Samuel Smiths India Ale

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

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.

Light brown with nose of citurs and a touch of roast. Flavor much the same with a light edge to the hops. Finish was clean.

Bottle 46F Pint. Malty chocolate notes appear most prevalent, good sweetness, but little to no hop smells. Light brown color, to maybe copper hues, light head with an slightly lower average lace. Good flavor very nice balance of hops, and malts, very nice infact. It finishes both dry and sweet, Good notes of coffee. Warm and very receptive, easily drinkable. Great flavor, Mouth feel is very tight lots of carbonation in very tiny bubbles, rich and velvety. Really a nice and fairly unique palate. A very nice brew, once again pure genius from the brewers at SS. In reality these guys should be making a larger percentage of the beer available in the world.

Amber color with a fairly big white head. Great lacing. Caramel, floral bitterness in the aroma. Solid bitterness in the flavor but not over the top. Hints of caramel malt. Smooth texture

Obviously not like American IPAs. That said, this is an extremely drinkable beer, and one that pairs better with many things than a West Coast IPA. Hoppy, fruity nose, standard British malt underneath. Creamy feel, surprisingly long finish. The hops work perfectly with the maltiness. Whereas British pale ales have a tendency to be a bit too malty for my taste, this is balanced perfectly.

This, I suppose is what IPA is supposed to taste like! - Not overly hoppy like those crazy American IPA’s ... had with Indian food (go figure). Very Nicely balanced.

Brown bottle. Aroma is sweet and hoppy. Light fruitiness. Pours a beautiful amber with a creamy, lacing tan head. First sip is what it’s all about: crisp, bitter, and hoppy. Fruitiness is only really suggested, never really presented. Would make a great session. Killer mouthfeel: thick body, creamy and hoppy. Doesn’t finish very dry. Overall, really nice, pleasant, balanced, well-made... but no flavor really takes control and brings this brew to the next level.