Greene King Strong Suffolk (Olde Suffolk)

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

Great nose of tart fruit, caramel, and oak; opaque cherry brown when held next to a light; Smells better than it tastes; flavor of sour maltiness with some plumand a little hops in the finish.

Brown body, red shine, beige head; Super, super nose, it has this slight sourness that I really love in ales. Balanced, deep and complex: lots of warm a little sour fruit, mostly cherry and cherry pit, warm orange, almond. Just great; Body has a soft but a little thin texture. A little soft carbonation, a little acidy freshness; Quite long finish that could have more aroma, plain malt is the most apparent, it could be more complex as well. Super, super beer, perfect if not for the finish.

50 cl bottle. A port-like nose, sligtly sparkling. Amber/reddish color. Tastes of sherry, prunes and alcohol. A nice finish. Good, but not great.

500 ml bottle. Pours a dark ruby red, bordering on brown under a small tight bubbled head that faded to a thin film. Aroma was of light fruitiness, caramel, oak tannins, and just a light hint of alcohol. Flavor was slightly sweet up front with a nice soft maltiness, toffee, and caramel. The finish had a nice drying oakiness that made for a very pleasing ending. Mouthfeel was medium to full bodied with nice soft carbonation. A really pleasant and quite complex beer. A definate recommended beer.

Pours red clay lava w/ a full creamy froth. Aromas of aged malt. Full nectar w/ mellow effers. Malty, dry, bitter, and creamy w/ a sourdough tropshire. Mellow bittering on the finsh. I can tell this has been aged. It has a pronounced rustic character. I really dig this brew. Highly recommended.

Bottle ( From Morrisons). Deep brown. Fruity, vinous, light roasty toffee. A bit sweet with some sourness and a hint of hops as well. Lacking in body. On the whole not to great for me. Conflicting flavours and the finish is sweet and musty not a nice combo.

Bottle at home. Brown with a light brown head. Aroma moderate malty (caramel, vineous?). Flavor moderate/heavy sweet and light acidic (oak). Medium body, soft carbonated.

This beer I got across rather randomly took me by surprise. "Vintage ale" ... the name sounds bold and surely it stands for it. The head was a classic ale head small crisp not too thick not too soft. The colour is ruby. Holding it against the light makes it a very interesting look. It is for an ale light to medium sparkling. As the bottle promises the caramel and toffee do really march over your palate. A slight hint of oak is rounding it all off. The taste is full nearly bold. A bit sweet with a splash of bitterness. Now the mix makes it really interesting. It is not for nothing that this beer became an International Gold award. I am deeply impressed and will definitely get some more of them.