TOPIC:

Blind tasted the two. IMO two excellent beers. Identical glasses and temperature.

HG much cloudier than GI, and its head fades to a thin film while GIs stays firm. The HG is much thiner in the mouth with a pronounced citrus flavour. Is this the hops? I'm just an enthusiastic amateur and lack the lingo and expertise to tell. GI was much smoother and rounder with a pleasant sweetness and close to a draught in mouth feel. Of the two I would prefer the GI but would certainly drink the HG again.

I live in Limerick, is there any structured tastings where I could educate my palate and indentify what it is I taste?

Not sure I have heard of a course in Limerick, but a good place to start on your own might be with the IPA is dead series from brewdog. One batch hopped with different single hops.

"CDow":jkt6y7m4 wrote: HG much cloudier than GI, and its head fades to a thin film while GIs stays firm. The HG is much thiner in the mouth with a pronounced citrus flavour. Is this the hops? I'm just an enthusiastic amateur and lack the lingo and expertise to tell. GI was much smoother and rounder with a pleasant sweetness and close to a draught in mouth feel. [/quote:jkt6y7m4]

Citrus does tend to be hops, especially (though not exclusively) American hops. In Howling Gale that's Centennial and Amarillo; Goose Island has Centennial and Cascade.

Look up the hops in a beer and then look up the characteristics of the hop variety and see if you can taste what you read about - that's a simple way to learn on your own.

And I agree; GI IPA is especially creamy and smooth among pale ales.

I love doing stuff like this.
An American IPA will tend to be more of everything than and a regular PA. More Bitterness, more aroma, more alcohol which would make it difficult to pinpoint precise differences

For your next go try out some beers which come from the same category:
Here are some I have done recently

Goose Island Harvest Vs Sierra Nevada Celebration
Odells IPA Vs Great Divide Titan
8 Degrees Sunburnt Vs O'Hara Red
Rogue Oatmeal Stout Vs Dungarvan Coffee and Oatmeal Stout

"KeeganAles":1tjr7u9j wrote: Citrus does tend to be hops, especially (though not exclusively) American hops. In Howling Gale that's Centennial and Amarillo; Goose Island has Centennial and Cascade.[/quote:1tjr7u9j]
A fantastic example of what can be done with old skool hops, including English ones, is Brooklyn East India Pale Ale. Put it beside GI, and it's hard to decide which is nicer. I think I'd give it to Brooklyn.

Freshness will have a lot to do with it. older beer gets sweeter as the hops drop out both flavour and bitterness. the gipa would be older than howling gale i presume. HG is thinner than most Pale ales though.