One great find...one so-so

A couple weeks ago (yes...this is long over due), Gavin took me to the Coat of Arms in Portsmouth. I'm always on the look out for beers I've never had before, and the Coat of Arms would surely satisfy this week's quest. It was here I tried a couple new beers....Green King IPA and Fullers ESB.

I quite enjoyed the Green King IPA. However, upon receiving my beer order, I knew this wasn't going to be your typical IPA. It had that dark golden to light amber color, but what really drew my attention was it's unique head. It was thick and creamy. Kind of like a Guinness. Actually, quite like a Guinness. And it never dissipated. It left heavy foam rings all the way down the glass like a Guinness. After discussing this with Sean and Amber later, Amber informed that this was how they do it over in Scotland. This realization excited Amber very much. The aroma was very light and floral. You could definitely smell the hops. This IPA was very smooth...maybe the tiniest hint of carbonation. It had that bitter bite of an IPA, but was significantly less hoppy (or hopperific as I like to say) than any other IPA I'd ever had. You might say it was even slightly watery. And it finished off dry. I actually really liked it. For serious hop heads and hard core IPA drinkers, this would hardly satisfy. But for those like me who appreciate hops, but don't like to go overboard, you'd really enjoy this one.

My second round was a Fullers ESB. It was a medium amber color, very clear. It had a frothy, quickly diminishing head, that left minimal lacing. The smell was nothing to speak of. There was no detectable aroma. Now...granted I was in a pub in New Hampshire where smoking was allowed, so I may be tempted to smell this one in a different situation. But, honestly, all I could smell was water. Which of course smells like nothing. So I was unimpressed by this character. The flavor was slightly malty, initially sweet and then quickly turned to bitter. It left a slightly oily feel in my mouth. I found nothing "extra special" about this ESB. Again...I'd be willing to try it in a setting w/ no smoke and where I won't be eating smoked haddock pie (it was gross...it was like eating bacon flavored fish). But I can't even blame it on the fish...I had the beer before my dinner.

So, there are my 2 reviews. You can easily see I enjoyed the Green King IPA far more than the Fullers ESB. I'll look for the Green King in stores to bring as my next contribution, but if you get the chance to dash up to the Coat of Arms (an outing anyone?) I suggest you try it. It's a completely different take on IPA.