Middle Ages ImPaled Ale

Brewed by Middle Ages Brewing
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Syracuse, New York USA

This beer looked and smelled fantastic in the glass. A smell of hopps and grapefruit, sadly the taste did not live up to that. Slightly bitter, and the hops carried through. Some interesting notes here and there, but slightly thin and not the best IPA I’ve tried.

12 oz single bottle, purchased unrefrigerated from Charles Street Liquors in Boston. No production/freshness date evident - so I’m a bit concerned it’s not at peak condition. Pours a copper, with lots of head - but perhaps not the best pour on my part. Somewhat of a malty aroma. The taste hits me at the back of my mouth, but doesn’t seem to fill the rest of the mouth enough. Some hops, but not enough interesting about this one.

12oz bottle. Poured a deep amber (almost copper) color with a larged sized off white head. Aromas of oranges, melons, light pine and some caramel. Tastes of pine, caramel and citrus. Thinner body.

Dark golden colour with small off white head. Very floral hops in the aroma. Backed by slight apple pearness. Light carbonation on a slightly dry palate. Smooth but still bitter on the back and sides of the tongue.

Copper body with a small tan head. Typical grapefruit/citrus hoppiness, sweetness backing it up. Pretty much your run-of-the-mill IPA.

So this beer, this brewery and I have a little history now. About a year ago I had an Impaled Ale at the Ginger Man on tap. At that time Middle Ages were kind of scarce in NYC (why? beats me). I really enjoyed it, which was surprising b/c I was even more of an anti-hop guy at the time. Never rated it but it definitely peaked my interest in their other products. Over the past year I have been able to try a few of their offerings. Unfortunately, they have all been disappointments that peaked at the Imp Stout, which I found to be the antichrist to all Imp Stouts. But there was a saving grace when it came to their Wea Heavy, basically b/c it reminded me of my own Scotch. And obviously, I couldnt really dislike them after that. But I am sort of ending the chapter on this brewery with the beer that started it all for me.

12 oz bottle poured into a Tripel Karmeliet glass. Pours dark copper with a small but frothy head. Aroma is strong and very original. Not like most IPAs (both west coast and British) that I have hade. Its hop dominant but its like a very lactose like hop. Creamy lactose orange is the aroma. I am guessing a great interplay of malt and hop thus adding to the strength. Taste is also orange dominated but less of that creaminess. While I love cascade its really not that dominate here, more of as a background player. Present bitterness. Full and soft mouthfeel. And while I am sure this wont be my last Middle Ages beer, I wont seek them out with as much vigor. Thanks for the adventures.

Nice hopfield next to an orangefield aroma. Big tufty spongey eggshell head. Semitranslucent, orange amber bronze. Tasty creamy head over nice fresh hoppy alcohol soaked hops. Real beer for upstate NY. Especially good years in Fall. Crisp bitter finish.

bottle. Pours a clear copper/orange color with a bubbly, foaming white head. The aroma is very bready with a fair amount of grapefruit and butterscotch. I like the initial taste of sweet lemon candies and pine and I also like the far-off finish of citrus, pine, and tea. What I do not like is the very chalky, piercing transitional phase between the sweep on my palate. But I get desensitized to that pretty swiftly and this becomes a tamer beverage with a palatable level of bitterness. It even seems a little generic with some more paper and apples coming through. This certainly doesn’t hold a candle to their "X" IIPA.