Greene King IPA - Greene King / Morland Brewery

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

2.7/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A 440ml can with a BB of Nov 2012. Picked up from a supermarket a while back.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A clear dark amber colour with medium carbonation. Forms a large head of creamy white foam with decent retention; this slowly subsides to a patchy surface layer. Aroma of caramel malt with notes of grass, hay and stewed hops. A stale hint of cardboard/sherry in the background.

Tastes of caramel malt with a dry bitter finish. Notes of grass, hay, stewed leaves and hints of wet cardboard. A restrained, earthy bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry and tingly, with decent body. Mildly astringent, with an aftertaste of bitter stewed leaves and faint caramel.

Meh - a pretty bog standard bitter from one of the biggest ale brewers in the UK. Not much cop as an IPA, and even taken as a bitter it's bland. The aroma and flavour are uninspired - mild hop notes and a crisp but understated bitterness. The relatively low carbonation is OK, though the body could be thicker. Decent balance. This is drinkable and I'd turn to it in an emergency, but it's dull fare. No need to seek it out.

Serving type: can

11-16-2012 22:05:45 | More by jazzyjeff13

CwrwAmByth

United Kingdom (Wales)

2.88/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This ENGLISH BITTER was poured from a 500ml can into a pint glass.

Pours a nice amber colour with a decent head and some lacing.

Smells slightly off, malty and hoppy though.

Tastes even more off, nice balanced malts and hops but with a distinctive artificial/chemical tang.

Overall this beer is ok. Rubbish compared with other good bitters though.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 21:06:09 | More by CwrwAmByth

rarbring

Sweden

3.5/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The brew is clear light amber, has an off-white head with little lacing and small curtains.

Smelling of apples. grass and nettles.

The taste starts with sweet toffee, then some pears and also lemon peel.

Little carbonation, a soft texture, medium body and a light dry finish.

A good medium alcohol brew, decent and British.

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2012 16:37:55 | More by rarbring

dansmcd

Australia

2.5/5  rDev -24%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A - Clear red amber topped by a tight white head and nice drools of lacing.

S - Mild. Subtle biscuity caramel.

T - Follows the nose, basically pretty flavourless, even for the style.

M - Thin watery body, low carbonation.

O - I know the style is mild but this is just too featureless my for taste.

Serving type: can

03-31-2012 13:57:50 | More by dansmcd

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

First had: cask at Yards Brewing Co., Philly, PA, for their 5th Annual Real Ale Festival 2012

Poured a slightly hazy amber color with a small cap of foamy white head. Not too aromatic; scents of pale malts and grassy hops. Simple taste, a bit watery; light, biscuity malts, bitter, grassy hops, some earthiness, thin and not too interesting overall...a problem I have with many British beers. Light mouthfeel, bitter aftertaste, fairly drinkable, not entirely bad, but really not my thing.

Serving type: cask

03-28-2012 01:40:19 | More by Rifugium

Amalak

New York

3.13/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

It has a dry and flavorless taste. It has no discernable flavor...no bitter. Maybe a touch of sour aftertaste. Very plain on the tongue. Easy to drink/light. Unimpressive but at least it goes down smooth.

I like cask beers, but if you call yourself an IPA I need bitter hops and some sort of a kick.

Serving type: cask

02-25-2012 01:48:13 | More by Amalak

Kbogac

Illinois

3/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Lighter brown with a thin loose foam. Light scent of citrus orange apple from the hops. Maybe some malt. Taste is light malt and hops. Some caramel, biscuit and I get a little apple at the finish. More biscuit as it warms. Mouthfeel is light and carbonation is very minimal but it's a cask pour. Overall un-exciting light session beer.

Serving type: cask

11-22-2011 21:55:39 | More by Kbogac

Koufax21

New Mexico

3.05/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had from cask at Bull's Head Cask Festival in Letitz, PA.

A - poured a pale straw color with just a few straggling bubbles for what represents no head.

S - the faint aroma of musty, wet grass is there, but not much more.

T - pretty bland. It is balanced adequately but not much substance to balance.

M - smooth and slick. Light in body.

O - not too excited about this one. At a whopping 3.6%, you could session this quite easily. I will be moving along to satisfy my tastebuds.

Serving type: cask

11-05-2011 16:35:54 | More by Koufax21

rapayn01

Kentucky

2.68/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I drank this beer from the bottle at a barbeque in Brighton. It was part of a 4-for-3 sale at the Waitrose that weekend and I should have purchased more bottles of Jaipur IPA instead. This is a fairly bland IPA -- not very flavorful, though I rightly expected a greater hops taste.

The beer is a fairly nice brownish color in the clear bottle and I did not note anything special about the smell. I may have picked up some mild hints of citrus -- or perhaps a hint of soft flowers.

I've now had 2 different beers from Greene King and would encourage them to up their hop quotient.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 15:22:05 | More by rapayn01

vancurly

Australia

3.28/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

a) Clear amber, soft 1" white head
s) Lemon zest, black tea, iced cup cakes or brandy snaps. An English tea-time ale.
t) Biscuits, bread crusts floral notes. Ginger ale / Earl Grey tea. Mild bitterness
m) Quite light, quick over the tongue, more like lemonade than ale. Slightly tart finish.
o) A flavoursome session ale, quite delicate in profile and easy to drink. Not exactly a benchmark IPA, but decent hop flavours nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 22:27:57 | More by vancurly

opalchemist

United Arab Emirates

3.38/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Nice copperish amber with shortlived cream white head.

Nose: Fresh and piney; a bit sour.

Tongue: a bit like weak malty coffee, slightly creamy, with bitterness [strangely not very hoppy]. Not very persistent.

Mouthfeel: again like slightly creamy coffee, less carbonization.

Afterthought: surprisingly short.

Overall: Not a bad beer - but comically without a lot of character. Still very drinkable...

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 00:42:43 | More by opalchemist

mulder1010

Australia

3/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

500 ML poured into a SA Perfect Pint

A-- Poured a clear, dark amber color. Very short lived off white head that quickly went to film. Decent head retention as head goes to one finger and slowly dies off. Little bit of carbonation showing in pour and just a few wisps of film.

S-- Stewed asparagus, stewed cabbage and a bit of cat pee. Using a sav blanc reference. A bit herbal skunky and soapy but does have some freshness to this. Nose softens up a bunch with air and gets more palatable.

T-- Lots of hop presence in the taste. Mostly spicy vegetable hop taste but not that bad. Not a fruit or pine bitterness and it is very short lived.

M-- Thin and sweet. Very much like a simple syrup taste. Hops drop off and get a lot of residual sweetness. Keep thinking thin iced tea but quite clean. Light feel and medium carbonation.

O-- Not a lot to this and not all that bad. As a palate changer it works. Not something I would want a lot of but it works in some odd way.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 14:39:35 | More by mulder1010

jcurtis55

Indiana

3.1/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I had this at the King's Arm pub in Greenwich England. I was somewhat disappointed with this IPA. Of course, I'm used to American IPA's and this one just didn't have the hops I was expecting. The mouthfeel and flavor were both very light. What flavor there was was a bit of fruit.

Serving type: cask

07-05-2011 01:44:26 | More by jcurtis55

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.1/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On-tap into a plastic pint at Twickenham stadium.

A: Clear orange-amber body under a 1/2" of creamy off-white foam. Good retention and lacing. Nice.

S: Herbal + earthy hops, as well as some biscuity malt and apricot. Ok, but far from excellent.

T: Some nice nutty + bready malt, followed by lightly fruity yeast and some grassy hops. Fairly dry, watery finish. Drinkable, but not terribly enjoyable.

M: Fairly light bodied with moderate carbonation. Ok.

O: I'm really confused as to why this calls itself an IPA, but whatever. It's a mediocre, forgettable beer that has the one saving grace of being hugely quaffable. I could easily drink this all day long at the stadium. Perhaps I will...

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2011 00:28:51 | More by woosterbill

dbaker61

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Burnt orange color. Poured with about a finger of dense head. Good retention, lasted about 2 minutes before dieing down to a cap. Generous lacing.

Smell: Slightly sweet, citrous. Just a hint if hops in the aroma.

Taste: Nice amount of hops flavor, mildly bitter.

Mouthfeel: Very little carbonation. Bitterness lingers in the aftertaste. Clean finish.

Overall: Sessionable, quite drinkable. Refreshing amount of hops flavor makes this IPA one I will have again.

Serving type: can

05-31-2011 11:43:30 | More by dbaker61

inthebeeraisle

Oregon

3.15/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a clear glass bottle at John's Market in Multnomah Village. Not into clear glass, & I know this isn't a high volume mover. What the heck. I was feeling like a British beer. Poured into an Imperial pint glass, perfect fit.

A: Pours a clear copper with a rich white head that dies down quickly. Doesn't seem to carbonated, but upon further inspection there are plenty of bubbles.

S: Smells a little skunked. Kind of a dutch lager smell. Hops are barely there.

T: A tame IPA for sure. Given the 5.0% abv & English origins I am not surprised. Not as sweet as other English IPA's I've had before. Low hop character with a mellow smooth finish.

M: Once again smooth, rich mouthfeel that seems to coat the palate. Clean taste without having much going on.

D: A very easy to drink beer. I'd like to try it from a can or on tap next time.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2011 01:35:21 | More by inthebeeraisle

Urbancaver

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a murky orange. A good amount of foamy whit head. Looks pretty good. Smells hoppy. Not particularly hoppy but a good amount of citrus o the nose. Tastes sweet and bitter. Mild hops on the tongue but fairly subtle. Solid mouthfeel and very drinkable. Definitely benefits from cask

Serving type: cask

02-15-2011 00:25:05 | More by Urbancaver

Hermanater77

New York

3.88/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

People commonly associate Great Britain with warm beer, and for good reason. While cask served beer is not necessarily "warm," it is served at basement temperature... roughly 55 F. I will honestly say that I was a little skeptical about having my first cask served beer, but after I tasted this unique English style bitter IPA, my mind was changed. Sure, most beers served here in the states are meant to be enjoyed cold, but I can appreciate a nice English cask served bitter.
Greene King's IPA has a very unique smell and appearance, seemingly poured (as the brewer's name implies), with a tinge of greenish color. As far as the taste goes, it is definitely hoppy, but not oppressive. I appreciated how smooth it was and the aroma was pleasant as well. Nothing special while it first touched your lips, but the aftertaste was highly enjoyable. Not sure how this would taste from a can or any other serving type, but if you can find a bar or local pub with this on tap, definitely give it a try, especially if you can appreciate beers from the UK.

Serving type: cask

02-11-2011 03:39:37 | More by Hermanater77

Wattsox

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

3.93/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pleasant dark amber colour. Thin head which didn't stay around too long, though was served in two pours into a smaller beer glass which could account for it.

S: Caramel / malts the most obvious smell, light on hops.

T: Quite nice for a session beer, malty with a touch of bitterness on the end.

M: Light carbonation, not too heavy, quite a smooth, light drink overall.

D: Nice and smooth, very easy to drink. Could very well be a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2010 03:04:23 | More by Wattsox

robnews

New Brunswick (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a Stella chalice.
Not much head to speak of. Very thin. Nice dark red orange appearance.

Caramel smell is the first thing noticeable.

Tastes nice initially, bitter near the end covered in moderate carbonation. malty and caramel throughout. lingering bitterness afterwards. Not a bad beer...no hop flavor present.

Tasty IPA, though not a strong one. A good beer to try. I have it regularly.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2010 23:45:42 | More by robnews

boss302

Florida

3/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Greene King IPA chilled, on creamer tap. 

A red clear nice thick creamy head. 4

S honestly not that much hop aroma. Clean but not hoppy for an IPA. 3

T clean tasting no hop bite smooth. Nitrogen takes the bitterness out of the beer. 3 

M really thin, I think carbonation would serve this beer much better. 2.5  

D drinkable, but not a great IPA. There seems to be a lack of bitterness and flavor in beers served in southern England. I had much more flavorful and hopped beers in Northern UK. 3  

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-13-2010 02:48:15 | More by boss302

shamus

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This IPA has a very strong malt flavour. That being said it's a nice one. You can taste the mashed grains in the body. It's smooth and very nice when chilled. It's sweeter than what i like but this is a confidently produced product that is sure to make some people very satisfied. I'm just not getting much in way of hops in this but that's okay since overall it is quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 20:20:49 | More by shamus

newk340

California

3.18/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed from a cask while at the Sherlock Holmes Pub in London, just down the street from Charing Cross.

A: served a dark copper in a pint glass. gorgeous brown/amber with a decent head but little lacing.

S: malts are certainly evident, but there are some hops and caramel that linger as well.

T: rather bland in flavor following the smell. possibly due to the cask pour. would like to retry from a bottle.

MF/D: decent carbonation but relatively smooth. easily drinkable but nothing to brag about.

Serving type: cask

08-07-2010 11:00:10 | More by newk340

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a nonic. This one's the 5% export with no clear freshness date. Pours a robust amber-brown hue, with a few scattered bubbles for the head, which dissolved entirely, leaving no trace of head or lacing. Oh well...

The nose is slightly hoppy, with a touch of malts and caramel.

Surprisingly sweet and malty to begin, with the hop bitterness arriving later and lingering for a while. Not as sharp as I'd like it, but it'll do nicely for a bitter. Notes of toffee, caramel and lemon as well.

Mouthfeel is medium-slick, with decent carbonation, making this highly quaffable.

Not bad at all. Could use a bit more work to get it more within the bitter/IPA range, but still a fairly sessionable bitter.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2010 17:59:11 | More by JohnnyBarman

fullsweep

United Kingdom (England)

3.88/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 mL clear bottle poured into a pint glass.

Out of the three formats I've tried, bottled is my favorite (can, cask, bottle).

A: brownish-copper beer has clarity, 1-finger head with minimal lacing.te

S: sourish-sweet and malty.

T: the flavors are more pronounced here in the bottled version for whatever reason. While I found the canned and cask versions to be a bit on the bland side, this one had a bit more umph to it.

M: nice carbonation, moderate body.

D: very refreshing!

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2009 23:30:20 | More by fullsweep