Middle Ages ImPaled Ale

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

Apr. 19, 2006; 12 oz. bottle

First rating of a product from this local brewery. Looks a bit "light" and tastes somewhat so for an IPA. Outstanding fresh, sweet aroma of citrus & yeast. There’s bitterness here, but maybe too little else to balance it off properly for anyone weaned on some of the more "muscular" IPAs. Quite enjoyable nevertheless, and would serve well as a "session" IPA or complement to a meal.

From a 12 oz. brown bottle with no bottled/freshness date. Made a very good appearance, poured a hazy copper with fluffy, semi-clingy, off-white head that slowly settled into a thin, bubbly lacing, good carbonation. Had a sweet earthy and floral hop nose with a malty fruitiness. A smooth, creamy light-ish medium bodied mouth feel, good drinkability. Earthy hoppy and a fruity maltiness with a toasted graininess, an English butteriness showing up towards the end and a crisp hoppy, fruity finish with a little buttery flavor lingering in the palate. A nice American take on the English IPA from Middle Ages, tasty and quaffable. Acquired in a trade with fellow BR Jah Noth, many thanks!!

Cask conditioned at Mahars in Albany. On a night that UAlbany takes UConn to the edge, I enjoyed some good NY beer. This was nice and hoppy with a great feel to it. The aroma was very earthy, very nice.

Pours deep golden amber into a shaker. Cottage cheese aromas. Active head. Fairly well-balanced and starts fizzy with a slightly creamy/dairy bitter finish.

Aroma:Butter ’diacetyl’,hops..... Appearance:Clear gold-orange,light head... Flavor:butter,caramel,soap hops.....

This beer is an India Pale Ale or IPA by style, and it is an excellent one. Impaled Ale seems to take the best of both British and American examples of the style, as it is brewed with British malts, a British yeast strain, and American hops. It isn’t a throat peeling, hop monster of an IPA, but one that has great hop aroma, flavor, and bitterness. It is one of the most drinkable and enjoyable IPA’s you will find on the US market, a pint after pinter. As stated in earlier reviews of Middle Ages, they use a British strain called ringwood that gives their beers distinct earthy and buttery aromas and flavors. You will find that signature yeast character in Impaled Ale, and it makes a great beer even better in my opinion. Middle Ages Impaled Ale pours to a beautiful, light amber color with a thick and creamy white head, and a good bit of carbonation. The nose on this beer is excellent with fragrant aromas of piney/citrus hops paired with yeasty/earthy aromas, and light aromas of biscuit malt. The palate is firm with lots of good pale and biscuit malt flavor paired with light buttery flavor and estery fruit. Impaled Ale finishes with more malty, buttery, and estery flavors up front, then ends with a very pleasing, spicy, piney hop bitterness that lingers. I really enjoy this beer, and it is one of my all time favorite IPA’s. This is a very quaffable IPA, one that has plenty of hops, but is not so over loaded with hops that you could not have a session with this one. Impaled Ale is a very food friendly beer and would match well with classic pub grub. I was able to enjoy this one fresh on draught at the Blue Tusk, a legendary Syracuse beer bar, and you will find free samples of this one pouring at the brewery. Retailing for about $6-$7 a six pack in bottles, or $3-$4 a pint glass, Impaled Ale is well worth seeking out.

Bottle (12oz). Poured hazy deep amber with a good sized creamy-foamy off-whtie lasting head. Aroma is quite light, sweet citrus mild hops, very light roasty malt, sweet apple and tangerine juice. Taste is quite bitter, grapefruit rind and juniper, mild malt backing, the bitterness actually builds on the long citrusy finish. Mouthfeel very astringent and sharply lively (not really all that carbonated) - finishes dry. Interesting but not great - as Argo0 suggests, you can tell it’s not one of the classic (Stone et. al) west coast IPAs.

(12oz bottle) Medium off-white head atop a crystal clear apple juice body. Aroma is medium sweet, orange, some caramel. Taste is moderately sweet, orange/grapefruit, some caramel, some dryness in the finish. Medium body with light resin, nicely drinkable. Moderate bitterness, certainly more than the aroma suggests. Decent IPA, never to be mistaken for West Coast.