Greene King St. Edmunds Ale

Formerly brewed at Greene King
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Bury St. Edmunds, England

Orange brown color with a tall dark cream colored head. Decent lace. English nose, with caramel, brown sugar, butterscotch, old wood and traditional hopsack. Initial toasty sweetness taken back by dry earthy wood flavor. Finish is dry and uneventful.

Bottled, Pasteurised. Red brown beer with lasting though muddy coloured head. Strange aroma, can't pick it out but a little off putting. Should have a roasted malt quality, but it is more metallic, tinny but there is a pleasant hop flavour that saves the beer a little. Dark beer that doesn't quite make it.

Nice dark, reddish-brown color with a foamy white head. Not much in the way of an aroma. Nice malty, slightly burnt flavor. Tastes like a good quality beer.

Overturned vegetables in the earth (rotting), iron ore, rust, and canned malt extract (not unlike double enghien brown, IMO) are all part of the STANKY aroma here. Hmmm. Flavor is malty and interesting and has a long lasting finish - nowhere near sweet. Not bad...

Sipping this beer, it definitely has English characteristics. Medium body, light toffee and oak. Good mouthfeel.

Grainy, otter ale aroma. Medium chestnut brown, great label, cream head. Dry, woody bitter ale, a tad cidery or otherwise acidic. Medium body, tannic medium finish. Would have liked some more caramel in this.

From the excellent Greene King PLC comes, once again, an excellent Suffolk ale. Definite citrusy/sourish notes and a mild malt body. This could easily be classified as a Bitter. Ringo is right when he refers to a distinctive "English" taste and how most UK brews have it. I'd love to know what malt/hop combo is so prevalent "across the pond" that it makes most of their beers distinctively English.

Pale copper color with a full lacy head. Aroma of Goldings hops and crystal malt. Body is full and has the properties of a bitter, light on malt with a strong bitter finish. Pretty true to its English style, but nothing special.