North Cotswold Monarch I.P.A.

Brewed by North Cotswold
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Moreton-in-Marsh, England

Bottle 50cl. @ [ Chris O’s pre NYE Tasting ].
Clear medium amber orange color with a large, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white to white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, strawberry notes, light to moderate hoppy, orange. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20081230]

Bottle at Chris o New Year tasting 08/09. It’s alright. Quite a stable 10% IPA with decent flavours. It’s got a pretty good malty backbone, but it’s ok hop. Not too aggressive.

Bottle from Pigs Ear 08. Lots of cabaonation in a reddish beer. Very full bodied. Loads of malt, hoppy aroma more than dryness, some yeast. Somehow it comes out balanced, the alcohol is not very evident, but that is due to all the other ingredients. Peppery, dryish finish.

A Mes rate: bottle thanks to our Magic.
A fantastic red amber with a very good off white head and excellent condition. Decent spice and really good burnt notes in the aroma, hardly any alcohol showing. Slightly pukey malt but the excellent wood and toffee hold it together. There is definite burnt plastic in the flavour but the rest of it is so good it’s no problem. Thick and juicy resinous hoppage, stunning earthy malt with some good herbal character and a bit of pepper. Excellent bitter finish with a toffee background. Superb mouthfeel. This is an outstanding piece of brewing and exactly the sort of thing that brewers should be trying over here. An adorable and surprisingly drinkable English IPA at an American double IPA strength but with very well restrained booziness. Round of applause for this one.

Bottle thanks to Lucky ronnie. Shared with mesandsim. Aroma is plasticy, typically british yeast, however the sweet malt helps out immencly, the hops are subtle over such a massive body, but good stuff. Taste is big yet thin and drinkable, tasty alround and theres a great malt character.

Bottle-bought from the Royal show 2008 and quite expensive! A pleasant surprise as this brewerys beers haven’t really impressed me. Slightly lively on opening and poured with quite a large head. Full bodied but not overpoweringly so. Some maltiness but no real hoppiness which i expected from an IPA. Nevertheless it had a lovely clean and sharp taste. Pleasant copper coloured appearance. Recommended but beware, it is deceptively easy to drink for a ten per center.

Bottle, 500ml. A hazy copper colour with a large frothy head. A strong fruity aroma (orange, peach) with yeast notes. Perhaps some vanilla in there too. Taste is dominated by caramel, with plenty of roasted malt and a hint of barley. Some clove and star anise notes also. Medium carbonation and a fairly bitter finish. This is a beautifully crafted brew, reminiscent of a Belgian strong ale.

Bright bottled from the Banbury Beer Festical. Lots of nice dense white head on the original pint--a surprising amount survived--nice sticky layer on pouring. Warm copper. Abundant berry aroma, substanial honey, wintergreen/minty alcohol notes. A really interesting palate that makes me think of a sweet riesling--somehow light and yet viscous sweet at the same time. Flavor is a hefty dose of saltwater taffy and assertive minty hops. Lingering mineral finish. Present but not at all overbearing alcohol. This beer gets points for originality--can’t think of anything I’ve tried remotely like it, and I can imagine this surviving a long, hot boat ride rather well.