Family India Pale Ale
Country England ABV 5.0%
Price $$$$ Packaging 12oz/355ml, 18.7oz/553ml bottle
Characteristics Bitter, malty, yeasty

Overview The heart and soul of English IPA is in Burton-on-Trent, but there’s not a lot of it sold in North America. While we had some frustration trying to get fresh samples, tasting the difference between English and American IPAs is worth it.

Flavors and aromas This is a challenging ale to evaluate—as are many of Samuel Smith’s products—because it is hard to know whether the samples we taste are representative of the brewery’s output. It does show the facets we expect of an English IPA: strong English malt character, palpable bitterness, and perhaps some diacetyl. If you’re not bothered by overt butterscotch character and some green apple as well, you’ll like this. But freshness dating and bottle-conditioning would likely make this a much more reliable product.