Adnams Broadside Strong Original

Brewed by Adnams
Style: English Strong Ale
Southwold, England

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Sigmund. Dark brownish amber colored. Tall fluffy head with a nice tan. Beautiful toffee-ish malt aroma with ripe berries, raisins and some herbal/peppery hop notes. Taste has a high malt level; straightforward, light sweet and caramellish. Dark fruits and berries, and a distinct, earthy bitterness in the backbone. Medium to full body. Chewy texture. Slight sourish-fruity, malty-bitter ending. Well-crafted and moreish.

Bottle from the LCBO. Pours a nutty and slightly hazy ruby-brown colour with a medium sized tan head. Aroma brings to mind the Christmas holidays, with notes of plum pudding, caramel and candied fruit, along with sweet toasted malt. Full mouthfeel, and a flavour that starts with the rich sweetness expected based on the aroma, but also has some lingering hops and a slight alcohol warmth in the finish to add a pleasantly bitter counterpoint. A really nice autumn/winter ale.

Bottle (500ml ). Pours a hazy amber-brown with a long lasting creamy off-white head. Aroma of earthy malt, slightly toasted, sweet fruit, floral hops, light chocolate and alcohol. Malty flavour with some alcohol coming through along with spices, dark fruit, caramel and a good amount of hops in the finish. Medium bodied. Sticky mouthfeel. Very good stuff, glad I have more.

Originally tasted at the Toronto festival of beer, my notes weren’t great so re-rating this evening: Appearance: Red/brown with a slight but determined head. Aroma: Malt and that particular hop I don’t overly like (satz??) however it seems quite fitting into this aroma. Flavour: Caramel, malt, toffee with a nice sticky honey finish. Great beer. Delighted we can get it here in Ontario.

Dark auburn with a nice tan head. Semi-sweet aroma and a flavour that was malty with a tinge of sweetness. Nice hoppy finish. A damn good ale. Full bodied yet easy drinking.

Great straightforward balanced dark ale with some nice body, cake spice, amd some resiny hops. Very easy to drink yet fairly substantial.

Deep auburn colour with a frothy almond-coloured head. The nose is fresh and malty with hints of chocolate and raisin. The body is deep and smooth with a heavy malt sweetness. A lingering, nicely balanced hop bitterness permeates the finish. One of the nicest ales I’ve had in some time. The balance is something you don’t find often in dark American strong ales.

Had this on tap at The Plough in London on 12/31/07 in an Adnams pint glass. Amber color and 1 finger off white head. Toasted malts, hops and bitters to the nose. Malt, grass, hay and bitters at first followed by a the same with a strange astringent taste. Slightly watered down body. Decent at best. Went ok with fish & chips but couldn’t stand alone.