Fullers London Pride (Pasteurised)

Brewed by Fullers
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
London, England

Bottle. Pours a see-through copper body with a thin, off-white head that dissipates quickly and remains lightly laced. Aroma is kind of funky. Slightly metallic and almost smells like a stale cookie. There are some nice partially toasted malts in there, but its really throwing me off right now. Little bit of wood and a bit of fruity, soft hops. Flavor is very similar and stale tasting. Not a big fan of this one. Slightly earthy and funky. Palate is full, round, and creamy. Overall, I don’t know...this is just not hitting it off with my palate right now. I will eventually re-rate this.

50 CL bottle. Apperance; Amber, clear with a small head. The aroma is fruity and hops with a lightly bitter end. Another great beer from Fullers!

On tap at the Pub at Polaris. Amber in color with a thin off-white head. Malty and fruity aroma that is sort of metallic. Tart fruit flavor up front, followed by a touch of malty sweetness and a bitter hop finish.

16.9 oz bottle 3/6/09 (Sam’s Wine & Spirits-Downers Grove)-It poured a nice amber body with a tight off white head. Aroma of malt, hops, and a little citrus. Taste begins with malt and sweetness that lingers throughout and it finishes with a bit of bitterness. Not a bad medium bodied brew.

(Draught at Bull & Bear, Stockholm, 4 March 2009) Dark amber colour with frothy, off-white head. Malty, fruity nose with orange peel, apricots and a clean but fairly boring malt profile. Malty, fruity taste with notes of dried apricots, orange and a slightly earthy bitterness in the finish. Medium body. Well balanced and tasty but not really outstanding.

Can. Hazy light gold. Nose is skunky, bright, a bit malty with a mild hop profile. Flavors of mild hoppiness, a bit astringent, sharp and tangy. Watery on the end. Not great but drinkable.

Pours a caramel colour with a thin small white head. Aroma has biscuity malt, caramel, dandilion, and brown sugar. Tastes fairly sweet initially and then turns bitter. Caramel and brown sugar dominate first then a grassy eartiness. The finish is bitter and has that typical UK dandilion taste. Good, not great.

500 ml can
When I saw this at the store for 75 cents I knew it was worth a gamble. If it turned out to be a drainpour you don’t get much cheaper than that. As it turns out I would have gone back for more if I were looking for a nice daily drinker. Like most ESBs it doesn’t have much flavor but what it does have is a nice sessionable property.

Aroma / Appearance - The head started small then began to surge inwards on itself. Below the amber body was pinned to the bottom of the glass for a few minutes. Grains, rye tost, and waxy grocery store chocolate created a nice but faint blend. Easy on the senses it was also somewhat forgettable.

Flavor / Palate - Light hops play against a base maltiness that mixes caramel and vanilla. For 75 cents you do not get much better than this. If I ever make it to England I would love to try the cask version to see how that adds flavor. I am sure it would only enhance the existing creaminess.