Saint Arnold Elissa IPA

Saint Arnold Elissa IPA

A traditional India Pale Ale, the Elissa IPA is very hoppy with a properly balanced malty body. Elissa has huge hop additions in the kettle that give it a wonderful bitterness and is then dry-hopped in the fermenter to create the pleasant floral, hoppy nose. Our reverse osmosis water makes the bitter very soft with no harsh notes to it. The maltiness is derived from British Maris Otter malt. Its rich flavor stands up to the hops that would otherwise dominate this beer. The Elissa is an authentic version of the IPA style which was first brewed in the late 1700’s in England for transport to the British colony of India. The high level of hops combined with higher alcohol levels worked as preservatives to keep the beer good over the long voyage to India where conditions were not conducive to brewing. This beer is named after ELISSA, a tall ship now moored in Galveston. Ships like ELISSA were used in transporting IPAs to India. Saint Arnold is donating a portion of the proceeds of this beer to the Galveston Historical District for preservation of this ship.
3.4
573 reviews
Houston, United States

Community reviews

3.1 Shared 12 oz. bottle. Pale amber with a white head. Aroma of malt and light citrus. Taste is malt, floral notes, hints of citrus. Decent.
3.2 Aroma: sweet and hoppy; very nice; Appearance: light amber with thin white head that dissipates quickly; Taste: pretty tame; slightly hoppy and very smooth; Palate: medium body with long, slightly bitter finish; Overall: not bad; would probably buy again if looking for a light IPA.
3.6 Pours a nice deep amber color. Aromas of hops/hops/citrus. Strong hop flavors with malts and a dry finish.
2.6 Bottle sample at a tasting at Dancing Camel. Thanks David Cohen. Deep golden-copper. Aroma of malt, caramel, stale hops. Sweet flavor with malt, caramel, and a bitter stale hops finish. Medium-bodied.
3.0 Golden-bronze. Earthy with a light lemony note. Earthy and again lemony, medium bitterness. Hops are pretty dull.
3.4 Pours light amber boozy head. Aromas spicy hop, light floral and some herbal. Flavors light pine, herbal, light floral, slight spicy. Medium bitter, medium sweet. Ok.
3.4 bottle with twist off top?. Medium copper pour with a small off-white head and light lacing. Aroma is floral and spiced hops. Tastes are sweet malt, bread, grass, citrus. Grainy in the moderately bitter finish.
3.5 Originally sampled on 4/11/08- i have to say this was a fairly decent IPA. It poured a dark amber with a little head, fair lacing, with citrus tones. Hops were well balanced not to overwhelming. The aftertaste was slightly bitter. It is worth a try.
3.2 Sample at St Arnold Beer Hall. Clear amber with a frothy offwhite head. Mild hoppy wheaty aroma. Medium bodid with moderate carbonation. Low sweetness and a mild herbal bitter character. Drinkable but very commercial.
3.3 12 oz. bottle from my secret santa. Thanks man! Pours a reddish amber with a medium off white head. Hoppy aroma with mild caramel notes. Nice, floral. hop aroma. Flavor is a bit more malt forward with medium bitter notes. Medium bodied, above average carbonation. Nice.
3.2 Rated based on notes taken 4 May 2014 -- Aroma is pretty good, malt base is great. They did a good job on this one.
3.4 Draft @ Titanic Brewing. Pours clear dark golden color with white head. Floral and grassy aroma with some biscuit malt. Grassy and slightly sweet malt flavor with some citrus and moderate bitterness. Medium body with average carbonation.
3.4 Cask @ Ginger Man, Austin. Deep amber with a creamy white head. Nose of burnt caramel, grass, pineapple and mandarin orange peel. Taste is similar. Sweet malty character with a grassy bitter finish. Hints of pepper. Soft carb, easy going. Solid.
2.5 Nice local brew. A little on the malty side for my taste. Nice caramel color and smooth finish.
3.7 Appearance: pours with a small beige head that fades quickly, the beer is a slightly hazy slightly golden copper color Aroma: caramel malt, slight citrus, pine, Taste: nice caramel malt sweetness, very nicely balanced with a slightly less aggressive hop bitterness, bitter finish, Palate: lively carbonation, light mouthfeel but not super light, mild bitter aftertaste Overall: very pleasantly surprised, just a very well balanced beer, I'd say the malt is slightly more assertive than the hops but not by much, drinkable
3.5 This beer is more malty than hoppy, although that is not a flaw, just an observation. Strong malt, hops is more in the background with a slight grass. Great for session drinking
3.6 Pours golden and a little hazy. Little to medium head leaving some lacing around the glass. A light floral aroma is noticed. Light carbonation. A sweet citrus spruce flavor with a dry finish. This is a great IPA!
3.4 Draft: Copper with white head. Nice floral with bitterness. Nice hops bitter grain.
3.6 12 oz Bottle. Tasted on 3/3/15. Bottle from Total Wine Frisco,TX. The aroma has a slight earthiness with light citrus. Taste was balanced with a slight sweet malt flavor followed by hop bitterness. Overall a decent IPA.
3.6 Pours clear pale gold with a short, short-lived off-white head, spotty lacing. (3/5) Nose is doughy yeast, pale malt, earthy and grassy, mild citrus and tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky lingering finish. (4/5) Somewhat surprisingly, this is much more a traditional English-style IPA than the American style I was expecting. The flavour of the Maris Otter malt and the yeasty presence certainly temper the hops, and while it’s not necessarily malt-forward, it’s certainly malty (and yeasty). Not bad at all. (15/20)
3.4 Positively wonderful after a week in Honduras. Pours golden amber with OK head and lacing. Some citrus and a little hay. Medium bitter finish. Fizzy carbonation. Bottle at Houston airport.
2.1 Nice golden-copper color, but leaves much to be desired in terms of taste/flavor
3.4 Twist off bottle, oddly enough.......a deep golden pour with a medium white head which lingers a bit......aroma of cotton candy, touch of grass......taste is a nice medium mouthfeel of a British IPA with just the slightest hopinness. A touch of pine, then sweet maltiness followed by a medium bitterness.
3.3 Tap. Cloudy Amber, offwhite lace. Citrus, light minty hop aroma. Medium light, dry metallic body. Berry, earthy hop, a hint bubblegum. Minty fresh aftertaste. Pleasant.
3.6 Back with Z, pours a rusty orange amber color with a small head. Nose is bitter sweet citrus with mild pine and hops. Taste is also bitter sweet citrus with prominent hops and some mild malt, well balanced. Finish is sweet with a moderately long well balanced finish. quaff score 7 / 10
3.4 Bottle. Pours a dark orange with an off white head and aroma of hops and citrus. Taste is bitter, of hops, citrus, resin, and grapefruit with a dry, bitter finish.
4.0 A good IPA, very easy to drink. I think this particular IPA is what got me hooked on my IPA craze lately
3.3 Bottle - Pours a hazy golden amber with smallish, tight carbonation head. Aromas of sweet tropical fruits and grass. Taste has citrus, malts, and dry bitterness. Interesting IPA.
3.3 Amber likeep pour. Some hints of pine and floral aroma. Some spice Ness floral hints of fruit and lots of malt... Moderate body and carbonation. Ok.
3.3 More an English ipa. Hop aroma and bitter grassy taste. Malty honey like flavor. House yeast overpowers the flavor.