Town Hall 1800 IPA

Here are my notes from July, 2004, of this brew I just recently re-enjoyed from a growler:


"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 major 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!"