Greene King IPA (Cask)

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

Pint in The Foundry, Galashiels, pretty much a bog standard beer, cant say it has any IPA features, its smooth and quaffable, but thats about it really...not bad...not great!

Cask, Isis Tavern, Oxford. Copper orange, sticky white foam. Sorbet, a bit of wood. Vague orange malt, damp wood. A reasonably palatable bitter, except that this particular bitter has 1000s of people thinking IPA has something to do with bland bitters and/or Green King. (Someone once suggested to me that the name IPA was from GK’s Bury St. Edmunds postcode.) That this is the best selling cask beer in England, with all the other amazing bitters out there, is an utter shame.

Drank on 04-25-07 at Punch & Judy’s in Convent Square, London in a tulip pint. Dark amber color with half finger tan head and nice lacing. Lots of floral hops and a little malt aroma. On the taste, slightly sweet malt, lots of grassy and floral hops, and a certain saltiness. Grassy aftertaste. A bit watery on the had drawn palate. A very hoppy bitter.

Cask @ St. Stephen’s Tavern, London. Pours copper with a thin white head. Hoppy aroma, and taste is the same. However, the hops appear to take over the whole beer and make it difficult to detect the other flavors.

I believe that every pub in London has this beer. Copper color, with a thin head. A bit of hop aroma but, not much. A bit flat (I’m used to American Draught beers) and not as bitter as expected.

Draught at George & Dragon, London. Amber colour. A very earthy beer with a decent sweetness. A watery palate. Weak. This beer leaves a nice lacing. Boring.

(draught - longest pub in London) Amber with small head. Mild hops and malt aroma. Body flattish as expected from a cask beer. Flavor only mildly hoppy. Nice session beer.

Pours amber color with a small head. Weak aroma of hops and malt. A bit watery. Taste is malty and caramel. Low bitterness for an IPA