Burton Bridge Empire India Pale Ale - Burton Bridge Brewery

TripelJ

Florida

2.28/5  rDev -36.8%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I bought this hoping to discover another great english IPA, and I was a little disappointed. First I crack the bottle, I can't help but take a quick *whiff* from the bottle--UGH--gross! This beer is the most wretched smelling brew I have ever smelt before. I have bottles of vinegar that smell better than this and that is all this beer smells like. The taste is average at best with a moderate hop profile (I was expecting a lot more). Maybe this is a bad brew because my stomach is already upset with me over the quarter pint I have consumed. The rest is going in the sink.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2003 00:19:05 | More by TripelJ

86MonteSS

Connecticut

1.6/5  rDev -55.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

Reading the reviews, I could have gotten a bad bottle or an average one, but either way, this stuff was wretched. I'm serious, this was really, really bad. The best way I can describe it is: you know how the doctor's office smells? That's what this tastes like.

I've had a couple Burton-upon-Trent beers in my life and that was the only reason I bought this--I had a lot of faith in the town. I paid $5.50 for the last bottle in the store (they didn't think they'd ever get any more), thinking I had stumbled across England's biggest and greatest secret. But no, instead of a malty and robust pale ale, I got a cotton swab and a tongue depressor. Turn your head and cough, motherf***er.

I'd really like to try this again. I don't think I got the best (or the youngest) bottle of the lot. But until I've had another sample, my decision stands: This was undeniably horrible. I hate, nay... detest pouring out beer but I had to discard at least 18 ounces of this stuff. It's funny... I paid only $4 for the best beer I've had in my life (Rochefort 10) and over $5 for one of the absolute worst. Variety is the spice of life, huh? *hurl*

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2003 05:49:29 | More by 86MonteSS

Elemental

Oregon

3.4/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Presentation - a 22 oz bottle with some great pictures on it representing the old british empire toops.

Appearance - a darker pale color, copper red almost like a light ESB. Bid head that does not fade

Smell - Good, not as floral as expected but still full of aroma, although almost a little sour

Taste - big and malty. a little over carbonated. Sweet from the start that slowly transitions into a light bitter flavor. Complementary malty and hopiness, not overly hopped. But still sour, can't get past the sour taste( I may have had a bad bottle or something).

Definately a good beer that is brewed in the traditional English way for an IPA. Other than the slightly sour smell and taste, an well rounded beer. I think I will try again and see if it still sour.....

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2003 05:56:15 | More by Elemental

budgood1

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

this turbo charged bastard spewed all over upon opening....and i wasn't happy. i mean it BLEW UP. not cool. anyway...it's a cloudy dark copper color...sort ot tea like. huge foamy tan and orange head. lots of fruity aromas. pretty fruity and sourish upon tasting...some musty/rusty characteristics. lots of hop character...juicy fruit madness...way less malt backbone than i was expecting...sort of seems out of balance. pretty smooth, refreshing and quenching. i'm still pissed about it exploding all over and i'm sure that took away from the overall experience. would i buy it again? no way... not after the mess i made. was it a good beer? an ok one. there are much better examples of IPA's. not a good experience from an average beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2003 18:43:33 | More by budgood1

beerman599

Connecticut

2.95/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

tried several bottle of this ale and all were bad ! then i took a bottle of this with me on a trip to burton no trent and stayed at the Queen's in whitch is across the steet from the brewery and asked to see the brewer and was told in no uncertein terms that thay see no one and was
even told of another brewer that was more freindly to visit! we never even
had a chance to discuss the bottling problem oh well i just won't buy anymore bottles

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2003 16:03:16 | More by beerman599

mickeymac

California

3.43/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

It comes in a quaint looking 16.9 oz. bottle with an English military officer and a cricket player on the label. The bottle, however, may be the highlight of the experience. It explodes out of the bottle, leaving a huge billowy white head that takes minutes to reduce to the point of drinkability. It's a murky orangish-brown with lots of chunks floating around in it. The smell is fruity with a Beglian-like mustiness to it. A lot is going on it the taste, but it just seems like too much. Alcohol astringency is quite pronounced, leaving the taste of alcohol lingering in the mouth. This is certainly not a subtle beer. For some reason, this left me feeling like it was something that might have been brewed during Prohibition for consumption in a speakeasy. At $4.75 for a 16.9 oz. bottle, I won't be going back for more.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2002 21:16:19 | More by mickeymac

brakspear

Wisconsin

2.93/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

After reading the other reviews I wonder if I got a bad bottle. This beer had no carbonation, looked like apple cider with no head. The aroma is english hops, fruity and sweet malt. The taste is also definitely British: fruity, estery with limited hop bitterness. The mouthfeel is too flat and cidery even for a lower carbonated English ale. All in all I hope that I just got a bad bottle because I was very disappointed with this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2002 15:55:19 | More by brakspear

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Charged like a maniac, the bottle almost exploded on opening. Lots of head, even 4 minutes later. Very hazy orange-brown color, with some yeast chunks. Citrus rind and fruit in aroma. Very aggressively hopped, if this was made with cascades, it would be too much. As it is, its still surprisingly astringent for a U.K. I.P.A.....Malts are subdued, don't impart a lot of balance. This boy is a mouth wrangler, for hop lovers...I enjoyed it as refreshing (when nothing but hops will do) but prefer many others. Verges on notable alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2002 08:15:52 | More by ADR

Longstaff

Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev +25.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Not at all what I was excpecting from an English IPA but I was pleasantly surpirsed by this one. I was expecting a thick malty ale that was heavily hopped, but instead I got a light fruity brew that was quite refreshing.

A delicate pour still produced a huge foamy head that took a long time to diminish. Very fruity aromas with some sulfury / lemony notes. Its tasted much the same as it smelled, fruity, slightly grainy, sweetish, and sulfury, with the slightly bitter hops kicking in late to make this a very complex and interesting drink. The somewhat thin body and high carbonation levels made this quite spritzy and refreshing. Almost like a Belgian Wit, but fruitier and hoppier. Definitely not your average IPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2002 09:21:00 | More by Longstaff

Jason

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 16.9 oz brown bottle, no freshness date though being bottle conditioned and boasting 7.5% abv it has a longer shelf life than a normal brew.

Appearance: Deep amber colour with a healthy white lace.

Smell: Very fruity with hints of apples and other mixed fruit ... hints of wood also in the nose.

Taste: Crisp and chewy with an aged alcohol feel and flavour, very fruity with an even woody character. Estery from the higher alcohols nearly take over semi assertive hops and a grainy malt taste peek in and out. Fruit tapers off a little towards the end leaving more grain and hop.

Notes: Is this what an IPA used to be? One would think so and so do we ... a powerful brew that could withstand any voyage. This brew is bottled after six months in the cask which adds to the rustic raw character. This beer goes over the top with its pushy fruity esters, not your run of the mill modern day IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2002 11:29:55 | More by Jason