Abbot Ale - Greene King / Morland Brewery

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

3.48/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Serving type: 500 ml can. There is a batch code printed on the bottom but no freshness date.

Appearance: Poured into an imperial pint glass. There was a short but messy spray of beer after I cracked it open (grr!). The color is pale amber with honey tones. A finger of semi-dense eggshell-colored head left a thin cap and ring around the edge.

Smell: It smells like an English pale ale. Light malts, sweet caramel, toffee, honey, a touch of lemon, and some earthy hops. It is very clean.

Taste: It has a relatively full-bodied mouthfeel but the flavor is a tad lacking. It mostly mirrors the smell: light malts, sweet caramel, toffee, honey, lemon zest, and earthy hops. What is most enjoyable is the way the flavors slowly parade across the palate. At first it is sweet, then the lemon zest emerges, and then the bitter aftertaste follows at the end.

Drinkability: This is a decent (canned) British import. I bet it is much better from a cask, though.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 05:52:44 | More by TheQuietMan22

Juanca

Peru

4.53/5  rDev +24.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Here in Peru there are not many places where you can sample beers from other countries, so when he had me between a place where European beers were selling did not think twice. The first beer I tried was this and go which was a surprise. It's a beer with a strong taste, excellent aroma and rich flavor, one of my favorites ever since.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 02:39:50 | More by Juanca

Raven3464

Japan

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Appearance: The beer pours a beautiful reddish copper body with a one finger head.

Smell: Smells like a flower garden with hints of caramel and candy.

Taste: There's a buttery taste that isn't apparent at all in the smell. Along the way there is a hint of caramel and a bitter hop punch at the end. This is a well balanced beer.

Mouth feel: It's creamy and the dry bitterness at the end compliments the carbonation up front. This is the best part of this beer.

Overall: This is a well balanced English Pale Ale, a very good representative of the style. There is nothing absolutely exceptional about the taste but the "feel" is amazing.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 14:14:19 | More by Raven3464

Cozzatoad

Italy

3.63/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle

A- Wonderful looking light copper colour, perfectly transparent. One finger head that shows decent retention, no lacing at all

S- Not that i'm expecting a strong aroma in an english ale but this is really weak. Light, sweet caramel malts and maybe a floral hint

T- Grainy malts with notes of caramel and a mild fruitiness on the back of things. Finishes slightly bitter with hints of floral and metallic hops (i can't find any better way to describe this than metallic; but it is not metallic in bad sense, like with industrial pale lagers, it feels good and on balance with the other flavours)

M- The best part. Feels extremely smooth and easy on the mouth but still dense in body, thanks to a wonderful, delicate but deeply-textured carbonation

O- Easily drinkable, simple but still decently complex. A beer you can drink for a while without getting tired

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 15:39:17 | More by Cozzatoad

dgilks

Australia

3.45/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear amber colour with a smooth, creamy, light tan head. Good head retention.

Malty caramel aroma with a touch of earthy hop. Slightly metallic.

Crisp, caramelised malt. Medium hop. Low bitterness. Okay.

Medium-light body with moderate carbonation.

A decent but unexceptional Pale Ale. Nicely balanced.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 07:17:40 | More by dgilks

heygeebee

Australia

3.7/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a copper colour - completely 100% transparent. Head recedes almost too quickly - leaves lacing. Individual bubbles can be seen rising.

Smell of English hops, serious beer garden smell.

Taste is restrained, malt driven, some biscuits/dough maybe? Light and easy to drink, the bitterness only catching up and as the bottle goes down. Difficult to find inidvidual elements to describe, as the taste is plain 'English'.

Mouthfeel is thin, but that's par for the style, could go down all night.

Easy drinkng, English style personified!

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 11:22:53 | More by heygeebee

dbaker61

Ohio

3.33/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Coppery amber color. Got about one finger of dense off-white foam which lasted about two minutes, dieing down to a ring of bubbles. Left a moderate amount of lacing.

Smell: A little skunkiness, due to the clear bottle. Buttersctoch and hops in the nose.

Taste: A nice bitter bite. Just a hint of sweetness from the malts.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied. Crisp, dry, bitter finish. Little carbonation on the palate.

Overall: Very pleasant. The bitterness is not overwhelming; seems to be well-balanced. The initial skunkiness is not off-putting. I'd drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 13:06:57 | More by dbaker61

kojevergas

California

3.3/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle into An Brainblasta goblet in low altitude Galway, Ireland.

A: Pours a textbook copper with a three finger head of no cream, decent thickness, and mediocre retention. Generally appealing.

Sm: Cream. Butterscotch. A light scent.

T: Cream, butterscotch. A bittering hops finish, but very slight. Certainly atypical for a pale ale. Very simple, but good for what it is. It's balanced well, but two notes are pretty easily balanced. Built strangely for the style, but built very well. I prefer it to most of the usual takes on the style.

Mf: Buttery, smooth, wet, until the climax which is slightly more coarse and dry. Really quite nice, actually.

Dr: It slides down easily enough, but it costs too much. Give it a go.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2011 16:39:14 | More by kojevergas

ktrillionaire

Florida

3.8/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

A - Brassy-hued brew with a small wispy white head and no lace. The color is somewhat radiant.

S - Floral and herbal notes sit upon a honey-biscuit malt aroma.

T - Follows the nose... many fine English brews do not always have tremendous cause for descriptors and superlatives; this is the case with Abbot Ale. Not that its necessarily 'fine' brew, but that its merits do not lend themselves to colorful description.

M - Smooth and creamy, inoffensive.

D - This is a very easy drinking brew, and is especially good paired with spicy food.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2011 19:58:01 | More by ktrillionaire

Wattsox

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

500ml bottle, consumed January 2011, BBE October 2011.

A - Nice copper look with a light creamy head that dissipates fairly quickly, leaving a small amount of lacing.

S - Sweet caramel malt smell with a little citrus, very pleasant.

T - Starts with a sweet caramel malt taste, nice hoppy balance, very slight bitterness on the tail-end. Very smooth overall.

M - Very light carbonation, smooth medium mouthfeel.

D - Very drinkable, definitely very smooth and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 21:22:14 | More by Wattsox

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

3.63/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle poured in a chalice.

A: Clear amber color with a small fizzy creamy beige head. Good retention and many lacings left in the glass

S: Smells like a classic English Ale: Toffee, caramel malts and citric and earthy hops. Sweet biscuit :). Yeasts can also be felt

T: Taste follows the nose. Toffee, caramel malts and fresh hops, basically. Slightly sweet upfront and dry and light bitter end. Overall is a dry and moderate bitter taste. Refreshing

M: Very light body and low carbonation. Light bitter aftertaste

D: Good drinkability. Good session beer

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 14:05:59 | More by eduardolinhalis

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.15/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours amber with a small creamy head.
Nose shows heavy skunk before giving way to some caramel and toffee. Also some floral hops hidden in there.
Very similar flavours in the way of malt along with some cookie dough. Finishes weakly, almost bland.
Nice creamy carbonation, very low though.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2010 10:10:00 | More by CrazyDavros

generallee

New York

4.08/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: It was poured from a 1 pint .9oz or 500ml can into an imperial pint glass. The can lists its abv at 5%. The can reads "English Pub Ale" Full Flavoured, Smooth & Mature" and Brewed longer for a distinctive full flavor".

Appearance: It has a rich amber color with a small creamy off white head. It has slick lacing which coats the glass but slides right down as I sip. This head doesn't last to long as it fades out buy about the mid way point down the glass.

Smell: The nose has a soft malty buttered dinner roll like character. There is a slight suggestion of fruit and hops way off in the background.

Taste/Palate: It has a light to medium body with the same mellow bready and buttery character detected in the aroma with just a hint of toffee sweetness. There is also a very slight earthiness like white button mushrooms in there. It has some light, somewhat distant herbal hop notes on the back end which reminds me of black tea with lemon. The hops still add a good balance to the mellow malt sweetness. It has light carbonation on the palate giving it a smooth creamy texture that slides down with ease.

Notes: I was looking for a little more definition from both the malt and the hops but overall it was still enjoyable and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2010 11:31:31 | More by generallee

Sunnanek

Sweden

3.9/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: This one pours golden to amber with a white rich head that leaves some lace after it dissipates after a while.

S: Sweet malt, light roasted along wiht some faint floral hops.

T: Light roasted caramell malt (a bit bready), bitter hops and faint floral.

M: Medium body and moderate carbonaiton. Bitter aftertaste that lingers for some time.

D: A really nice one. Not the best on the market but I'll buy this one again.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2009 19:59:55 | More by Sunnanek

TheSarge

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours with great clarity, and is amber copper in color. The head sticks together nicely, though there's not much of it.

The aroma is a little leather and herbal like.

The taste starts off creamy and full of hops and slight malt. The taste dissolves into a slick buttery like flavor and finishes with a husky herbal quality... Very complex for a sessionable beer.

The mouth feel is medium in body, with sharp crispness, a little slick, and finally wetting to the palate.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2009 17:16:22 | More by TheSarge

fullsweep

United Kingdom (England)

3.63/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500 mL bottle poured into a glass.

I'd had the canned version a few weeks ago so I decided to try the bottle and see if there any differences.

The pour produced a thicker head this time than before, almost 3 fingers of off-white foam. The ale color is a dark amber with a slight reddish/orange hue.

Nice mild aroma, smells sweeter than it tastes.

Taste from the bottle was similar, but less metallic than from the can (imagine that). This was more enjoyable from the bottle, IMO. Abbot has a unique taste, sure to keep things interesting.

Same great mouthfeel and drinkability. Recommended for fans of Old Speckled Hen, Fursty Ferret, etc.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2009 22:46:25 | More by fullsweep

Hornet2003

British Columbia (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

50cL bottle brought back from UK.

Appearance: Nice amber/gold colour with very slight head that dissipates very quickly.

Smell: Slightly woody. Almost oaky with slight hints of whiskey. Malty and nutty with a nice hop kick.

Taste: Malty sweet with whiskey notes. Mild flavour overall. I wish it was a little stronger tasting.

Mouthfeel: A little prickly and watery. Body is a little thin overall.

Drinkability: I could knock back a few pints of this in a pub with no worries. Very sessionable, but not the most exciting beer in the neighborhood.

Overall: Nice elements, I just wish they were turned up a notch.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2008 04:06:01 | More by Hornet2003

Blakaeris

Iowa

3.93/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours hazy, color is somewhere between coppe red and burnt orange with a slight head that quickly subsides.

Aroma is full of bready caramel malt. Floral hop, nutty, with a generous touch of ripe fruit.

Taste is initially sweet but quickly changes to tart. Quite dry and woody. Toasted malt balanced with floral hop, and a touch of tobacco. Fruit lingers in the flavor with strong notes of apple. Finish is metallic and dry with a pleasant bitterness.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth.

A nice session brew. Tasty enough that I wish I had more than one. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2008 19:07:59 | More by Blakaeris

bashiba

Iowa

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a nice dark amber with a bit of a thin light tan head.

Smell is light and minerally with a bit of toasted malt and a touch of light hops.

Taste has that classic english flavor with nice mineral and toasted malts and a nice light and clean juniper hop finish. The flavors balance nicely with just a touch of buttery diacytle poking through.

Mouthfeel is creamy and a touch slick with a bit of an oily residue.

A tasty and easy drinking English Pale.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2008 23:56:04 | More by bashiba

velkyal

Virginia

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is a beautiful deep amber colour and poured with a fluffy head which disintegrated within about 5 minutes of pouring. The first taste was a revelation, a balance of malt and fruit with just enough hop to make you long for a Ploughman's lunch in an English meadow in July. In the aftertaste there is sufficent zest so as not to leave your mouth feeling as though it is coated with treacle. With a fragrant bouquet and superb drinkability, this is an excellent ale.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2008 08:15:05 | More by velkyal

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.05/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Pours from the can into my 25cl tulip with a frothy, half-finger thick, lightly amber tinged, tan colored head. The beer is a brilliantly clear, reddish amber color that shows a bright, deep red tinged, copper color when held up to the light. The aroma is quite fruity smelling with notes of Macintosh apples, fresh cut - not quite ripe pears as well as malty notes of toffee and perhaps a hint of butterscotch. The fruitiness of the nose is quite distinctly different from what I am used to in a beer, it has a green, under-ripe edge to it that is interesting (though not necessarily in the best way).

Soft and creamy up front, but has a touch of prickly carbonation to it at the finish. The flavor has a green apple note to it as well as a touch of toasty malt character that adds some bread crust like touches and a biscuit like flavor. A touch of butterscotch / toffee seems to round things out a little bit as does a herbal, slightly astringent, earthy hop flavor and bitterness in the finish. This has a nice body to it; light, but with a reasonable heft to it that has a nice presence on the palate.

I am not sure why, but I was expecting more from this beer. It seems a bit bland and the flavors & characteristics that are here don't quite seem to mesh / integrate very well.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2008 21:21:00 | More by Gueuzedude

claytri

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The beer poured a healthy amber with a nice bit of off white head. The aroma was of bicuity malt with a hint of floral hops. The taste was nice biscuit malt and a clean hop finish. The feel was medium a bit wet, but a dry finish. A nice beer that would make for a wonderful session.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2008 22:14:33 | More by claytri

soulgrowl

United Kingdom (England)

4.08/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Lightish amber bronze topped by a bubbly barely off-white head with a spotty surface and mediocre retention.

Smell: Straight-ahead biscuit, toasty, caramelly, very buttery; actually, maybe it's more like a pastry than a biscuit. A fruity resiny undercurrent is reminiscent of applewood, and hops lend a hint of dry, grassy spice. Sweet, and almost lager-like in its malt clarity.

Taste: Balanced and tangy, with a pleasant toasty malt base, full of sunflower seeds, warm sourdough bread, toffee, and dry-roasted peanuts. Hops lend a just-right bitterness and full, permeating flavors of pine and field greens.

Mouthfeel: Bone-dry and light, almost too light.

Drinkability: This is a lovely, light yet flavorsome ale with a full-on British character. I wish we could get more beers like this in Japan.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2008 10:29:52 | More by soulgrowl

thierrynantes

France

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Beer bottle and can 50 cl, tasted in 2006.
Appearance : Copper colour (containing a small amount of caramel)
Smell : hops aroma
Taste and mouthfeel : malty and fruity taste in the mouth, sweet and sour final persistant
Drinkability : good English beer in the style pale ale

Reviewed 10-28-2007, translated from french 1-6-2008.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2007 17:48:23 | More by thierrynantes

brendan13

Australia

3.43/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Copper orange colour poured into mug with a couple of centimetres of off white head that settle into a this whisp.
S - Sweet caramel & honey dominates the nose. Bit of a floral hop note.
T - Again sweet maltiness is present but more hop bite to balance it out.
M - Medium, slightly cloying mouthfeel. Lowish carbonation.
D - Maybe a touch too sweet to make it a sessionable beer.
Still, a nice beer with character and not too overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2007 09:25:00 | More by brendan13