Smoky Mountain Tall Ship IPA

Brewed by Smoky Mountain Brewery & Restaurant
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Gatlinburg, Tennessee USA

Sampled at the 12th Annual Knoxville Brewer’s Jam. Deep orange copper with a thing ring of off white head and some small floaties, was told this was unfiltered. Sweet malty aroma, slight hop resin harshness. Some caramel flavors, very English and traditionally styled IPA, light hop finish but a lasting one. Re-rate at the Turkey Creek location. Hazy copper-orange with a nice white foam. Aroma is fruity, toffee, caramel, some pine hoppiness. Taste is again sweet, caramel, fruity, grassy, pine finish. Original rating 6:3:6:3:14

I had this on tap at the brewpub in TN but didn’t take tasting notes beyond the numbers, unfortunately. I was there with my fiancee and she gets bored with my details.

The body is clear gold with a white head. Well balanced but not too bitter or too sweet. Served a bit on the cold side but this one should satisfy someone wanting something hoppier than the Appalachian Pale.

Draft sample at KBJ08. Poured clear copper color with an average frothy white head that was mostly lasting with good lacing. Moderate citrus hoppy and dough aroma. Medium body with a slick texture and flat carbonation. Moderate bitter flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of moderate duration. My expectations where met.

Draft at Gatlinburg location. Hazy orange in the glass with a creamy off-white head that leaves a thin layer lasting and good lacing. Hoppy aroma. The flavor has caramel malts backed with some lighter citrus hops. Light to medium body that has a medium bitterness throughout. Grainy/wheat aftertaste. Needs more hops!

Cloudy orangetn head. Smooth aroma (that’s what my notes say, anyway). Flavor is very English, Fairly well balanced, with a pretty susstantial malt profile. Mellow hop bite. Sampled at 2008 Brewer’s Jam, Knoxville.

on tap at Pigeon Forge. Pours a semi-hazy dark gold with a nice head. The aroma sports a bit of sharp hops, but doesn’t really jump out at me. The sweeter scents seem to be reminiscent of toffee. Not a whole lot of hops present in the flavor either for the style, but I do get some residual drying stings in the finish. A hint at grapefruit rises up every now and then as well as a rubbery bite I associate with ESB’s. Not too bad, but it didn’t really blow me away either.
[August 3, 2008]
On tap. Pours a cloudy bright gold with a fluffy white head. The aroma definitely has citrus notes, some grapefruit, lemon, and husky malts, but it’s not powerful by any means. Lots of citrus is found in the flavor as well, but nothing that really takes on a solid identity. I can tell this is an IPA and it is pretty clean, but I need more from this. Still, it’s a serviceable session ale.

Draught at Pigeon Forge location. Pours murky gold with a small head. Not much room for a head considering the very full pour though. Aroma has a decent hop presence, but there is also that definite strange, almost gummy, sweetness that seem to be in all of the Smoky Mountain brews. The hops seem to lack in the flavor department though. The flat cardboard/bready finish quickly become the dominating factor. Too bad they didn’t accidentally double the hops in this one.