Greene King Strong Suffolk (Olde Suffolk)

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

Bottled 0,50L. Red ruby color, slightly dark; optimal fizz. Compact and long-lasting head, not much bulky. Delicate and pleasant scent of small red fruits, light toasted mat and grape. Lightly dry taste, little bitter and fruit flavored on the end.

Bottle. One of my old favourites revisited. A few years back I thought this beer was da shit, and it was only its steep price tag that kept me from drinking it all the time. It pours with a nice beige head on a chestnut bright body. The aroma is not intense or anything, but it has a nice oakiness which translates into vanilla as the beer warms. The flavor is at first dominated by dried fruits followed by woody flavors with hints of astringency joining the hop bitterness. As it warms and the fizzyness goes away it becomes more smooth and the prune-flavors are intensified. English ale on cask rules, however on bottle it sucks. This one is saved by the oak, making it stand out from the crowd. Enjoy it warm!

From the bottle.

Pours a beautiful dark copper red with a very modest head. The aroma offers sweet dark plums, sour-grass hops, hints of wood and cobwebs. The flavor is not particularly sweet (the aroma misleads in that respect; it’s far drier than I expected) but it is certainly complex. We get a good dose of malt vinegar on the front end and strong British hops (grassy, slightly sour,slightly metallic) on the finish. In between, red wine, spices, curry, oak, pepper, and Flemish-sour green apple play out in multiple ways across the different parts of the tongue, with new elements appearing as the beer warms.

Perhaps the weakest aspect of the beer for me is the mouthfeel; it comes off somewhat thin. And while I haven’t completely clicked with this beer, I’m deeply intrigued by it. I’d love to try this one on cask.

Bottle 500 ml. A dark brown beer, didn’t note much of an aroma, but the taste was extremely pleasant with lovely silky toffee notes. Nice lingering finish.

500 ml bottle. Brown with a red glow. Average off-white head. Sourish apple, caramel and raisin aroma. Aroma not particularly complex at first, but different indeed. Spicy and fruity maly aromas can be detected. Some similarities with the apple aromas you can find in a lambic. Medium bodied. Flavour is light with some sour and musty notes. Vinous. Hops play only in the background of this beer. Aftertaste is slighty yeasty with more apples and a little hop bitterness. Very much a unique beer.

What a find!! Like others, I debated on whether to plunk down $4.00 for a pint of this and I am sooo glad I did. It’s one of the best ale I’ve had in a long time. Aroma starts off things right with a vinous, creamy, toffee aroma that makes the mouth water. The appearance was near perfect with a beautiful cascading head, and a dark red/purplish hue that I’ve rarely seen. Mouthfeel is full and round and yet soft and creamy. Flavors are out of this world with a malty, toffee taste blended with raisins, some dark fruit and then the finish is like a wine, very earthy and vinous. Absolutely beautful beer! Now that I’ve had it I won’t mind paying for it again and again. Excellent!

Vintage 2001

Deep mahogany with a holding head and thick legs. Fairly non-descript but inoffensive malted aroma. Flavor is dry and vinous with an earthiness about it and light alcohol notes.

<font size=-4>Sampled at <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Events-Detail.asp?Eve Vintage Beer Fest 2006<font size=-1>

Bottle from the Swedish government owned "Systembolaget". February 18, 2006.
Dark red color, lasting brown head. Strong almost alcoholic port like scent. Mild taste, light sour touch of wine.