It's been a while since I did a Skype collab review, so Peter of http://youtube.com/TheMasterOfHoppets joins me to review this British IPA sent me in a trade with http://youtube.com/ZakAvery Peter and I both like IPAs, but neither of us has reviewed that many British IPAs, so this was a great way for both of us to explore the style at the same time.
2.6
AROMA 4/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
I received a 500ml bottle from a friend in England. I poured it into a nonic pint glass.
Appearance: bright, almost fluorescent banana-skin yellow. Slight hazy. Forms a fluffy, white head which retains well and leaves nice lacing.
Smell: Due to the olive-green bottle this beer has clearly skunked as if it were in a light green bottle like Heineken. A deep inhalation reveals some citrusy notes, but otherwise it’s not very aromatic.
Taste: Sometimes a skunky-smelling beer isn’t quite as foul in the taste, but Thornbridge Jaipur was just as bad in the palate. From start to finish there’s a sharp sour tang with an accompanying hop bitterness. If I really dig deep I notice some lemony qualities, but they are buried by the skunky sourness. The bitterness almost seems salty in a way and perhaps if I had some food to go with this beer it would help balance out the flaws.
I know the beer isn’t meant to taste this way, but I have to review what’s presented before me and even though the bottle’s freshness date would seem to indicate it’s quite a fresh beer, there’s plenty of things that could account for the skunkiness. I can tell there’s something more genuine, refined, and authentic to this palate at the core, but the spoilage is obscuring it.
Mouthfeel: Slightly thick, tepid and noticeably dry while in the mouth.
Drinkability: While only 5.9% ABV, Jaipur drinks as if it were a beer twice its size. The salty bitterness is very strong on the tongue and the dry, salty aftertaste is as far from refreshing as you can get. I could tolerate the palate, but I had to drink it in sips. I think a fresher bottle would be more drinkable.
Overall, a very disappointing experience especially considering this was a gift from a friend directly from the source (or the home country at least).
Grade: 3/10
Appearance: bright, almost fluorescent banana-skin yellow. Slight hazy. Forms a fluffy, white head which retains well and leaves nice lacing.
Smell: Due to the olive-green bottle this beer has clearly skunked as if it were in a light green bottle like Heineken. A deep inhalation reveals some citrusy notes, but otherwise it’s not very aromatic.
Taste: Sometimes a skunky-smelling beer isn’t quite as foul in the taste, but Thornbridge Jaipur was just as bad in the palate. From start to finish there’s a sharp sour tang with an accompanying hop bitterness. If I really dig deep I notice some lemony qualities, but they are buried by the skunky sourness. The bitterness almost seems salty in a way and perhaps if I had some food to go with this beer it would help balance out the flaws.
I know the beer isn’t meant to taste this way, but I have to review what’s presented before me and even though the bottle’s freshness date would seem to indicate it’s quite a fresh beer, there’s plenty of things that could account for the skunkiness. I can tell there’s something more genuine, refined, and authentic to this palate at the core, but the spoilage is obscuring it.
Mouthfeel: Slightly thick, tepid and noticeably dry while in the mouth.
Drinkability: While only 5.9% ABV, Jaipur drinks as if it were a beer twice its size. The salty bitterness is very strong on the tongue and the dry, salty aftertaste is as far from refreshing as you can get. I could tolerate the palate, but I had to drink it in sips. I think a fresher bottle would be more drinkable.
Overall, a very disappointing experience especially considering this was a gift from a friend directly from the source (or the home country at least).
Grade: 3/10
