Greene King IPA Export Strength

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

[WBA Styles Tasting] Light copper color. Plenty of esters in the aroma. Malty and a bit sweet. Very well rounded earthy bitterness. Caramel malt sweetness dominates the flavors. Low percieved bitterness, overall. Not too bad.

50cL bottle from Green Life. Slightly lighter than copper, very clear. Aroma is far maltier/less hoppy than I would expect from an IPA, smelling more of baked goods with fruit (which are the dominant flavors) than floral; touch of Rhone Grenache-like earthiness in the aroma, but not as much in the taste. Nice mouthfeel. An okay beer that I would drink again, but wouldn’t go out of my way for.

In Chicago, one of the places that this is exported to, the name is just Greene King Export IPA. A good looking ale, this pours a clear copper body with a sizeable off-white head that performs modest lacing. It has a pleasing aroma of caramel, orchard fruit, and floral and earthy hoppiness. The aroma carries into the flavor with a little added light brown sugar and a slight increase in the bitterness. The finish is dry and refreshing. Very sessionable ale.

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This bottled brew from a bottle shop poured a medium sized head of foamy fine to medium sized off-white colored bubbles that were mostly diminishing and left behind a transparent typically carbonated brown colored body and a very good lacing. The mild aroma was hoppy and floral. The crisp mouth feel was tingly at the start and at the finish hoppy aftertaste. The mild flavor contained notes of brown malt. A decent drinkable session brew that I would consider buying again.

500 ml. narrow neck bottle, blank lot number on the back label, sampled in a imperial pint glass. L: Clear reddish amber with a large off-white head of creamy foam. Good retention, light amount of ringed lace, active carbonation with a steady stream of micro bubbles going from the bottom of the glass to the top. S: Perfumy floral hops, a touch earthy as well, baked apples fruitiness, caramel and graham crackers, not a bad nose, appealing in its own way. F&T: Firm creamy crispness, smooth moderate body, this has a nice rounded malty feel in the mouth. Quite pleasant tasting, crystal malt flavors of buttery caramel and white sugar, becoming nutty at the end. Subtle berry fruitiness and a refined hoppiness, floral oily and earthy with a nice spiciness emerging in the dry finish. Whether you want to call this an IPA, Pale Ale, English Bitter or a ESB, I thought this was very enjoyable, light and refreshing.

Dark amber coloured body with ruby and brown highlights and a nice thick dense tan head. Aroma of fresh english hops, nice caramel, toffee, caramel malt, blood and a bit of metal. Light to Medium-bodied; Strong fruit in the taste up front with a very mild malt backbone and some nuts and toffee to round out the tastes. Aftertaste shows a tiny bit of the english hops, but mostly roasted sugars and some malt. Overall, a decent esb, nothing special and not much different than the plain jane IPA. I sampled this 50 cL bottle purchased from Oliver’s Beverage in Albany, New York on 27-January-2008.

Pours an orangish color with a beige head, but is thin. Mainly fruit on the nose. Taste is also fruity and spicy. Lots of hop flavors, and the beer is bitter but not overpoweringly so. Very plain malt flavors, almost boring and watery even. Weird IPA, but is an okay beer. Is crisp and refreshing if nothing else.

Light amber body with a light khaki head. Subtle mango and pineapple in the aroma. There is also some black tea. The taste has some light grapefruit with black tea. There is a nice lightly bitter finish with a light, smooth body. I would like this one as a session beer.