Dragonmead Crown Jewels IPA (365 Day 4)

By scot in 365 Days of American Craft Beer on Sunday, December 5th, 2010

Oh the weekend, what a wonderful time to sit back and have an American craft beer. The day was active as we had to dig out of five inches of snow (dig, who am I kidding, I cranked up the snow blower), built a snowman, that the kids demolished, had some lunch, and then we were off to a 50′ hill for some sledding goodness. My son did get side swiped by a some teenagers on their sled but otherwise it was a good time.

After a busy day, I was looking forward to the day’s beverage: Crown Jewels India Pale Ale by Dragonmead Microbrewery an English IPA. IPA, for the non beer enthusiast, stand for India Pale Ale. I had recently visited Dragonmead, so I was looking forward to trying another one of their fine beers.

Before I began, let me state that this style of beer isn’t my favorite, so yes, there is a chance my review is biased. As expected the beer was more malt forward than the average American IPA. Subtle citrus notes came through in the taste more than the nose. The most interesting part was the fact that there seemed to be a touch of roasted malt, adding a nice complexity to the beer. A good beer and I would have it again, probably one of the better within the style I have had. Enjoy!

Aroma: 8, Taste: 8, Look: 9, Drinkability: 7, Overall: 7.8