Hill Island Brewery, ThaI.P.A., 4.3%abv. (Spiced/Herbal Ale)

Purchased at the micro-brewery itself, in the centre of Durham, during my visit to the city last X’mas; filtered and pasteurised, bottled in a 500ml brown bottle, BB 07/2013, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

3.5/5 A: dark golden to light amber in colour, coming with a fast dissipating white foamy head and mild carbonation.

3/5 S: upon the pour, initially the smell is full of lime-zesty hops and aromatic like a hoppy pale ale; as hoppiness decreases, the full-bodied, mixed spiciness (as indicated on the beer label) comes to the fore – mostly ginger and lemongrass, with a touch of saltiness and coriander (fresh coriander) lagging behind, while kaffir lime leaves are rather timid, if at all noticeable; the malt body is very weak, a bit too weak to help retain a balance. At times the nose even reminds me of a lager shandy plus a touch of quinine…

4/5 T: effervescent on the palate, the foretaste contains lightly stinky Fuggles-like hop flavour and biscuity malts, underneath a lighter flavour of mixed spices, then quickly, the full-bodied hop bitterness with a mild citric-zesty aroma takes over. In the finish, the lightly tannic taste of citric hops and a strange, lingering note of limey fruitiness (maybe coming from the kaffir lime leaves?) linger with an intriguing touch of phenol, sharing the attention of the palates with the decent, continuing flows of bitterness.

3.5/5 M&3.5/5 D: rather refreshing on the palate, though at times the carbonation comes slightly more than necessary; this pale ale tastes rather hoppy, while the hoppiness is smartly balanced by the spices and herbs described on the beer label. Also, due to the light maltiness, the overall flavour gears towards the bitter and spicy end, making this ale a food-friendly partner all in all. Not bad.

--Yau (12/01/2013)