Greene King Abbot Ale (Pasteurised)

Brewed by Greene King
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Bury St. Edmunds, England

As this brew warms, the rose/lavender contingency really opens up in the bouquet. This is accompanied by an initial and lasting caramel nose. The pour is caramel-amber, and the head is quite creamy and lasting... minimal lace. The flavors are light, almost thin, and consist of caramel, watered hops and some extremely mild earthen notes. The finish has a slightly lasting bite than diminishes quickly. The mouthfeel is torn between creamy and watery... so I’m not convinced I’m particularly hip on it. It’s good for a "middle of the road" brew, but nothing really happening here.

Can: See through nut brown with no head. Watery body. Little carbonation. Malty sweetness. Ok pleasant but nothing exciting. In all ways a typical British ale.

Can, 1 pint 0,9 ounce, trip to Beers of the world (Rochester) with Ian, DumDum and Lubière; eye: amber with golden reflections, white head that falls rapidly but leaves a ring around the glass, light effervescence, clear; nose: malt, caramel, madeira, light floral hops; mouth: malt, caramel, madeira, finale of malt with a hint of hops and a smaller hint of pepper, no carbonation per se, thin-medium body, watery and thin texture, mildly bitter and sweet; overall: ordinary FRANÇAIS Canette, 1 pinte 0,9 once, voyage à Beers of the world (Rochester) avec Ian, DumDum et Lubière; oeil : ambrée avec des reflets dorés, mousse blanche qui tombe rapidement mais laisse un anneau autour du verre, légère effervescence, claire; nez : malt, caramel, madère, léger houblon floral; bouche : malt, caramel, madère, finale en malt avec une pointe de houblon et une petite pointe de poivre, pas de carbonatation pour dire, corps mince-moyen, texture aqueuse et mince, moyennemant amère et sucrée; en résumé : ordinaire

440 ml can. Nice dark orange-amber color, small white head faded away to a thin layer of foam which stayed. Aromas of malt, hops and herbs. Flavor is at first a bit medicinal then mellows into a roasted espresso malt with undertones of burnt sugar and chocolate. There’s a good measure of hop flvor and bitterness too. Clean finish, not too carbonated but not thin, either.

Bottled(500ml). –Clear amber coloured, medium white head. Moderate malty and hoppy aroma with notes of caramel and nuts. Nice hop bitterness in the finish. Very smooth.

(500 ml non-widget can: $2.29 at Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, CA) A pretty classic nutty British flavor here, but the wonderfully smoky overtones, especially in the finish, really lift up an otherwise uninteresting beer. Beyond that smokiness, it’s lightly fruity, toasty and nutty, only lightly sweet and gently hoppy and bitter. Body is light-medium with gentle carbonation. Clear amber body is capped by a small but persistent off-white head that may not rise to more than half an inch on the pour, but it maintains a complete cap on the beer for the entire session. Not really any lacing on the glass though. If it weren’t for the smoky quality, I’d write this off as boring English import.

Smells a little bit like cream soda. Taste is pretty light with quite a bit of malts up front. The head is certainly creamier than the beer and both have a little dryness at the end. It grows on you and is a nice ESB.

One of the bottle beers that emered at Tromsø Ølfestival (Aug 16-19, 2006). Clear amber colour with a small off-white foam layer. Sweet malty aroma and still more sweetness in a honey-like flavour. Hops and bitterness in the finish to lessen all the sweetness.