Beer Review: Thornbridge Jaipur

Brewery: Thornbridge

Style: IPA

ABV: 5.9%

Location: Bakewell, Derbyshire

Aroma: Distinctly fruity with tropical fruits such as pineapple, guava and grapefruit present; rather hoppy with hints of citrus permeating through in the background, with some residual tartness from the malt.

Colour: Straw coloured golden yellow with a hefty off white two finger head, which is unstandable given that they use low colour Maris Otter malt for their base. It is cloudy, which indicates that they don't use finings in the mix. 

Taste: Rather sharp and bitter with a background of maltiness cascading through. It has a creamy mouthfeel, without too much carbonation getting in the way. The menagerie of hops that include the likes of Chinook, Centennial,  Ahtanum, Simcoe, Columbus and Cascade rumble in the glass, trying to compete for attention, which helps give the beer its distinct flavour profile. Their is some hints of citrus fruit present, yet the overwhelming reliance of hops puts that quickly aside.

Verdict: A distinct and flavourful IPA that doesn't shy away from packing a punch to the tastebuds. The use of several different hops helps add to its overall flavour, yet the over-reliance of hops mutes the malty and fruity notes that help charecterise a traditional IPA, which somewhat takes away from the overall drinking experience. This beer is closer to a Brut IPA or NEIPA in style, so expect don't expect traditional flavours here. Although this flagship beer has won a number of awards for the brewery since it was first released in 2005, as an IPA I wouldn't rate this among my favourites.

Rating: 7/10