops at front, rides through the back of the throat, before disappearing. Light-bodied, minor mouthfeel...at first...this was a dud at first glance, but after a couple sips, it perked up, and the hoppiness became more prominent on the palate, juicy and fruity, zings on the buds, and plays nicely in the mouth. Still, lacks the bold bite I’m looking for, but pleasing enough.

Plenty of earthy oranges afloat on a soft carbonation...Full mouthfeel carries medium bitterness and somewhat straightforward with its caramel malt flavors (sometimes buttery though), but manages to remain very pleasant...A robust quaffer for a simple staffer...

Pungent, earthy, spicy hop nose with some under-lying non-specific fruitiness. Orange-brown, opaque body that has plenty of yeast in suspension and a decent lasting head. Aggressively bitter with some sweet citrus fruitiness. Bitterness lasts on the back of the tongue. Coats the mouth. Smooth body and prickling mouthfeel. Overall this feels a bit harsh and rough and not very well-rounded. It does however get a 0.2 bonus when sampled with strong cheese. Bottle enjoyed with with Lubiere, MartinT, muzzlehatch and Rastacouere(8-3-7-3-15=3.6). Resampled on cask at the brewpub - Fresh, herbal and leafy hops. Earthy spicy apricots with a chocolate note. Assertive bitterness is never overwhelming. Full-feeling in the mouth. Very enjoyable (7-3-8-5-15=3.8)

On cask at Mcneills, this was: Floral, very fruity, strong yet comfortable bitterness, oily texture. Worth a 3.6
22oz: Rather dark orange. Fine off-white foamy cover. Very original smell for an IPA. This is bolder than most, extremely earthy, spiney, a spiciness (lemonspice type) that made me think of Amarillo etc. Good grapefruit flavour is gently complemented by an oregano earthy agressive bitter finish, rather tart at that. Very fruity, yeastier than most also. Firm medium body, lively carbonated. Definitely worth a try.