Caledonian (Heineken UK)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Available: nationwide
Zesty in character and jam-packed with a creamy finish, the Newcastle Winter IPA is full-bodied and hoppy, delivering unique and authentic malt flavors for the cold season and snowy matchdays.
ABV: 5.2
ABW: n/a
Color: Burnished copper
Bitterness: 32
Original gravity: n/a
Sweet floral aroma, almost perfumey. Not urgently bitter, though it does come through at the end… but only after some odd changes. First taste is sweet, then the floral component moves in along with some sweet orange, and tapers off to a thin bitter finish. On a hunch, I tried it with a mellow cheddar, and it opened up beautifully, found some apple-like esters and a solid body I hadn’t noticed before. Some beers just need a little help.
The first whiff of this “Brilliant British Ale,” as it is billed, delivers red apple and dryish caramel notes, plus some subdued nuttiness and a hint of toasted rye bread. The front offers more apple notes and some brown sugary malt leading to a faintly minerally, mild-mannered bitterness in the body, with nutty tannins subduing any lingering sweetness and leading to a bone dry, not too bitter finish. An intro-style British IPA that proves hops needn’t slap you upside the head to assert themselves, but also one unlikely to impress hopheads.
Lew Bryson writes about beer and whiskey from his home in southeast Pennsylvania. He has a family and two dogs. That's all you need to know.
Once described as “beerdom's Brillat-Savarin,” Stephen Beaumont is the author of five books and countless articles on beer, spirits, food, travel, and how it all goes together.
