Greene King IPA (Cask)

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

Cask-conditioned at the Llandogger Trow, Bristol. Amber coloured with moderate white head. Slight caramel aroma followed by hints of fruit in the flavour. Inoffensive, but there are vastly superior session bitters around.

[CASK: Old House From Home, West Didsbury, Manchester 30/09/06] Was surprised by how I enjoyed this pint. Not my usual type being weak in % and also being a Green King Ale. As far a IPA’s go this one was not too shabby. Overall quite pleasant.

Plastic pint on the beach at The Neptune. Served too cold, which didn’t help a beer that really needs to be served on point if it’s going to stand a chance to impress. Basically this is a very poor session bitter - watery, somewhat earthy in taste, an unpleasant yeast vibe and a nasty hop bitterness. Deserves its rep.

draught at far too many pubs in the SE, most recently at the Jolly Waterman, Cambridge. Never had a good one. Watery, unpleasantly sharp bitterness, little character

Cask @ The Blue Eye Maid, SE1. Dark copper with a dense head. Fruity nose of sweet cherry and apple with faint hops. Taste of candy cherry, dark berries and apple. Mild bitterness in the finish. Reminds me a little of bad Belgian fruit beers.

I’ve had 2 or 3 pints of this recently, and I cannot honestly remember what it tastes like. This isn’t very helpfull on a review web-site I know, but it does tell you a lot about the beer... without any details. I did scribble down some notes on a beer mat (i kid you not), on which I have the following notes: ’Sugary, weak, ok’. So there you go.

Draught at the Wheatshheaf Frimley Green Surrey, 8 April 2007. I am not sure why people knock this beer, if served correctly a decent beer.

Cask at the pub at Seven Dials square. Some hops, some sourness. Thin. Not very inspiring. And definitely not an IPA.