Hello and welcome back to the Eternal Hoptimist’s
On 7th June 2023 one of the major beers that started the craft beer revolution turned 18 years old, that beer was Thornbridge Jaipur that simply blew people away upon it’s original release and still has legions of fans to this day.
Over the course of the past 18 years Thornbridge has released various versions of Jaipur and several collaborations with other popular breweries such as Deya with a Jaipur/Steady Rolling Man cross over named Steady on the Jaips (Very nice too!) and most recently a collaboration with Salamander named Kashpur which I am yet to try.
In order to celebrate Jaipur’s landmark birthday I will be taking a look at three variations of the classic in this review; the original Jaipur (Happy Birthday again old chum), DDH Jaipur and the daddy of them all that I have been saving for the occasion, Jaipur X.
Let’s get the party started!
1. Name : Jaipur (5.9% abv)
2. Brewery: Thornbridge, Bakewell
3. Hops : Chinook, Centennial, Ahtanum, Simcoe, Columbus & Cascade.
4. Grain : Barley, Wheat & Malt
5. Aroma : Appealing zesty citrus aroma, with hints of grapefruit backed by a touch of lemongrass
6. Appearance : Pours a light straw colour with a fluffy two finger white head and good levels of carbonation.
7. Body : Light to medium body with a good mouthfeel
8. Taste : Has a very clean, crisp, zesty citrus taste with a lingering pleasant bitter finish. Extremely refreshing, highly drinkable and very enjoyable.
I have heard many people saying that Jaipur is not quite the same beer as it used to be but whether that is the case, we cannot forget just what a lovely and highly drinkable beer this still is. Packed with six different hop varieties, each combining well giving of a nice citrus edge and a lovely bitterness that is pleasant rather than overpowering.
Jaipur has over time won over 100 worldwide awards and it is easy to see why as it started as a classic and should still be considered so, eighteen years since its original release. Whilst brewing has evolved over this period and many beers have overtaken Jaipur one cannot forget the impact that it has had, and it is testament to what a solid beer it still is to this date.
Jaipur is still a beer that I look out for be it on cask, keg, can or bottle as you know that the old faithful will never let you down!
Mark’s overall rating: 3.8/ 5.0
1. Name : DDH Jaipur (5.9%abv)
2. Brewery: Thornbridge, Bakewell
3. Hops : Chinook, Centennial, Ahtanum, Simcoe, Columbus & Cascade.
4. Grain : Barley, Wheat & Malt
5. Aroma : Nose of light tropical fruits with less of a zesty citrus presence than that of its older sibling
6. Appearance : Pours a hazy straw colour with a fluffy two finger white head and good levels of carbonation
7. Body : Medium body with a nice, creamy, full mouthfeel
8. Taste : Has a juicy and punchy tropical fruit flavour that comes across as very well balanced thanks to the double dry hopping. Has a slight bitterness at the end of the mouthful yet this is not as powerful as you would find in the original Jaipur.
Originally brewed to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Jaipur and still brewed three years later Thornbridge has done a stellar job with DDH Jaipur as it comes with very appealing strong tropical notes and a lovely mouthfeel. Many have said that DDH Jaipur has a flavour profile that takes you back to when you first tasted the original Jaipur which in my case was more than 10 years ago and I can see elements of this, although one should not let this be at the forefront of the mind as you drink this.
The double dry hopping really adds to the Jaipur experience on this one and takes the beer in a different direction to its older sibling yet still manages to maintain a faithfulness to the Jaipur name. This is a good thing and makes the DDH Jaipur extremely palatable indeed, however as solid as this is, it just narrowly falls short of the original in my opinion. This is not to say that DDH is lacking, far from it, I certainly enjoyed every mouthful but I did not feel that I could session on this as much as the original.
Mark’s overall rating: 3.7/ 5.0
1. Name : Jaipur X (10% abv)
2. Brewery: Thornbridge, Bakewell
3. Hops : Chinook, Centennial, Ahtanum, Simcoe, Columbus & Cascade
4. Grain : Barley, Wheat & Yeast
5. Aroma : Strong resinous aroma with a grapefruit bitterness present
6. Appearance : Pours a hazy gold colour with a fluffy two finger white head
7. Body : Very full bodied with a lovely, thick mouthfeel
8. Taste : Strong alcohol hit backed by a lingering sweetness and a resinous grapefruit edge. This is certainly a beer to savour
Wow…This one gives off a real West Coast vibe with a strong bitterness backed by a powerful alcohol hit, resinous grapefruit and a sweetness that lingers on the palate…. this is not to be taken lightly!
It is a bold move for Thornbridge to venture into double figure abv with Jaipur and whilst it works and will undoubtedly have fans, I found that this to be the weakest (obviously not in strength) of the three. I felt that whilst the resinous edge and powerful alcohol worked it was just the sweetness that meant that I found this to be a bit of a challenge, but one that I embraced and ultimately enjoyed.
Whilst I would seek this one out again it will be one that I will look at obtaining in limited quantities or buy in thirds if I find it in a pub. Overall, I will say that it is worth trying, particularly for Jaipur fans however you may find, like me that you enjoy the overall balance of the original and DDH versions much more.
Mark’s overall rating: 3.5/ 5.0
Well, the party may be over, and the guests may have gone home but what a party it proved to be! All three incarnations of Jaipur proved to be enjoyable, all had differences, yet all maintained a faithfulness to the Jaipur name.
I sincerely hope that Thornbridge continue to brew all three versions in the future and as much as enjoyed each of them, I have to say that the original classic just shaded it out of the three, this is testament to what a classic this ground-breaking beer still is after eighteen years. Whilst I will certainly buy and enjoy DDH Jaipur and Jaipur X again in the future I feel that my beer cupboard will always have a few cans/bottles of the original in as it is such a solid go to beer that will be enjoyed again and again.
I can’t wait until next year’s Jaipur birthday party, who knows what Thornbridge may have in store in a years’ time and as for when it come to the twentieth birthday would it be wrong to expect something new? If not my three friends will certainly be welcome to join me again.
Happy Birthday Jaipur from all at The Eternal Hoptimists.
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