Meantime India Pale Ale

Producing a wide range of sometimes quirky beers, London’s Greenwich Brewery, the home of Meantime Brewing, offers up a traditional take on a constantly updated style. Deservedly proud of their unwavering use of traditional British ingredients, Greenwich pumps Meantime India Pale Ale chock full of Fuggle and East Kent Golding hops, resulting in an almost historical beer experience. The sample pours a faintly hazy dark gold shot through with scintillating flashes of copper, and it is capped by a creamy, snow-white head. The aromas emerging from the glass are a pastiche of fruity esters, earthy hop notes and bready malt. Nick was transported by the hops he described as “earthy, herbaceous, redolent of East Kent Goldings” and enjoyed the counterpoint offered by the “sweet lemony beurre blanc” fruitiness. An adeptly balanced beer, Meantime India Pale Ale plays malty sweetness, firm hop bitterness and fruity esters against each other, yet it keeps everything in harmony. Tom had high praise for the cookie-like malt and earthy hops early in the flavor and was surprised by a “lush melon and peach finish.” Likewise, Lee zeroed in on the profound fruitiness and took comfort in the “sweet cherry on the tongue, courted gracefully by the earthy hops.” To a person, the panel agreed that this is the perfect IPA to reach for when you need a break from its sometimes abusively hopped American cousins.