Abbot Ale - Greene King / Morland Brewery

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

2.68/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A regarded brewery, but this one needs Costello. Hop bubbles, too simplic, bitter and thin mouthfeel and nothing in taste. Maybe this works fresh and cask-conditioned, but was difficult to finish. Had it again two years later and it certainly was no better.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2005 03:27:26 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

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

Blurry orange-amber with a cascading head that settles into a soft, thick disk in about 15 seconds. The head is pretty creamy courtesy of the nitro, but I'm not optimistic about lace. In fact, there's a fairly thick sheet on the glass opposite, but it only rises about two fingers above the surface of the beer.

The nose is subdued and is of gently toasted malt and spiced fruit (apricots, peaches). The flavor wasn't that impressive at first, but has come into its own with warming. It's primarily caramel malty with an undercurrent of spicy hops. The fruitiness appreciated in the nose is still present, but is understated. Increasingly bitter, ultimately dry finish. The body is light-medium and is mouth pleasingly creamy thanks to the widget.

I can't decide if I like the nitro gimmick or not. I do like the creaminess that it imparts, but I've also heard that it masks the flavor to some extent. In any case, Abbot Ale is good beer. I've had better English ales, but this one is tasty and drinkable.

Serving type: nitro-can

05-01-2004 18:42:32 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

So I have really no clue where this one came from. I have received so much in trades and BIFS in the last couple of months that it really is not too much of a shock that I cannot remember where one or two came from. But that is neither here nor there, lets review it anyway…



A – Poured a nice deep hazelnut brown. Great color on this, looked like hickory wood or something. Ample carbonation streaming up from the bottom of the glass throughout the session, with a small amount of side glass lace around the edge. The head was not too impressive, maybe an inch or so on the pour and fading quickly down to only a thin layer across the top. Looked pretty much like an English ale.



S – Aroma was very grainy, almost musty in smell. Lots of malter bread, and a lot of caramel as well. Had a definite roasted nuts kind of back to it. Very full aroma and very pleasing as well. Not something to be taken lightly, but at the same time also not very heavy. Nice for a good pub ale and quite a bit stronger then most I have smelled in this category..



T – Very nice here, lots of caramel and malt tones that were littered in the back with a tiny bit of English bittering hops. Nice sweetness balancing It all out very very well. I was quite impressed with this one. It was a very full bodied flavor with lots of earthen grain and malt tones.



M – Super smooth and clean would be the best way to describe it. Not too heavy and not very carbonated but still very very good. It was really a nice combination of factors that led to a decent mouthfeel.



D – Great I could have had another with ease when I was done. A rich full feel was just about perfect for drinking. Not a sipper this was a good sit down with the game ale.



Overall I was very impressed with this little brew that I really did not even know that I had. It was quite good and defiantly something worth taking a shot at. I would defiantly recommend trying this one If you can, it might surprise you a bit as it comes through with a lot more quality then I thought it would.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2007 01:06:39 | More by mikesgroove

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.93/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

16.9 ounce can - $2.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours an amber-toned body with a sudsy, whitish head. Good clarity.

Smell: A balmy little aroma smelling of sweetish butterscotch and ripe, fruity figs.

Taste: It's rather tangy! Very lightly bread-based maltiness with a sweet, caramel syrup touch to it. Small hint of diacetyl. A very faint nuttiness follows, then it goes into a mildly spicy hop character and low, low bitterness. Finishes fairly clean beyond a precluding sulfur, minerally flourish and benign with just a smidge of vague sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium-low carbonation.

Overall: You know, it is rather tangy. Then bland. But initially tangy!

Serving type: can

05-14-2011 02:31:54 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

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

Appearance: Pours a clear light amber color with a rocky egg shell head; decent retention and a few sprigs of lace

Smell: Balanced aromatics, with both the toffee malt (some diacetyl detected) and earthy hops present

Taste: After the toffee malt sets its backbone and provides a little bit of butterscotch diacetyl, the earthy hops make their presence known, too, by mid-palate; after the swallow, the distinctive fruity character and earthy hops are somewhat dominant, with a spicy element that adds a nice dimension

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: More an ESB than a pale ale in my book, this is nevertheless an enjoyable session beer

Serving type: can

12-06-2008 21:57:54 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

3.53/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear dark honey orange with a foamy beige head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, fruits, and a mild hop aromas. Taste is much the same with fruit and caramel flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a low level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and smooth mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is light and easy to drink.

Serving type: can

03-08-2013 06:04:31 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

2.53/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Can: Poured a clear medium brown color ale with a small bubbly head with limited retention. Aroma of malt is slightly sweet with little hops distinguishable. Taste was also dominated by some discreet sweet malt with a dry ending. Body was about average with some average carbonation. A bit boring overall and would have profited from having more English hops to provide some floral notes.

Serving type: can

08-30-2007 19:15:53 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Quite similar to most nitro pub ales. Extremely thick and rich looking with dense nitro carbonation and a beer flavored whipped cream on top. Aromas are very light of caramelized malts. Tastes similar with a subtle English Pale Ale spiciness and bittering. The nitro dulls the flavors quite a bit, but really amps up the body. Very creamy and silky smooth texture. If this beer were a little bolder in the flavor and aroma, it would be killer.

Serving type: nitro-can

06-15-2006 14:44:54 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tried this outta the bottle over a year ago and really liked so I tried it on the nitro-tap,poured a great creamy copper with a very sticky head,aroma is malty and more malty.Had that very disctintive Englisg hop taste with a malt backbone and a very dry finish.I was glad to try this on tap I really enjoy this beer.

Serving type: nitro-tap

07-31-2003 02:30:48 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Once the cascading head has settled the body is clear. It's deep copper with an orange-red tint; and the ivory colored head is dense and creamy. The aroma is intriguing: malty, bready, lightly fruity, gently caramel - almost butterscotch. The body is medium-light with a low level of carbonation and very fine bubbles from the nitrogen breakout. Very creamy in the mouth. The flavor is gently fruity upfront, revealing caramel and some buttery notes as it crosses the palate, and finishing nutty with some light residual bitterness. A very nice, highly drinkable, and enjoyable beer. A great session beer except that I think I'd find myself seeking more bitterness after the first or second pint. A hard beer to score because the nitrogen pour gives it such a nice head and creamy mouthfeel.

Serving type: nitro-can

01-10-2003 20:41:48 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Served in a willibecher at Firkin.

My last beer of the day shall be a nice English cask ale. Indeed. It pours a clear sunrise amber topped by a finger of cream foam. The nose comprises lightly-sweet biscuit, mild greens, and light honey. The taste brings in more of the same, though everything is slightly milder, and there's a touch of grass in there for good measure. The body is a light medium, with a light carbonation and a smooth feel. Overall, a pretty nice EPA, one that seems right at home in this cask engine.

Serving type: cask

05-21-2013 00:09:41 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Glug, glug, glug goes the can, the brew settles smoothly and show a copper/amber hue, under a creamy off-white, well-maintained head.

Aroma, soft, sweet, and lightly spicy...fresh, green hops...rather nice!

Taste: neat, tidy, hop-laden jump on the palate...then smooth and mellow. good malt in the body. Classic English pale ale, apparently "brewed longer for a distictive, full flavor." I wouldn't call it "full", but it's fuller than many, maybe even most. "Full-flavoured, smooth, & mature" it says in a ring around the top of the can. They left out "sophisticated".

There is something in the taste I'm not crazy about, maybe it's that fresh, green hop character mentioned above mixing with caramel malts?
Drinks down ultra-easy, nonetheless...a very nice ale, no question.

**reading other reviews, I've got it! Caramel Apple!

Serving type: nitro-can

06-24-2005 00:45:45 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

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

The beer pours a hazy golden color with a perfect thick white head. The aroma is good also. It is rich in pale malts, but has some carapils to boot. The taste is decent. It is bitter and flavorful, but something about this beer just doesn't work. It is medium bodied and adequately carbonated. It goes down smooth and has a creamy finish; a real crowd pleaser over in England I'm sure, but I'm not completely sold on it's worth over in the USA. All in all, not a bad beer, but also not a great beer.

Serving type: nitro-can

02-03-2004 01:35:22 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Beer poured from a can into an Abbot Ale imperial pint glass. Part of my glassware photography project.

Beer is clear and reddish with moderate carbonation and a tight off white head of small bubbles that has some staying power. Looks attractive.

The aroma is mostly malty but overall subdued. There is some nuttiness, almost smell like a red ale. Smells pretty good.

Beer is full bodied, no real bitterness to detect, forward sweetness. Serious body. No carbonation in the palate to speak of but it doesn't need it. There is almost a fruity sweetness in the midpalate. Second taste, there is some lingering malt in the back of the mouth that nearly gives rise to an aftertaste. Overall its an unoffensive decent beer. Drinkability is good, its a little heavy methinks, otherwise its fine.

Serving type: can

03-26-2010 23:09:20 | More by drabmuh

zeff80

Missouri

3.73/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out a clear, bubbly burgundy color with a one-finger, tan head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled floral and grassy with some strong maltiness.

T - A malt-forward pale with with some nuttiness. There is an earthy bitterness.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light to medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This is a nice canned English ale. Greene King is a solid brewery that imports to the U.S.

Serving type: can

07-29-2012 19:12:14 | More by zeff80

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

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

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

Poured from a 16oz can into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light golden brown color, with a thin off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains honey, light caramelized malts, tea, some fruit and some hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel, honey, citrus and tea. Then a hearty but not too heavy malt character comes in. The hops presence is mild but is strong enough to provide a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, it might not be the absolute best beer in the style but it's solid enough to be worth drinking for a long time.

Serving type: can

11-06-2010 22:25:53 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.83/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours caramel to brown with a 3 fingers+ tightly bubbled head. Fantastic lacing & head retention

Smell: Musty, tobacco (sic), aged hops

Taste: Fruitty with slight grainy, leather. hops bitterness. Finishes sweet, fruitty & smooth

MF: Smooth. almost nitro smooth, good carbonation. Good balance.

Pretty darn drinkable; this one needs to warm a little above fridge temp, but not to much or you start getting stale beer tastes/essence. Not nears as good as the stu ff i was getting in the early 90s on handpump, but not bad. Very nice canned ale.

Serving type: can

04-08-2006 05:58:36 | More by russpowell

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours out as an amber color with a creamy looking off white head. The lacing is minimal on the glass. The smell has some grassy caramel sweetness with some grainy malts in there too. The taste is a smooth creamy earth flavors, grainy, not much hops. The mouthfeel is very smooth, not much carbonation at all.

Serving type: can

05-30-2011 16:32:15 | More by Knapp85

jwc215

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This was the non-nitro can - so, different can than in the pic, but the same beer.
Poured caramel-colored with many small bubbles along the side and a white one-inch head that slowly fizzled to a thick lace, until about half-way down the drink, at which point it disappeared to nothing.
The smell was thin - some general floral scent was present.
The taste was thick and malty fruits mingled with a metallic taste (from the can, possibly). A slight touch of caramel was present.
I had this warmer several days ago. The taste is better when it is colder.
The mouthfeel was buttery and on the bitter side. As I swirled it in my mouth, it became more watery. A touch of the floral fruitiness was retained, but masked by water and a metallic aftertaste.
This was okay, but nothing about it would make me want to try another. I can see why this is also put in the nitro-can. I might buy it if I see it in that form, just to compare, but it is not smooth enough, nor tasty enough, for me to get it otherwise.

Serving type: can

06-22-2006 21:17:06 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

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

This beer pours a crystal-clear medium amber hue - nothin' pale about this, with a fey fingers of puffy, creamy white head, which leaves a wall of lace around the glass as it recedes. It smells very mildly of soft British malt, and some light herbal hops. The taste is bready, kind of sour-ish, malt, and somewhat lemony old-world hops. The carbonation is very low, the body smooth, solid, but a little cloying, and it finishes off-dry, some herbal, grassy hops and sweet maltiness lingering.

Not a bad pale ale, but it gets a little too clammy after a while.

Serving type: can

08-25-2009 04:42:03 | More by biboergosum

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Dark amber color--clear. A mild but solid head, very impressive lace.

Sweet, nearly honey aroma. A touch of cream in the smell as well.

Decent full-flavored round ale flavors. More malt than hop. Fairly dry considering the heavy malt. Very full bodied, slightly high on the carbonation front.

Very traditional English ale, similar to my memories of the ales I had in London, although the atmosphere in front of my monitor writing this isn't quite the same.

Serving type: can

12-30-2005 20:48:34 | More by smcolw

Jason

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Mild chill haze which means that this brew must have not been sterile filtered, still a bright orange amber colour with a thick two fingered nitro head shows something about this ale. Fruity aroma with a light caramel and floral hoppy company. Yum … nitro smooth, this is pseudo cask at its best. Creamy smooth, forced at that but it certainly adds to the drinkability for sure. Flavours are thrown around like junk in a cluttered house, clean but just in a scattered mess. Flavours of steeped hop tea, fruity with leafy hop all over. A drop of caramel and bready malt but the soft hop flavour keeps on coming back. Nitro starts to wear off a bit and then things seem to go thin and flat other than the hop flavour of course. One of the better non-stouts in a nitro can, something I’d go back to over the others.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2002 21:13:39 | More by Jason

Billolick

New York

3.83/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Red (new graphics) Nitro can with widget, that produces the frothy super thick head and creamy mouthfeel of this brew. Tons of lacing, and tons of sheets of lace all over this quaffer. Notes of maple, caramel, vanilla up front, smooth and satisfying. The mouthfeel is what this brew is all about. Finish is long, creamy and, suprise, smooth. Decent, if somewhat bland, sessioner.

Serving type: nitro-can

12-01-2004 22:07:07 | More by Billolick

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Draft can from a 4-pack from Yankee Spirits, Sturbridge, MA.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, did the cascading thing, forming a huge, thick, frothy, slightly off-white head, which had amazing staying power, as expected for a nitro can. Ok, so I'm a sucker for a nitro. Light malt and hops nose drifts off the coppery brew. Smooth, smooth, smooth, with a taste of caramel malts and a late appearing hoppy bitterness. Not quite as good as when I had it on tap at British Beer Co. last spring, but I digress... Smoothness makes for great mouthfeel, and that combined with the taste makes for great drinkability. Can you say "session"?

Serving type: nitro-can

03-14-2004 23:38:08 | More by ppoitras