Freeminer Trafalgar India Pale Ale

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

Maybe not the worst IPA I've had, but I know Freeminer can do SO much better (see Deep Shaft Stout). This beer just didn't have any semblance of what I consider an IPA, English or American...where's the hops? And what's up with the avalanche of carbonation with this? It felt like I was drinking some 7-Up type beverage with that high fizz.

The beer pours a very nice looking medium amber color, hazy with a gigantic sized head. The aroma was straight-up fruity with an unclear floral/perfumey character that I didn't chalk up to hops, but rather the yeast used. Flavor is masked by the harshness of the beer, but pushing aside the bubbles there is a smidgen of sweet fruityness there. The overcarbonation lingers after awhile causing quite a bit of extraordinary burping. Whew...no thanks.

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

slightly hazy amber colour with a very modest foam, a solid citrusy and spicy hoppiness shows up in the nose; oily mouthfeel with a medium to full malt body, harsh and very long bitterness, the finish is very malty, long and bitter, yet unclean and with some notes of alcohol

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

Looking at the brewery's website, I confirmed what I had suspected -- I have had this before. I was only thrown off by the fact that they've issused this beer with a new-and-improved (and rather unique) off-kilter triangular label.

I am curious if they've modified the recipe at the same time as the label change, since I don't remember being all that enamored with my previous sampling of this. Either way, this most recent sampling is a hum-dinger of a fine English Ale, IMO.

A bit of foam from the mouth of the bottle when I first popped this open, but not really a "gusher" per se. Once I got this into my Old Thumper imperial tulip 500mL pint glass, the foam calmed down, and presented a reasonably rocky and sturdy head of foam, that later gave way to a fair amount of lacing.

A nice interplay of typical English yeast-derived esters, and less ethereal East Kent Goldings in the aroma. Perhaps a little off-putting for folks not used to English ales, but pure satisfaction for me....!

Ditto for the flavor profile. Said to clock in at 50 IBU's, which, in my mind, is right where it should be! The fact that this is mostly Goldings and Fuggles keeps this quite "old school", but this is quite worthwhile, for us spoiled West Coasters who can get 75-100 IBU IPA's seemingly at a drop of a hat. Enough complexity in the malt bill to provide a nice firm base to the hopping, making sure that this isn't an English IPA that pussy-foots around (read: Greene King, Tui, and/or Alexander Keiths "IPAs").

A really great IPA (English or otherwise), that I would love to someday find being lovelingly hand-pulled from a fresh cask. Definately *the* English IPA that I will use to judge all others of the style....

Highly recommended.
//TB

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 5

This beer has an incredible orange amber color, a very thick head and lots of lace, however, that is where my good thoughts of this beer end. the aroma is sweet and fruity, almost like fermented apple cider, with some yeastiness in the background. the flavor is bitter and hoppy with a hint of fuity sweetness, but the flavors just don't seem to blend well.