Burton Bridge Empire Ale

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

I was told that this is 'the original IPA' that Britain sent to India 200 years ago. I must have gotten a bottle from one of those batches because this beer was a huge disappointment. It started out as a nice copper coloured beer - but that was where the goodness ended. The aroma was way off - sour malt and skunkiness. The flavout was cardboard and grass. Yuck!

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

500ml bottle
7.5% ABV
I tried this beer on December 22, 2008 at "Smokeless Joe's" in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The beer poured a muddy brown with almost no head (although the bartender persisted that one he poured the previous night had a huge frothy head). The aroma was malt and a strong piney, citrusy scent. The mouthfeel was medoim bodied with medium carbonation. The flavour had a malt backbone with a very hoppy finish. An excellent beer.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Hazy dark golden colour with a rich white foam. Grassy hops in the aroma with touches of mild lemon, red apples and bread. Medium to full bodied with notes of orange-peels, white bread, rubber, grass and lemon. Grassy bitter finish with sweet undertones of pale malts and oranges.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Bottle courtesy of Hogtownharry: Poured a medium cloudy yellow/beige color ale with a medium foamy head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of english dry hops with a floral component is dominating and quite enjoyable. Taste is a mix between some malt that is quite dry as well as a hoppy finish with a dry aftertaste. Body is above average with low filtration and low carbonation. I have really been digging the English hops lately and this was very rewarding.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Poured with good head, clouded amber in colour. British water gives a lot away very quickly. A rotting wheat, off honey aroma. Smelt more odd than description sounds. Weird bready staleness in mouthfeel, with alcohol all too present. A great aftertaste with surprinsgly clean finish but with a very harsh mineralness. A little distasteful to me. Bad malt profile, no aroma. Weird and off centered, lacking in balance. I seem to dislike everything I could find in this beer, but I'd consider the thought that maybe there is more to it I am missing... will probably revist a Burton again. Thanks Harry for the sample!

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 8

"The sun never sets on the Empire". And indeed, in Britain's Empire days, it never did, Britain had colonies that spanned the globe. India was one such colony. British troops stationed in India needed their daily beer, and the pale ales of Burton on Trent answered the call. But India was a long way from England, pale ale would spoil on that long sea voyage, and trips over land. What was a brewer to do? The answer? Take that famous Burton pale ale, brew it to a higher gravity giving it more alcohol, and add generous additions of hops to act as a preservative. This hoppy, potent brew becomes very popular among the British troops stationed in India, and a sub style of pale ale is born. This beer is now called India Pale Ale. The Burton Bridge Brewery, of Burton on Trent, in the village of Staffordshire, England brewes a historical version of India Pale Ale. Empire India Pale Ale attempts to simulate what this beer might have tasted like to one of those British troops. This beer is a very strong pale ale, with a really firm pale malt body, and a very aggressive hop character. This beer is a real ale it is conditioned for six months in the cask(the average length of the sea voyage), and then is bottle conditioned as well, with the addition of more yeast. This has to be the hoppiest British India Pale Ale, I belive I have ever tasted. It just explodes with British, EKG hop aromas and flavors. Empire India Pale Ale pours to a deep orange color with a rocky, thick white head, and a very lively carbonation. This beer is bottle conditioned, you have to pour carefully, you do not want to pour any of the yeast sediment in to your beer. The nose is the first thing that really impresses. I could literally smell the very fragrant floral hop character as I was pouring this beer. This beer is dry hopped by the bail loads. The nose is very aromatic with hop character, coupled with some pungent yeasty aromas as well. The palate is a very firm malt backbone, really nice biscuit like pale malt flavors mingle with some sweet caramel malt flavor. There is also a vinous character to this beer on the tongue, and again, a slight back drop of yeast flavor. This beer finishes with sweet maltiness up front, then dries with some really nice zesty hop bitterness, and a soothing, slightly warm alcohol burn. This beer weighs in at 7.5% avb, the proper strength of India Pale Ale. An exceptional British tribute to what India Pale Ale must have really tasted like in the Empire days. This beer would be perfect match to spicy Indian fare, and would work really well with fish and chips. I was very impressed with this beer, hands down, the hoppiest BIPA I have ever tasted. The only knock on this beer is it is a bit pricey. This beer is imported by Beverage United, and I paid $4.99 for a 22 oz bottle. I think a beer as rare and special is worth it. Treat yourself to a taste of the Empire, and seek this beer out.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 6

Cloudy yellow amber with a booming white head. This one was a bit of a foamer. Banana bread and a bit of evergreen. This is fairly malty and the big esters give it a bit of uniqueness, but it could really use more hops to really be an IPA. It’s pretty bizarre, actually.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours a hazy light copper orange with a massive off white lasting head. Sweet malt, cookies, cooked sugar, floral hops, and alcohol. Upfront bitterness. Sweet and spicy. A touch of an alcohol. Lingers, but its not annoying. Recommended.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 8

Amber/orange brew with a thick white head.Orange blossom nose. Nice malt backbone balanced by some hops that give it a very floral character.Medium body with lively carbonation. Very enjoyable brew.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Pours cloudy golden-orange with a sudsy, lasting head. The aroma is surprisingly malty, a little wheaty even with floral topnotes. Caramel, dark fruit, and honey flavors are present, yet the finish is very bitter like an unripe persimmon. Satisfying medium body with gentle carbonation, however it feels very thick to the tongue by style, which I didn't really like. Decent, pretty good even, but I wouldn't drink two in a row.