Tuesday 8 September 2015

Flagship India Pale Ale

Pittsboro, North Carolina is the home of the Carolina Brewery and the birthplace of Flagship India Pale Ale. I enjoyed a 355mL can of the copper coloured grog. The can featured a nautical theme, bearing the image of of a four masted ship, but no indication of the percentage (according to the website, it contains 5.9% and 66 IBUs). It did, though, feature the slogan "First in Flavour", a cute nod to NC's famed "First in Flight" slogan.

Flagship poured clear and sassy, speckled with yeasty deposits, and with a covering of off-white head. An English-style IPA, it had a warm, malty aroma built around caramel notes and backed by a hint of floral hops. Caramel sweetness drifted through the flavour as well, along with a dose of modest hops--bitter, but not battering.

A buttery-textured ale, Flagship had a lot to like, little to distinguish, and less to complain about. It was a nice beer. Flavourful and fine, it was the kind of India pale that one could down in unseemly quantities, had one the inclination and nowhere to go. While it didn't wow me, it did deliver pretty near to exactly what I was after. A brew that I'd happily revisit should my travels turn me back to the Carolinas, as they seem, periodically, to do.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

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