Fuller's London Pride - Fuller Smith & Turner PLC

kvnstfrd

Missouri

4.23/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a bright golden honey color with a white frothy head. Smells of English malts, cereal, apples and herbal hops. Taste is a strong cider-like sweetness up front with cereal grain character while in the mouth. Aftertaste is smooth, buttery with just the right amount of hops. Carbonation is soft. Nice balance, awesome complexity. This is one great ale!

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 15:46:15 | More by kvnstfrd

OldRedLion

California

4.85/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A first note should be made that this beer is best enjoyed in its cask conditioned form pulled by hand from a beer engine in London where it is made and is freshest. The Fuller, Turner and Smith Brewery is located in Cheswick, London and London Pride is amongst the most poular Real Ales in the city.

In America it can be found in bottles and on draught, and although you won't find it cask conditioned here, freshness should still be made the upmost priority. Another note should be made that it should not be drunk or served at American near freezing temperatures, but rather in the mid 40F range (cellar temperature) of British ales, and should not be served in a chilled glass. When ordering here I will often order two, and let the second stand while I enjoy the first. The second will then be the perfect temperature. I keep this beer on draught in the cooler winter months and it is my favourite cold weather beer. When serving from the keg, I recommend tapping into and then serving from a pitcher; this tends to help the head become more creamy, somewhat simulating the cask pull in each pour. I have tried pulling it through the beer engine, but the extra forced carbonation of the export version is too much for the sparkler. I would enjoy the keg version of this beer more were there less carbonation.

In any regard, when well kept and properly served, I place London Pride at the very top of my favourite beers, and a benchmark for all British pale ale. It is delicately balanced, and a fine session beer. Whith its bright copper color, smooth lacy head, moderate alchohol and pleasantly balanced finish, London Pride pairs excellently with prime rib, steaks and other hearty beef meals, as well as with fish&chips.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2012 19:26:01 | More by OldRedLion

GMB

Japan

4.18/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

If this bottle is to be believed, this ale is not only the pride of London, it's also outstanding and premium. My interest is piqued and my expectations are high.

Fuller's London Pride pours a deep orange, amber body a viscous, frothy head. Carbonation is light but present in the glass. The head sticks around a while before settling into a beautiful pattern of foam-glaciers that float on surface and cling to the sides of the glass.

The nose is delicious. The toasted caramel malt sings; I had to stop myself from upending the glass after the first sniff. Grassy aromas are present up front. Citral fragrances follow. A bit of patience, repeated sniffs, and a swirl of the glass bring out the latter; I detect a bit of orange peel and some cantaloupe. This is a beer worth sniffing for a minute or two before tasting.

The beer is soft on the palate and yields a gentle, thick foam. But it is also a bit thin. My first sip almost seemed a bit watery. Still, the lightly toasted butterscotch flavors are sweet and delicious. They are complemented by some spicy citral flavors: the illusion of orange rind is developed by a decent amount of bittering hops, whose bitterness lingers long. Sweetened grapefruit, black pepper, cherry, and floral notes (especially rose) emerge as the beer's flavors develop on the palate.

I don't know that I would characterize this ale as "outstanding" among well-crafted English Ales; I've had some that are just as delicious. Similarly, I don't know enough about the brewing process to judge whether or not the beer is "premium." Still, I can say with confidence that there is plenty to take "pride" in here. Fuller's produces better beers, but London Pride is a delicious English Ale that I'll definitely drink again.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 07:40:32 | More by GMB

chinchill

South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

11.2 oz bottle served in as snifter at about 48F.
Poured clear, deep amber in color, with a thin but modestly durable off-white head. Mostly caramel malt in the nose, and that seems for a moment to be what you get in the flavor too. But wait, there's more. A nearly equal amount of earthy/spicy hops kicks in, partly taming the sweetness and, eventually, dominating the aftertaste and creating hints of peat. True to style, this one is a tiny bit more earthy than ideal for my taste.

O: tasty, easy drinking, session beer, with enough complexity to hold a beer geek's interest.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 00:27:48 | More by chinchill

alexipa

Colorado

4.18/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I've heard a lot about Fullers, can't believe it's taken me this long to try one. I didn't really know what to expect, so I popped the cap and poured into an imperial pint glass. The color is a beautiful orange with a sticky film on top. Smells much less hoppy than I expected, very bready and malty. After tasting... oh yes, this is a good one. It's malt-forward with some great bread and toffee/caramel notes (did I mention caramel is my favorite flavor in beer?). The bitterness on the back end keeps it well rounded and balanced, but I'm getting no distinguishable hop taste. Clearly they added little to no late hop additions and it REALLY works here.

This will be in my regular line up, especially at $3.50 a bottle. I believe this would also be a great beer to people new to the craft world. A great example of how beer should be.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 05:28:52 | More by alexipa

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.88/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into pint glass

Appearance – Pours an amber brown color with a two finger just off white head. The head fades to leave a light level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is heavy of a bready aroma. With this smell is a good lot of butterscotch and some lighter fruit aromas of apple cider.

Taste – The taste begins with a crisp bready flavor. A lighter butterscotch sweeter flavor then comes to tongue. As the taste advances, some of the apple cider in the nose is detected on the tongue. This mixes well with the rest, and at the end, is joined some light herbal and earthy bitterness which leave a rather pleasant taste on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the rather average side in terms of creaminess and thickness with a carbonation level that is the same.

Overall – A tasty and very drinkable brew with a good blend of malty, lightly sweet, and lightly bitter. Rather refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 02:36:27 | More by Darkmagus82

jsisko01

Michigan

3.23/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance - Pours a copper/amber color. Only poured about half the glass and it overfilled with foam.. Looks overly carbonated.

Smell - Very malty and bready, sweet, bitter, musty, and butterscotch.

Taste - Very sweet and malty, somewhat of a fruity apple flavor, toffee, and has a bitter finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with high carbonation.

Overall - Not a bad pale ale.. The carbonation is just overkill.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 00:17:55 | More by jsisko01

Jetulio

Spain

3.88/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a traditional Pint Glass from 500 ml can.

App--- copper/amber colour with a thin head off-white

S---- apple and malt, it smells lighltly

T--- not impressive but very well balanced, malty with a liitle touch of fruit and presence of hops too

M--- nice in mouth, medium/light body with medium carbonation

O--- easy easy to drink because its well balanced. Not a complex Pale Ale but good to be a standard at London pubs.

Serving type: can

10-09-2012 09:45:24 | More by Jetulio

keitho

New Zealand (Aotearoa)

3.65/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance- Amber body with lots of bubbles clinging to the side of the pint glass with a very
thin head.

Smell- Smell of sherry and Xmas cake.

Taste- Toffee taste with the contrasting hops coming through at the end making this beer well balanced and refreshing.

Mouthfeel- Medium carbonation and quite creamy in the mouth.

Overall- This bottle of beer has been imported to N.Z from London so has travelled half way around the world and it may have lost some character in the journey but that is just speculation, having said that it is a very nice beer with lots of flavour I would definitely buy again.

Poured into a nonic pint glass from the bottle Best Before May 13.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 06:07:45 | More by keitho

thegodfather2701

North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours a deep gold with a thick off-white head that slowly dissipates. There is some slight cascading, but no lacing.

S-malty, bready, toffee, butterscotch, and I also picked up a scent of green apples.

T-Malty with a nice bitter finish. Caramel and Toffee dominate the flavor to me with some butterscotch sneaking in as well. Its not as floral as I was expecting. This beer gets much better as it warms.

M-buttery, creamy, with a nice touch of carbonation. In some ways not as slick and full as I was expecting.

D-True session beer. You could drink this all day.

Overall, I was slightly disappointed with this beer. I expected a fuller more complex flavor and a slightly better mouthfeel. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I expected this to blow Bass Pale Ale away. While it is better than Bass, it just didn't seem to be worth paying that much extra to drink. At just over $13 including tax for a sixer I expected more. I doubt I will purchase this ever again in bottle form, but would like to try it on tap. All of that being said it is a good beer, just not as good as my high expectations had hoped it would be.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 04:10:25 | More by thegodfather2701

tdm168

North Carolina

3.13/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - light, see through amber with a soft, short, off white head that has good retention

S - very faint caramel

T - nusty, milky, caramel

M - medium bodied, well carbonated, a bit crisp

The milky notes were very off putting. The base beer is all caramel and very one-dimensional. This is rather disappointing, but it is low-abv and very sessionable. I won't be buying this again, though.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 08:13:07 | More by tdm168

pkalix

California

4.35/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

not another 11.2 oz bottle . . . . and at 4.7% abv, i think i'm expecting a light beer.
pours with very little head, and what little there was relinquished itself to the orange-y, marmalade-y, ginger ale-looking liquid below it. some fizzy carbonation, but that dissipated also.
i'm sharing this bottle with a glass of Woodford Double Reserve bourbon and i believe i'm still getting a good sense of smell and taste from the glass. some malt in there with little hop and a little caramel. very light beer and, as someone else mentioned, would go great with a sandwich at lunchtime in a pub.
i did purchase this sixer specifically for the purpose of chasing the bourbon (it was a toss up between this and the guinness black lager- both very light abv) and i feel it accents the bourbon nicely. as a stand-alone brew, it stands by itself and on its own merit. a great tasting brew, although very light; but very nicely balanced and has definite purpose in life. cheers!

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 22:46:37 | More by pkalix

rickyleepotts

Arizona

2.75/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

We just got back from London, and I didn't drink this beer while in the UK. However, we did see the brewery. We didn't do a tour, but saw it while driving from the airport to our hotel. It was neat, and Sheryl got a good picture of the building. It would make sense that we would drink a London Pride while in London… but we didn't. I had a TON of cider, though. I am becoming a cider guy, that's for sure. But since this is their most popular beer, I am excited to try it. Let's drink!

In the Glass: It looks like a pale ale in the glass. There are some things floating in the glass… not sure what that is, but a lot of sediment is sinking to the bottom. Hope that doesn't affect the flavor of the beer.

Nose: Not much aroma here. What is there is nothing more than a faint bitter aroma. Nothing to write home about.

Flavor: The flavor isn't that impressive, either. However, it is perfectly balanced. There isn't a lot of bitterness, and the hop character is very muted. When they say you should drink this with a London pub lunch… I totally get it. The bangers and mash would go perfectly with this beer. I wonder what this would taste like on cask. Nearly every beer in England was pull.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is basic. There isn't much going on, not much carbonation, and it's a pretty boring, yet very drinkable beer. We are drinking this ice cold, and I am sure that helps with the smoothness, but even when swishing it around in my mouth, the bubbles aren't obvious.

Aftertaste: The aftertaste is the best part about this beer. It's incredible, and sticks around for a long time. I am talking several minutes after you swallow. I can totally see why this is the most popular beer in the UK.

I am not sure I would order this… or if bars here even carry this. But the next time I am in the UK, you can bet I order some bangers and mash and a pint of London Pride. Bottoms up, people!

Fuller's London Pride - The bottle says: "Fuller's London Pride is an award-winning English classic premium beer, rich and smooth, with a good malty base and well-developed hop notes in the finish. The Griffin Brewery in Chiswick, London has been brewing fine beers since 1650. The Fuller, Smith & Turner partnership, dating back to 1845, brews an excellent range of award-winning beers, many of which are available in the USA, including London Pride premium and the world's original ESB. I hope you will enjoy trying all our fine beers."

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 18:28:37 | More by rickyleepotts

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Aside from the low carbonation, it looks like a nice beer. Light amber body with a tiny head.

British malts and slick british hops come to mind. Its mild for sure, with just a hint of slick malt coming through. Slightly lemony and earthy.

Its malty for sure. Slight hint of grains, but I think of Marris Otter malt straight away. It just has that trademark slightly earthy yet slick British malt. It goes down so smooth and easy, with the ease of a German Helles or well a British Pale. Its mild, yet still flavorful enough.

It feels amazing. Full on British malt with a touch of earthy lemon.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 00:01:47 | More by VncentLIFE

Everydayoff

Thailand

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap served in a Fuller’s London Pride pint glass at White Beer’D, Bangkok.

A:
Got a clear copper brown amber beer with thick off-white foamy head with great retention, the head stably endures until the end of tasting along with nice lacing.

S:
Variety of fruit predominates in the smell mainly reminding of cherry and apple. Sweet malt is also there with a note of caramel and biscuit.

T:
Load of fruit still exhibits through the taste buds reminiscent of cherry, citrus and apple. Sweet biscuity malt, caramel and some hop bitterness are leverage and enough to balance its fruity side.

M:
The body is medium, smooth mouthfeel with some good crispness and carbonation, rather dry finish.

O:
Good English ale with many varieties in term of complexity, aroma and flavor rather than typical others in the style.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2012 17:19:24 | More by Everydayoff

thegodfather1076

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: Different and unique bottle with nice raised embossed lettering on it. Label is simple yet classy. Label on the back give an excellent history of this beer and brewery.

Appearance: Poured out of 12oz bottle into a 16oz English Pint. Pours out a clear bright copper/amber color with a 2 finger airy creamy white foam head that dissipated into a frothy covering. Head retention was 1min 24sec. Very active carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass. Minimal lacing after initial head dissipation.

Smell/Aroma: Earthy aroma with hints of butterscotch and caramel throughout. A very nice bread-like maltiness with mild hop essence.

Flavor/Taste: Tastes of the same bread like malts with a hoppy-bite. Maintains a butter-like caramel flavor throughout.

MouthFeel: Medium-bodied with crisp feel. Moderate carbonation..

Drinkability: Highly drinkable and very well balanced. Very smooth.

Overall/Comments: One of the best ales that I've had. So very well balanced in flavor/aroma/mouthfeel. An exceptional brew. Classified as an English Pale Ale at 4.7% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 08:27:11 | More by thegodfather1076

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.48/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on Tap today at the British Beer Company. Comes to the table a deep golden color with a thinnish off white head that slowly dissipates. Smells of rich sugary maltiness, lots of dark sugars and rich fruits with a hint of earthy and floral hops. The flavor is rich and malty but does have a bit of an earthy hop bite to it. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet slick mouthfeel. Nice beer, I've never had it before but it was on special so I gave it a shot. I probably wouldn't seek it out again as its really not my style, but there was certainly nothing wrong with it.

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2012 01:15:23 | More by johnnnniee

brianwakeforestnc

3.7/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from my local Total Wine and More, served in standard tulip glass, and enjoyed while watching team USA win gold in the London Olympics.
A: Nice gold colour, a deeper gold then a most American pale ales, decent carbonation with half inch head.
S: Slight. You can smell a little bit of a hop profile that comes across as bitter as oppose to piney, followed by malty breadyness.
T: Initial bitterness that was noticed in the smell, followed by malt and ending with a pleasant dryness. The flavors are well incorporated and thirst quenching, making you want to take another sip quickly.
M: Average mouthfeel. Not too thin and not very thick. Similar to most pales ales.
O: I could easily see how you could spend a evening in a pub drinking this. It goes down very quickly, is thirst quenching and pleasant without requiring too much attention. A very sessionable beer that I would drink more often if it was half the price, but at this price point there a better beers out there form USA (think bell's 2 hearted ale).

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 16:02:34 | More by brianwakeforestnc

brewskifan55

Mississippi

3.73/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed at the Ale House, Bath, England

A: Clear amber with a light head that barely sits. Nice lacing.

S: Malt, oak, cherries, floral.

T: Follows nose. Caramel,sweet. Smooth, clean finish.

M: Light with low carbonation.

O: A really enjoyable ale. Only thing missing is the mouthfeel. I wanted more robustness in that department.

Serving type: cask

07-30-2012 17:59:35 | More by brewskifan55

sommersb

Tennessee

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tasted On: 07-28-2012
Freshness: Best by 11-26-2012
Packaging: 330ml brown bottle, pry-cap
Glassware: Fuller's nonic pint
Purchased: 6-pack from Midtown, Nashville

A: Bright, copper-colored beer capped by a full head of creme color. Both head retention and lacing show very good in the glass.

S: Rich malt aroma - bready and of caramel. The sweet malts are joined by floral hop aromas.

T: Taste is lightly sweet, with a big caramel flavor. This is balanced well by a low amount of hop bitterness.

M: Light in body, with a creamy mouthfeel. The finish is slightly dry and shows more of the perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness.

O: Overall I was very impressed with this beer, my first from Fuller's. An excellent ale with great balance and incredibly easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 03:43:14 | More by sommersb

samie85

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nice copper color with two fingers of white head.

Smells of bready malts with some fruity esters and some butterscotch notes.

Bready and light fruity esters upfront with some caramel and a nice bittering charge on the finish.

Smooth and slick with moderate carbonation medium bodied.

This is a really nice, easy drinking beer perfect for warm days when you still want some flavor but don't want something too heavy.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2012 00:21:55 | More by samie85

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.53/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

11.2 oz bottle poured into a nonic.
4.7% ABV, Best Before: 27 NOV 12

A - Deep copper in color and shining with clarity you can read through, London Pride is a gorgeous beer, but what makes it even more distinguished is it's dense ivory head that seems to never disappear. Thick lace clutches the glass as each sip passes.

S - Fuller's London Pride is bursting at the seams with a yeast-driven fruity ester aroma that surrounds the rich maltiness of the beer. Fig and plum are most noticeable here, imparting an almost Belgian-like dark fruit essence. Maltiness follows through with a toffee and caramel blend that definitely leans towards the sweet side, uninhibited by hops, though minor earth tones come through the back end.

T - UK hop varieties are more apparent in flavor, bringing an earthy flavor that really reins in the fruit and malt sweetness the nose offers. Bready, the malt still encourages caramel and toffee flavors, but a bit more toned down.

M - Fuller's London Pride is a dry English Pale Ale that cleanly sweeps across the tongue with a lingering mild bitterness. In conjunction with a moderate carbonation level, this serves to freshen up the malty sweetness giving the beer a medium body.

O - A stellar example of an English Pale Ale, Fuller's London Pride blends maltiness with earthy hop tones and fruity yeast esters for a balanced and quite drinkable beer; an session beer I'd love to drink a few pints of in an English pub.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 21:52:14 | More by BeerFMAndy

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 11.2 oz. bottle into a Sam Adams "Perfect Pint" glass. Bottle says best before Nov 27, 2012.

Appearance: Pours a deep and clear amber orange with a lot of rising bubbles. About two fingers of off white head with decent retention. Leaves a good amount of lacing around the glass.

Smell: A fairly sweet and malt driven aroma. Big aroma of malts with lots of toffee, caramel, biscuit, and some butterscotch. Some hints of earthy hops and citrus orange. Also some hints of nuts and honey. Definitely smells English with very biscuity and subtle hop aroma smells.

Taste: Like the smells indicates, a very malty and bready taste. Big caramel malts up front with nice notes of toffee, biscuit, and butterscotch. Subtle notes of nuts, honey, and fruits including a slight hint of apple. Behind the malts are a decent profile of earthy hops and citrus hops providing a little balancing bitterness and orange flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Creamy, slightly chewy, and very smooth. Finishes fairly dry.

Overall: A very solid version of the English Pale Ale. Good bready biscuit and caramel notes and a decent backing of hops.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 02:50:09 | More by MattyG85

ckollias

Maryland

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this 12oz bottle out of a large snifter glass.

A: Pours a dark copper almost amber hue a 3-finger white head that quickly dissipates into a wispy lace.

S: Biscuity aroma with a malt sweetness. Some caramel scents followed by hops.

T: Malts and biscuits flavors up front followed by a caramel and hop backbone. Silky smooth finish.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Excellent English Pale Ale. Well balanced and went down easy.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 01:18:34 | More by ckollias

Eramen

Ireland

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Exits the can a golden and bronze, a small off white head floating atop.

S - Quite a fruity punch to it from the hops; orange, peach and strawberry.

T - Again the immensely fruity elements that came through on the nose, strawberry, peach, citrus, pale sweet malts, maybe a hint caramel and peanuts. Has substantial fruity hop bittering qualities.

MF - A tad on the watery side (at least I find it so in the canned incarnation), medium bodied, but overall isn't too unappealing.

O - An enjoyable fruity pale ale, one of my regular brews because of its wide availability. This was my first real beer when I started out a year and a half ago, one I liked from the get-go, and it retains a special place with me!

Serving type: can

07-03-2012 19:45:16 | More by Eramen