Samuel Smiths India Ale

Brewed by Samuel Smith
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Tadcaster, England

Lucky to find this. What’s everybody’s damage with finding good beers in a convenience/grocery store? The Publix in Vestavia had this, miraculously, and I dig it. Not as hoppy as the ESBs I’m used to, but I trust Sammy. Great hoppy taste, okay laces, real fruity. Top five IPA/ESB in my book.

Orange color, dense head. Gusher. Citrus, red berries and hops in the aroma. Not as abundant as in American IPA’s, but it is there. Fairly strong earthy hopbitter flavor with citrus and red berries. Tasty, pretty well balanced ale.

Bottled. picked up at SH Jones Bicester 28-09-06. Amber in colour with a white frothy head. Hops and malts in the aroma and very much in evidence in the taste which was pleasant but not wonderfully exciting lingering bitterness completed things but just ok in my book.

Aroma is hoppy and fruity, with a little bit of caramel malt backing to it. Appearence is a dark amber color with a medium off-white head. Flavor is somewhat buttery and creamy, with a decent hop texture to it, and the light sprinkle of caramel in the backing. Palate is bitter, long, and has some decent carbonation. Nice ESB I liked it.

Nice golden honey color. I was expecting the aroma to be more floral, like an IPA, than what it was. Lots of sweet caramel malts as well as a decent hop profile. Flavor was the same, but not quite a richand complex as the aroma would lead you to believe. Not a bad ale at all, defintely a good session brew.

Clear sparkling amber, creamy light tan head. Buttered caramel nose with tones of warmed fuzzy fruit and florals. English hop bitterness up front with tones of dried fruit and florals. Just a small touch of sweet malt late. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, dry bitter finish. Perfect session brew...

Pours golden with a thin but lasting head. Sweet malty aroma is quite mild. Flavor is english hops but pretty mild as well. Good amount of smooth bitterness hits the tongue. Strong at first and then dissipates quickly, slight bitterness lingers for quite some time though. Solid but not spectacular.

(550 ml bottle) Pours clear medium amber with about 3" of frothy biege head that very slowly recedes. Nose is sugar-candy sweet with some caramel and brown sugar with another pleasant organic note I can’t put my finger on (fresh pumpkin maybe?). Mouthfeel a bit thin, pretty smooth. Lots of sloppy lacing. Flavor is moderately bitter with some light candy sweetness and caramel. Finishes a little bitter with a medium bitter aftertaste. Pretty good but another example of flavor not living up to aroma.