Greene King IPA Export Strength

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

Bottle. Deep amber coloured with slight head. Aroma was fruity with a touch of sweetness. Flavour was subdued with some more fruit and a bitter finish. Ok.

Bottle 500ml. Good amber pour but the head was thin. I detected a weak hoppy aroma on opening, but little else. To be honest, this ale really does struggle in the flavour department. Some nutty malts coming through but also a metallic background. The IPA badge is misleading, as it is far closer to being a bitter. I also found it quite thin and a little watery.

I realize that English IPA’s are more subtle but sheesh this is rediculous. I’d say classification as a bitter is more like it. Bottle states an abv of 5.0%. Mild aroma of malt and cardboard. Real good looking chestnut pour with a half-inch head and great lacing. Mouthfeel is filling and creamy, aftertaste and finish have an oily chemical feel. Mild taste, not much doing. Dominated by the malt with a tinge of bitter hops. Not much else to say about this one, decent drink but IPA...I don’t think so.

Bottle. Clear amber colour with medium creamy white mostly diminishing head. Hoppy spicy aroma. Sweet fruity flavor.

Bottle. Clear amber color with a average frothy good lacing mostly lasting off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, sweet, moderate hoppy citrus, dry. Flavor is moderate sweet and bitter with a average duration and a nice hoppy dry finish. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. Good balance beer.

Served in a 660ml bottle-purchased from Redmonds off-license. I dont think that it was the export version though as it was only 3.6% alcohol content. For "Britain’s favourite IPA", it doesnt taste as hoppy as I would have imagined to taste. Poured alright with a slight head and a decent smell, but the taste isnt as great as I was hoping for. I guess that I was expecting more of a hoppy taste. I would probably try another IPA instead of having one of these again soon.

Bottled, pasteurised, 500 ml. Amber with gassed but short lived head (I never got to see it!). Lying on my sickbed with a very bad back, I asked my Wife, nurse, waitress whether she could fetch me a beer, surprisingly she answered in the affimative. She brought this, I hit the nail on the head immediately with the signature GK Tea like hop and thin malt non of which I get really. The over carbonation leaves a wet paper taste and then there is a sweetish finish. Very disapointing indeed, but don’t tell the wife or she won’t fetch another.

Bottle: clear, amber coloured, small foamy layer; moderate fruity-malty nose with a distinctive touch of herbal (sage !) hops; light to moderate bitter-sweet flavour,; sweetish (toasted-) malty finish with a touch of herbal bitterness, again. Not bad, but rather unexciting......