Battle of the (India) Pale Ales - Quarter Finals 5 & 6

Quarter Final 5 - Battle of the English Pale Ales

Timothy Taylor's Landlord 50cl 4.1% abv - €3.10
Thwaites Indus Pale Ale 50cl 4.6% abv - €2.99

I used to drink a lot of "Landlord" in Embra when I was over there, it was often the only Pale Ale in a pub so I ordered it by default, mostly in "normal" bars that didn't have a lot of casked ales. The Thwaites I haven't tried before but they do a couple of smashing ales namely their Double Century Celebration Ale and their Wainright Exquisitely Lovely Golden Ale. 

Timothy Taylor's Landlord
Amber and slightly cloudy in the glass, with a decent foamy head, this is a little underwhelming, not much on the malt front and with only a little bitterness. Hmm, I guess it needs to be on draught/keg to shine?

Thwaites Indus Pale Ale
Looks very similar to the Landlord in the glass but not at all cloudy. This is better, the flavours work better together and the bitterness of the hops add to the whole rather than sticks out.

Winner Thwaites Indus Pale Ale

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Quarter Final 6 - The War of Independence


Flying Dog Doggy Style Pale Ale 35.5cl 5.5% - €3.29
Thornbridge Jaipur India Pale Ale - 50cl 5.9% abv - €4.39

I had never heard of Flying Dog brewery before coming across it in Molloy's and Flying Dog seem to have quite a few ales, but I chose the Doggy Style as, by alcohol, it's in the ballpark with most of the "premium" IPAs. The Jaipur I used to drink from the cask whenever I could find it in Auld Reekie , it is wonderful "that way".

Flying Dog Doggy Style Pale Ale
Amber, almost red in the glass, there's not a huge amount of hops here, but there is a smidgen of malt. Nicely balanced but maybe a little on the mild side for my coarse appetites.

Thornbridge Jaipur India Pale Ale
Straw coloured and cloudy in the glass, with a nice frothy head. I do like this, lots of hops and some nice citrus flavours. Also nicely balanced but with just a little more oomph.

Winner  Thornbridge Jaipur India Pale Ale