I love the months before the Christmas holidays. It is when all the gift sets and fancy seasonal brews start to come to LCBO stores in throngs. A couple of days ago I picked up the new Samuel Smith seasonal pack, which differs only slightly from last years. The difference is that this season's pack comes with an India Ale brew. Fantastic!
The India Ale has a medium to deep amber color and is just a touch hazy. It pours with a short, lacy head, which recedes to an off-white ring shortly. The aroma is a bit more malty than I expected, but at least the scent of roasted nuts add to the pleasantness. Hops are also there, but not as much as I expected. The taste is much better than the aroma with a nice and rich punch of hops and some maltiness at the start. The same roasted nuts notes appear and stay until the finish, which is fairly bitter (I love it), hoppy and just a bit dry. For now getting the seasonal pack is the only way to try this Imperial Ale so go and get one. You also get a nice Samuel Smith pint glass, which I have been using on almost a daily basis.
Scores:
Cost - $13.95 for Samuel Smith's Selection box
Taste - 8.0/10
ABV - 5.0%
Overall - 8.0/10...great Samuel Smith brew, although I wish it could have been more bitter
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