TOPIC:

Escaping from the mountains of Mayo to the hop county of Kent on a recent jaunt to the UK I had the opportunity to taste test two great beers certainly not available in Mayo.

Fist up the defending champion – in my top 10 as long as I can remember – a beer which all others are measured by – un-disputed king of American pale ale - [b:8mq0gc7x]Sierra Nevada[/b:8mq0gc7x]
From across the pond - the challenger - its new, young, dressed flamboyantly in a cool bottle. - From the highly respected [b:8mq0gc7x]St Peters brewery India pale ale.[/b:8mq0gc7x]
This was one that was always going to go the full 12 rounds but I am happy to say the 3 judges came out with a unanimous points decision St. Peters India pale ale by a whisker!
If you see it for sale, grab a bottle and taste for yourself

Haven't seen St Peter's IPA - is it an English or American style IPA?

I would have to agree with you westbrew. Sierra Nevada American pale ale is my favorite beer. Very hard to get though recently. I used to get it in O,briens in athlone, but they can,t get it anymore. Would love to try the St. Peters.

They do make some great beers. The Pale Ale is wonderful. When it was on tap in The Porterhouse last year I didn't think it was as nice as the bottled versiom, it was drier and less aromatic. I had it on tap in New York in January though and it was a different beer - a better match for the bottled version.

The reason I ask about St Peters is that Sierra do an English style IPA which is the best English IPA I've tasted, it really grew on me the more I drank it last summer, haven't seen it in a while though. So many of the English 'IPAs' are nothing of the sort so it's probably not surprising that the Americans are doing a better job at the style.

"bigears":1i3mglxu wrote: So many of the English 'IPAs' are nothing of the sort[/quote:1i3mglxu]Whaddya mean? I would go so far as to say American and English IPAs are two different styles -- I would expect different things from both -- but unless you start going all BJCP on us I doubt you can rule the Sassanachs out this way. Actually, I just checked and the BJCP even recognise the difference[/url:1i3mglxu] between the American and English styles, not that they're any sort of authority on such things.

Anyhoo, I'd be interested in re-enacting this bout some time. I've never had St Peter's IPA, nor seen it on sale here. Their beers tend to vary between the amazing, the workmanlike and the boring. Most are great, though. And I would say that it's as English as English can be.

"TheBeerNut":176de8tj wrote:

"bigears":176de8tj wrote: So many of the English 'IPAs' are nothing of the sort[/quote:176de8tj]Whaddya mean? I would go so far as to say American and English IPAs are two different styles[/quote:176de8tj]
I agree completely, maybe I should have phrased it differently:

Most English 'English IPAs' are nothing of the sort; for example Deuchars (3.8% IPA? Come on..) and Greene King. They are dumbed down both in terms of alcohol and in hops. The likes of Sierra Nevada IPA is more of a 'traditional' English IPA. St Peter's I can't comment on but I would like to try it.