Schlafly Export IPA

Brewed by Saint Louis Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Maplewood, Missouri USA

Bottle: Orange-golden and somewhat hazy with a big ol’ foamy head. Nice visual. Also a nice inviting citric aroma. And I didn’t expect this ginormous chewy character -- piney, acidicly citric, tangy and active. Nice hoppy brew! (#3034, 7/17/2007)

Bottle. Yarr! Schlafly delivers nicely. Pour is an orange color, while head ranges over two fingers high, dies down a bit but laces nicely. Aromas are of grapefruit and pine with some creamy caramel malt in the background. Flavor is magnificent and picks up all the elements that are present in the aroma... balancing them together. Darn good.

the bottles says... "A meal of bread, cheese & beer constitutes the perfect food." queen elizabeth I this beer poured a golden yellow, quite clear with a wonderful off-white head that settles in the middle of the glass like a dollop of ice cream. it’s leaving lacing like 9000 (that’s a lot of lacing). the taste is fruity and spicy and a bit bitter, but with a sweet finish. this is a great beer, far exceeding any expectations i might have had since i’m typically not an IPA guy.

From a 12 oz. bottle with a short blurb on the neck label, a bottling date in the center of label, APR.30.07, sampled at cellar temperature in a pint glass. Poured a orange hued bright copper with a frothy, foamy white head that slowly settled into a thin sudsy lacing, a fair amount of ringed sticking. An English IPA nose, orange and tropical fruity, earthy, tea leafy as well, with a light backing of caramel graininess, the aroma really invites you to taste this. Good carbonation, tiny bubbles flow from the bottom to the top during the whole duration, and a crisp, dry, slick, creamy smooth medium bodied mouthfeel, very nice. This is a delicious tasting EIPA, tangerine sweet with a little rind bitterness, the hops also have a nice tea-like taste, a light touch of butter, caramel grainy malts whose sweetness add to the hop taste, the alcohol is not very noticeable, making this dangerously quaffable, and a crisp, dry, tangerine and rind, soft grainy finish. This is one of the best English IPA’s I’ve tasted, showcasing Schlafly growing prowess as a first rate regional microbrewery.

(draught - cask conditioned version and regular version at the Tap Room) deep amber with small white head and nice lacing (cask version with less of a head). Floral hops aroma. Flavor is floral/grassy hops, not overwhelming. Well balanced with malt. The cask version had a nice smooth mouthfeel. I just wish it didn’t have quite as much alcohol so I could enjoy more of it at a sitting :-)

On tap at Schlafly Bottleworks. Deep amber with a medium off-white head. Aroma of grassy and citrus hops with some malt sweetness. Body is smooth and nicely balanced, starting out with a sweet malt flavor and then moving into a citrus hop burst that’s not too bitter. Solid effort again from St Louis Brewery.

Pours clear copper with a rocky beige head that leads to good lacing. The aroma has lots of earthy / woody hops with a hint of citrus hosp and very clean caramel malt. Medium / full body with pleasant soft carbonation. The flavor starts with fruity maltiness and lots of woody hops with some pineapple. The finish is woody and highly resiny with a Simcoe-like taste. This lies somewhere between a traditional IPA and jacked-up IIPA. A unique beer I plan to have a few of. Another thumbs up for the Schlafly Special Release series. I can’t wait to see what is next.

Rating 1068, bottle purchased from the Schnucks at the corner of Hampton and Chippewa. On sale for 7.50 a sixer. Nose is full, lots of grains and just a touch of rusty hops. Taste is strong on grain and hops, good balance and just a touch of alcohol. I think that if this had just a bit more of alcohol Id go nuts over this. But regardless, this is a quality brew that I will enjoy more of in the future.