Adnams Explorer (Bottle)

Brewed by Adnams
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Southwold, England

A bright golden amber is the body, the fine carbonation is thick and heavy as it rises towards dense, half inch pad of white. Head holds and daubs menacing rings of white down the glass. Aroma is tinny, reminiscent more of P.O.R hops than Chinook or Columbus. Dull note of sodden cardboard doesn’t help much. Slight tangerine taste too it up first. Caramelised sugars and burnt orange juice mingle, some toasted malt breathes in heavy. Carbonation is very light so the body builds and gets a bit heavy. Vine-clipping like bite to the swallow, a happy median is found bitterness-wise to balance it. Finish is rather short, a little fruit tanginess and bitter hops in there, all on the low-down. Not much more, though it is all in check and goes down with ease I can’t see this as much of much at all. The aroma, or lack of, is a let down, and the flavour needs to be pimped up to make it more exciting. But atleast it looks good in the pint.
I’m not much for butchered pasteurised and filtered British beers. (50cL, 22/08/07, Jandakot Liquor)

Bottle. Clear amber with a slight white head. This was dull - Aroma of floral hops with some apricots. Watery in the mouth with some subdued hop flavours and a short finish.

Bottle. Poured a bright amber colour slight hazy that might be in was in the fridge for three weeks. Had a little head and no real carbonation; very hoppy aroma with rich flavours.

Bottle, pours a clear and bright amber (darker that I remember the cask version) with a good sized foamy head. A surpringly malty aroma, sweet and juicy with only just a touch of citrus. A strongly hopped palate with an earthy bitterness dominating the citrus flavours. The finish is much more malty with some nutty characteristics. Hard to believe this is the same Adnams Exploerer I have had from the cask, the bottle version much more an ESB than a "blonde beer". I definitely prefer the "live" version.

This smells and tastes like a bad lager,it has that flavour which i can only explain as feet....i was really disappointed with this beer because Adnams is such a great brewery

Bottled, pasteurised, 500ml. Orange gold with white head. Adnams are one of my favourite breweries and this was given to me at a meet the Brewer night, so I wanted to be generous, but it has nowhere near the character of the cask beer, it is sharp and a little tinny and for its ABV, somewhat thin. There is a reasonable hoppiness on the finish, but I did expect so much more.

A bit of a disappointment this one given the other couple of Adnams I have had were quite decent. Look okay with a orange amber body and fluffy beige head. Mixed aroma with some banana paddlepop, sugary toffee and some general staleness that seems commonplace in pasteurised bitters. A bitter and sweet flavour that just doesn’t seem right, appearing to compete rather than work together. On tasting some nuttiness appears but is baseless. Rather heavy feeling, with the sweetness cloying and although there a healthy carbonation it doesn’t help to break it up. As a "light and refreshing" beer it just doesn’t work as far as I’m concerned.

Hoppy, citric and quite interesting. fuller body than expected for a ’light’ beer, indistinct malt appears as an aftertaste. Hop flavours good, quite sharp - would go well with spicy food though.