Town Hall 1800 Old English IPA

Brewed by Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

For this beer, brewmaster Mike Hoops found an IPA recipe from the year 1800, and tried his hand at re-creating it, with with one little fudge. The hop additions (Fuggles, for sure, and maybe EK Goldings?) 5 lbs per barrel, were spaced out more during the boil than the original recipe called for, to make it more palatable and allow us to enjoy it now, rather than the length of a boat ride to Bombay. So, let’s drink ’er! Lovely bright orange color. opaque and appealing, with a huge, creamy white head, (helped some by the Duvel glass I employ in this tasting). Big, citric aroma, a mix of grapefruit, orange, peach and more, floral, sweet and sout, very arousing. BAM! ooof! Kapow! This one grabs the palate and pulls it in for some mjor puckering! "Bitter much?" Powerful play in the mouth, very tart and citric. Mellows some after a while, leads into some juiciness, then it dries. Well-balanced, but the hops are king here, not quite enough of a showing from the malty side, but it holds ground well enough. Long, bitter citric finish, lasts long in the tastebuds. More fruit shows up throughout the glass, more peach, apricot, and also I’m noting some tiny green particles floating at the bottom. hmmm. It was a clean glass...I knew it was unfiltered, but never expected to find hop pieces floating about. Huh! Damn, this is nice! I find myself thinking it’s not like any English IPAs I’ve had, but yet it is one, it’s made from all English ingredients. Perhaps the problem arises from how far afield they are today from their origins...well, we’ll leave those matters for elsewhere and when, and just state that this is damned tasty, and I know that I’ll be going back for more, while it lasts!

Damn Pigfoot- how did you beat me to inputing this newbie?! Looks like someone else ran to TH pre-release for a growler. As far as the beer- I couldn’t agree with you more- The hops in this beer were clearly in the able hands of hopmaster Mike Hoops. They blend beautifully and powerfully with the malts to achieve an aromatic, sweet and spicy profile. The finish is dry with a touch of cinnamon. Not as wet and sticky as Hoops’ other hop filled creations, but very satisfying. The dryness of the finish reminds me of an English IPA- the fullness and power makes it clear that this is an American interpretation . Well done.

Golden 1/4 amber color, white large-bubble head, dry-hoppy, somthing floral in palate and aftertaste. Hops don’t quite match up to the floral flavor, but I would try it again nonetheless. Enjoyed on tap and from subsequent growler.

7th Anniversary Dinner night. Cask version. Dry-hopping fits this brew right, as it veers away from the fuitier side of IPAs in lieu of a straight punch. Think Hsing-Yi, not Pa-Kua. Loved it.

11/18/06 (rated in Feb. 2006) Re-rate: Nice hoppy aroma. Cascading body. Dark hazy amber. Thin, Guinness-like off-shite tight bubble head. Full sheet lace. No visible carbonation. Hazy. Very nice flavor, creamy, somewhat hoppy, sweet. Not sure if I like the hop all that well. Good flavor for a cask. Strong alcohol profile. Could be slightly sweeter. Mayble a bit too strong alcohol-wise. 9/6/04: 2004 GTM. Cask version. Aroma is intensely dry-hopped. Large white, large bubble head. Cloudy dark gold in color. Amateurish bent to it. Ar 8, Ap 4, Fl 7, Pal 3, Ov 14

On-tap at the brewpub: Chill hazed pale yellow, a bit of a rusty orange to it in some light - thin but firm off-white cap, good lacing in thick strings sticks. Aroma is a bit subdued but crisp and fair of some dry leafy hops and biscuit malts. Touches some floral and citrusy things. Taste is where its at with this one. Calm and steady even bitterness from front to back, easy and crisp, with a pleasant tone of pale malts and the hops are floral to start. Ah but the finish, awesome in the return, spicy, herbal, dry with very slight touches of orange citrus pith. Excellent finish. Complex and full of hop character in flavor, but not so much in the bitterness. Bitterness is there though with a citric/floral aspect and keeps a good balance. Feel is clean and crisp with a medium, steadfast body and one fantastic finish of hops which lingers for a good while. Almost a tart-like citrus with a brazen dry spicy/herbal/ floral mix....nice...almost seemed like a super fine bitter then an IPA, but I guess I can see where this does fit a more English style IPA due to its dryer malt base then caramel. Yet another masterfully drinkable ale by Hoops at Town Hall.

I had this on cask at the brewery. First cask beer, and boy that style does not disappoint. It is so smooth. Some of the flavors are more subtle, but it is so creamy with just the right amount of hoppiness. Cask would probably appeal more to the non hopheads, since the bittering hops don’t come out and hit you like a brick. Nice change. Would be interested to rate a non-cask version of this beer.

RBSG 07 on tap at THall. A clean light golden amber with a light lacing. The nose is heavy on the malt with hops coming through. A flavor of sweet malt with hops coming through in the finish and really dominate the rest of the beer. Good carbonation and solid full palate really stands out. I’ll sum this on up by saying again you owe it to yourself to drink a full pint.