Samuel Smith India Ale

Samuel Smith India Ale. 

5 % ABV, Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Tadcaster, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom. 

Clear, copper colored, slim, off-white head. 

In the nose: Crisp, clean, mineral, herbal, maybe. Slight fruitiness, but not the ones you're looking for. More like apple, pear, melon. Definitely an English ale.

In the mouth: Fresh and fruity, lightly bitter, judiciously hopped. Clean and mellow. Slightly sweet malt flavor. Light bodied and crisp. What should English IPAs taste like? This. It's all about the water. 

I love the beers of Samuel Smith, but this one has never been my favorite. My favor for English IPAs/Ales fell off long ago when I went heads over hills for American IPAs. I still love traditional English porters and stouts, though.

I addressed this when I first took notes on this way back in March of 2003, and I gave a 4.3/5, a good 16% above the average. Here are those notes: Color is a gorgeous ruby red, head is fine, full, and off-white in color. Aroma is overflowing with fruit: peach is on top, but we can also detect apricot, grapefruit, orange, citrus. Very sweet and inviting. So drink it already!

Deliriously delicious! This is a terrifically well-rounded IPA: not too hoppy, with malt providing just enough support. Very little bitterness upon the palate, and surprising for an ale with an aroma so redolent with sweet,delightful fruitiness. On the tongue, more fruit flavors come through, too. I'm picking up cherries, and melons, and good gosh, it's gorgeous. Extreme drinkability. Some minimal bitterness comes through on the palate, but not to trouble the average beer drinker. An excellent introductory IPA. Me, I like mine much hoppier.

A terrifically well-rounded brew, and very drinkable. Finish is simple, sweet, and ever-lasting. Another excellent Smith offering.