What: Brooklyn Brewery - East India Pale AleStyle: English IPA
Vessel: Pint Glass
Price: $1.79
Where: Home
When: April 10, 2008
Rating: 5
Comments: I really wanted to like this beer. I'm not sure why I wanted to like it - maybe because I remember hearing some good things about this brewery. I can't say this was a great introduction for me. For an IPA, it's a bit different than I expected. It has a malty smell, but a hop taste (kind of). The hop flavor isn't the hop flavor I'm used to - it's more earthy (less pine or crisp than what I expect). I wouldn't buy it again, but I will try some of their other offerings.
Ratebeer Link: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/brooklyn-east-india-pale-ale/530/
4 comments:
I have had this beer once but don't remember it well. If I had to guess you were expecting an American IPA and this is designated an English IPA. One of the things I learned getting into the realm of homebrewing is English IPAs are much more subdued compared to what we see brewing in the US. They are generally significantly less bitter with a bigger malt backbone. I generally seem to think of them as having a grassy hops flavor compared to American IPAs which are usually more citrusy or piny.
I personally prefer the American variety of IPAs, but find from time to time an English IPA just sounds good. I will have to give this one another try at some point.
Another thing to point out is that Brooklyn's brewmaster is also a food-beer pairing guru. He generally doesn't like hop bombs, thinks they ruin food. So that probably explains why he went with a less powerful, English-style recipe in making Brooklyn's IPA.
That said, I'm not much of a fan of this beer either. Not much of a fan of English IPAs in general.
Brooklyn is pretty overrated, in my opinion. Over priced too!
Gents - thanks for all the good info. I'm thinking I much prefer the American IPA v. the English.
Good tip on the food paring, also. Makes sense not to pair a hop bomb with any food that has some complexity to it.
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