Bengal Lancer - Fuller Smith & Turner PLC

JGam115

New York

2.89/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

From my Untappd history. Served at The Ginger Man NYC.

A: Dark straw color with a nice fluffy head.

S: Really hard to detect anything from the first few swirls and sniffs. Delicate floral notes came through, but I was really struggling to find anything.

T: Definitely light on flavor with a good amount of bitterness. I had to remind myself this was an IPA (albeit an English style, not American) because it was lighter than other English IPAs I've had. I'd liken the finish to a mild cider.

M: Easy drinking, not so long a finish. Just Meh.

O: I expected a little more because I'm a Fuller's fan, but this brew left much to be desired.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2013 13:52:35 | More by JGam115

woosterbill

Connecticut

2.93/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Handpump halfpint at the Jack Horner, a Fuller's tied house.

A: Clear pale amber body under a 1/2" of persistent eggshell head. Nice lace, too. Excellent.

S: Ummm... Cantaloupe, overripe apricot, prune, and floral hops. Smells like a decent beer in a bad cask, but I'd expect a tied house to respect their titular beer, so maybe it's supposed to be like this. Not good, in any case.

T: A little better here, as some biscuity malt at least shows up alongside the overripe fruit, and the hops deliver a solid kick on the finish. Still, pretty darn weak.

M: Lighter than medium-bodied, with similar carbonation. Perfectly fine.

O: Disappointing; perhaps I'll try this again somewhere else, but I'm certainly in no hurry. Even if the rotten fruit notes were absent, I didn't get the impression that the malt and hops would deliver anything all that remarkable.

Cheers!

Serving type: cask

03-28-2012 14:25:09 | More by woosterbill

kangarooAdam59

Maine

3.24/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

In a pint glass:

A: amber colored body with a two finger white head, a fair amount of carbonation is seen rising through the slightly hazy body.

S: hops up front with nicely packed English malts coming through to back it up decently

T: sweet and bitter through the hops and malts coming through in different stages of the beer.

M: light to medium with some harshness hitting the tongue, more so in a milder way than the last one I had of this.

O: I'm glad I gave this another try as the first one was expired. Though this one was better than the last one I had, I'm still not completely sold on this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 17:32:40 | More by kangarooAdam59

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A pint at Three Boars Eatery, on a sweaty 30+ (right, that's not +30) Edmonton afternoon. Listed at 5.3% ABV.

This beer appears a clear medium golden amber hue, with one finger of tight creamy dirty white head, which leaves a few water spouts of lace around the glass as it evenly subsides.

It smells of crisp, biscuity sourdough malt, lemon polish, and moderately bitter leafy, grassy hops. The taste is sweet bready malt, a bit of rising yeast, some well-ripened orchard fruitiness, and quite tame leafy, earthy hops.

The bubbles are rather sedate and listless, the body a sturdy medium weight, and more or less smooth. It finishes still heavy on the sweetness, malt and fruit aiding and abetting, with little push back from the other bit players.

An ok EIPA, but that allowance only goes so far - even this style suggests a more robust hop character. Without it here, the fruitiness runs amok, in a reserved British manner, of course, leaving me instead with a strong golden summer ale impression.

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2012 00:26:25 | More by biboergosum

Zorro

California

3.33/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Clear golden colored ale with a tall white head.

Smells mildly malty and of English Style hops. Scents of strong tea and leather with a slight tobacco aroma.

Starts out malty and a little bitter.. Butter and leather with some herbal hop. Bitterness is a little sharp.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall OK, light in flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 01:35:19 | More by Zorro

ADZA

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This brew pours a orange,honey hue with average carbonation that leaves behind a two finger head that recedes to islands of froth and an outer rim of lacing,the smell is bittersweet with aromas of orange zest,marmalade,honey and medicinal herbal hops,it has a above light bodied mouthfeel which is perfectly carbonated and suits the style and the first taste i encounter is grapefruit followed by some,navel oranges,a light tinge of honey coated toffee and i mean light as fast as you notice it it dissapears quickly due to a light piney,citrus hop finish and overall i have to admit i was expecting more i mean its easy enough to drink and i know ill easily remember this brew as i did like its front label and it definately caught my eye on the shelf but apart from that i dont think ill be revisiting this anytime soon but would not knock back if offered and if you want a EIPA that is quite light bodied and not a hopbomb then this would be right up your alley cheers.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 11:51:42 | More by ADZA

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Beer Bistro, in Toronto.

This beer has just the sharp golden tone and glaring yellow radiance suited to something with 'Bengal' in its name. It truly does have an alluring look, one perhaps capable of inspiring the wonder, dynamism and vibrancy of a sweltering, sun-scorched place like Calcutta. Its thick, hearty foam capping is a model example for beer-heads everywhere.

I've never had Bengal Lancer on cask but I'm willing to bet that this draught version is a shadow of its live, unfiltered and unpasteurized self. The beer suffers from a familiar cardboard-y smell that, being able to vouch for the quality and credentials of the establishment, I doubt can be blamed on dirty tap-lines. It's flat and plain.

Pasteurizing and/or filtering a beer is not necessarily a negative thing, but it is in this instance. This drinks like a beer that's had its spine removed. Little of the grains' crunchy, malty flavours come through and you can forget about any secondary malt flavors (i.e., nutty, biscuity). Fortunately, the brewer did put a flock of leafy green hops in full sail.

Those perceptibly green, leafy, earthy, bitter hops give the beer a light bite to it. That slight edge dovetails completely with the naturally brisk and snippy minerals in the water. Taken together, these two elements come to dominate the beer and reign supreme on the palate. Unlike the malts, the hops are in tip-top condition and offer a range of flavours.

Drinking English ales outside of the UK in any manner that is not cask-conditioned can kind of be like listening to a movie soundtrack on CD: sometimes it manages to inspire the sensation and scenery of the picture but other times there's simply too much context missing for it to invigorate that same emotion and ambiance it did in the film...

I'm inclined to agree with CAMRA and over 100,000 Brits who says that 'real' ale and 'real' pubs make all the difference and that curling up with anything that wasn't poured from cask at any place that isn't the local public house is definitely an inferior experience to the real thing. That said, it ain't bad. But it could be (and I bet is) better under those circumstances.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2011 19:37:45 | More by biegaman

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

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

Light copper with a medium white head. Decent retention and lacing.

Smell is quite weak. Grassy hops and some caramel malt, s bit toasted.

Flavourwise, the beer is surprisingly balanced for an IPA, English or otherwise. Grassy hops and toasted caramel malt are in pretty equal proportion. Mildly bitter finish.

Medium body, moderate carbonation. Slightly oily.

Overall, decent but not exciting. Certainly not one of my favourite beers from Fullers.

Serving type: on-tap

04-21-2012 13:29:07 | More by jrenihan

FLima

Brazil

3.63/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Amber color, made just one finger of a thin head (though had it on cask hand pulled straight from Fuller’s).
Predominant citric and fruity hop aroma.
Sweet malty taste balanced with herbal and citric hops. Dry aftertaste.
Light body with light carbonation and small bubbles.
Refreshing beer, mildly bitter and sweet, a very balanced and light IPA. That said, I was expecting more excitement out of this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2012 20:36:40 | More by FLima

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Received a medium orange pint with a slight off-white head. No retention, no lace.

Some toasted malt, light fruit, and floral notes.

Smooth and well balanced flavors. Toasted malt, some mild fruit (pear?), a little caramel. The malt dries out a touch, perhaps a bit of biscuit. But it is the interwoven bitterness that makes this one work. Terrific balance in this department. The sweet and medium bitter play off each other well, and as the palate clears, the bitter becomes more dominant. The bitterness is clean, not overpowering, leads the charge in the finish.

Medium body, a little soft.

Very easy drinking beer. Had about half the glass before the meal came, and it was great both ways. Not spectacular or over-the-top in "punch-point" flavors, but a well balanced brew.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2012 13:42:45 | More by OtherShoe2

mdagnew

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

3.85/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle bought from Sainsbury's...

Poured a nice clear orange colour... Slightly off white head poured quite thick then faded to light ring around the edge... Very sparse carbonation. Very light patchy lacing...

Aroma - Nice juicy fruits (oranges, pears, apples and some grapefruit), light caramel malts, toasted bread notes, light spicy hops, earthy / grassy hints, some honey, light saltiness...

Taste - Decent spicy hop bitterness, toasted notes, nice biscuity maltiness, juicy / zesty fruits (definite grapefruits, lemons, bitter oranges, apples coming through), grassiness, slight nutty / caramel sweetness.... flavours all very well balanced...

Feel - Pretty sharp and dry... Light / medium body... Very quaffable and refreshing - an excellent session beer...

Overall - A pretty good example of an IPA and yet another good brew from Fuller's... recommended...

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 13:54:49 | More by mdagnew

heygeebee

Australia

3.85/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Interesting... For the Fullers IPA I wrote

---

Pours a clear gold/copper. One finger head off white. Small bubbels rise, little lace.

Aromas mainly of earth English malts.

Taste is more complex, a delicate marmalade flavour takes over, which is complemented on the back palate by light hop bitterness. A little caramel and toffee. Very integrated and smooth.

Mouthfeel is medium/light and lightly carbonated. No twang thankfully, which seems the bugbear of English ales in bottes at present.

Top beer, suspect would be excellent for a session if price allowed.

---

Which is pretty much what I would write for the Bengal. At 0.3 ABV difference, I suspect very much the same beer, Especially yas the IPA is not seemingly available in the UK.

Go figure....

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 09:07:12 | More by heygeebee

bventure

United Kingdom (England)

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Crystal clear bright pale copper with a pinkish tinge. Loose white head dissipates leaving decent lacing.

S: Smell is overwhelmingly fruity hops, quite strong, a little buttery malt.

T: Again hops are pre-eminent Clean tasting, buttery, bitter finish. Some caramel sweetness. The malt is elusive. The taste of the hops is more prominent than their bittereness.

M:Firm, crisp, smooth. Medium bodied, heavier than its appearance would suggest. Fairly high carbonation, but about right for the taste.

D: A touch too hoppy for my taste really, but nowhere near as over the top as some American IPAs. I don't think I'd want more than one bottle in a sitting, but I did like it.

Note, in bottle this is 5.3% ABV, not the 5.0% indicated in the header.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2011 22:16:01 | More by bventure

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On cask tap at Kickoff in Waterloo.

Poured into a branded Fuller's nonic. A light amber brew, with a thin, foamy head with large bubbles and good lacing. Looks spot on for the style.

Nose is that distinctive Fuller's malt, mild caramel, bread and hops. Perhaps a bit of fruit and tea as well. A bit hard to discern, but certainly present.

One of the better English IPAs I've come across thus far. After so many hop bombs and bold American-style IPAs, a nice British IPA is a pleasure to drink. Bengal Lancer had a good, bold hop presence, bitter and with notes of tea leaves. Fuller's malt, caramel, honey. After a good hoppy entry, Lancer closes with a sweet tea finish.

A bit on the thin side, but pleasant to sip with solid carbonation.

Yet to be disappointed with anything from Fullers. I'm finding, however, that my love of British pale ales to be waning a bit, so the Lancer IPA was a great find, giving me a bigger flavor profile. If you can find it on tap, make sure you give it a try!

Serving type: cask

12-18-2010 19:42:00 | More by JohnnyBarman

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pint at the Monk's Table - cheers Adam!

Slightly hazy light amber with a finger of off-white foam that leaves a few lace spots on the way down. The aroma is understated in that classically British way. Tropical fruit, citrus, pepper, flowers and biscuit malt all mix together without getting to hot and heavy. Decent flavour - the malt is more pronounced (as it should be), providing a nice grainy biscuit backdrop for floral hopping and a splash of citrus. Caramel and honey add some depth to the malt component, while a touch of pepper and tea come through in the hopping. Not too shabby at all! Medium body with a smooth carbonation.

I don't think I'll ever fall in love with English IPAs, but this is a great beer, and one I could happily drink several pints of. A prime candidate for a cask!

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2010 14:06:53 | More by bobsy

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.93/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Before I talk about the Bengal Lancer I must state this is the first beer I've reviewed in my new 'Man Cave'. I've converted one of my garages into a bar: the first beer to launch it was 'La Chouffe', a special Red Wine was also broached before this, my first 'Cave' review.

So, to my first of many new reviews.

Brown 500ml bottle (bottle conditioned), best before 5 Oct 2012, drank and reviewed on 23 Jan 2011. The version I've reviewed is a 5.3% ABV one.

Poured into my huge 'Judas' stemmed tulip glass.

A large white, foaming, bubbley head sat on top of a clear body, the colour of which was a bright pale amber, with a terracotta look to it.

The aroma was of summer fruits, with a slight hoppy undertone, no malt smells at all.

Tasted good, not overly hopped and the malt content didn't appear too strong either. A pleasant mix of flavours with none overpowering anything else. Sweeter than most IPA's and certainly not as hoppy as most, but very drinkable.

Good carbonisation and well balanced, the alcohol hidden within the flavours. Pity the head died so quickly, otherwise a very good beer. Fuller's rarely let you down, another fine beer from their stable.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 22:49:49 | More by BlackHaddock

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.93/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 500ml bottle with a BB of Nov 2012. ABV is stated as 5.3%. Named after an old Indian cavalry regiment.

Poured into a Sam Smith's pint glass. Bottle-conditioned. A hazy golden-amber hue with good carbonation. Yields a large head of creamy white foam that remains for several minutes before subsiding. Aroma of biscuity caramel malt with notes of citrus, floral hops, dry yeast and a hint of bittering hops.

Tastes of caramel malt with a yeasty, hoppy character and a spicy bitter finish. Notes of citrus, floral hops, biscuity malt and earthy yeast. A distinctive hoppy bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and spicy, with good body. Rather astringent - dries the palate. Aftertaste of malt and bitter aromatic hops.

Good stuff - a solid English IPA. A nice malt backbone and a big dose of aromatic citrus, followed by a restrained bitterness (compared to an American IPA). The dry yeast flavour is typical of the style and adds depth. All told, a great example of a traditional IPA. Well worth sampling.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 22:41:46 | More by jazzyjeff13

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Just in at Beer Bistro, on-tap. A lovely understated IPA. The IBU is certainly there, you can taste citrus bitterness, but its real music on your palate, not hard garage rock. Pours an orange coloured body with a bubbly head. You can smell fruity hops.Average moutfheel, with gentle caramel buffeting the palate and offering a good drinkability. Must be great on cask, and served at the right temperature!

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2010 22:04:26 | More by northyorksammy

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On cask at Volo

Pours a pale orange colour, thick white head that dissipates quickly, some lace spots on the glass. Smell is quite malty, lemony citrus, faint grapefruit and a very light pine. Taste is malty up front but then has a nice bitter hop presence, citrus comes back with a long finish with some biscuity malt. Mouthfeel is thin to medium, very satisfying, light carbonation. Really good IPA, this is one English IPA that could hold its own against some Americans, cask well maintained, solid all around.

Serving type: cask

03-17-2011 22:16:57 | More by peensteen

Pintofbrown

Iowa

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This was served sans tiger in a shaker pint.

Appearance- The head is quite puffy, yet dense, like a cotton ball, with an off-white tinge. The body is copper with a slight amber tinge.

Smell- The English hops have a distinctly earthy quality. And a decent biscuit malt permeates the nose. It is pretty boring.

Taste- The hops are certainly bittering. The flavor hops are again, quite earthy. The biscuit malt follows this up nicely. The finish is quite sweet with a touch of honey. There is also a floral and apple quality. Man, this works really well and tastes great.

Mouth feel- The feel is nothing special, and maybe a little watery for an IPA. It would be great if they could thicken this up and make it creamier.

Overall- This IPA has very distinct English flavors and they are fantastic. It is not a huge bitter bomb, but it still feels nice. If this is what more traditional English IPA's taste like, then I need to try many more.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2012 16:45:00 | More by Pintofbrown

AEK

United Kingdom (Wales)

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml brown bottle poured into a Hobgoblin pint pot.

A. Yellow gold with a thin white head

S. Ginger and peppery spice is heavy on the nose, there are caribbean fruits knocking about too, pineapple, papaya, passionfruit and a faint hint of banana.

T. Fruity, hoppy spiciness bombards the palate. There is also a touch of orange zest.

M. Medium, slightly chewy.

D. A really good IPA from Fullers. A very nice session ale. Nice to see a Fullers bottled beer in BC form.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2010 20:49:10 | More by AEK

Stocean1

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Kiwi. Two finger off white head upon an amber body with an orange hue, there was decent retention as it ebbed to a nice collar of foam with rings of sticky lace as I sipped it.

Earthy hops with light fruit dominates the nose with a mineral like quality

Taste follows the nose with some biscuit, honey,and pear, the earthy hops and the typical fullers mineral taste really come through but in a good way.

This is a medium bodied brew with a decent amount of carbonation, well balanced bitterness but very sessionable and relatively refreshing.

Another excellent brew from fullers.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2012 04:41:24 | More by Stocean1

cratez

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Cask at the King Edward in Ilderton, ON. A brand new, seasonal English IPA from Fuller's. Hazy burnt orange with amber hues, two fingers of white head, and drapes of lacing down the nonic. Gorgeous looking beer. Smell is floral and citrusy hops, peaches, and bready yeast from the cask conditioning. Taste is sweet pale malts, caramel, biscuit, nectarine, grapefruit, and a mild, herbal hoppiness to end. There's plenty of humulus lupulus here, but not much bitterness in the flavour. Delicate, medium mouthfeel is juicy, refreshing, flash of hop spice, light and fleeting dryness to finish. A session ale in my books, as I had no trouble quaffing three pints. Thanks for bringing this in, Rich!

Serving type: cask

04-02-2010 17:07:13 | More by cratez

StJamesGate

New York

4.05/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On cask at the Bull & Castle, Dublin.

Hazy burnished gold with steady white froth that leaves ample trails. Lemon zest and barley water on the nose and a bit of melon-y fruit - is this muted from being too cold?
Rusk, caramel and apricot with orange jam and spice cookie hops. Gets fruitier as it warms.
Floral and Juicyfruit end and endless clingy bittersweet linger. Light to medium, soft, creamy with some chew.

Lighter than expected, but a great all-arounder. Real hop depth - not just the standard EKG + Fuggles combo - and very juicy.

Top 3 English IPA.

Serving type: cask

11-18-2011 07:40:32 | More by StJamesGate

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Not what a novice/budding IPA enthusiast would gush over, but it's dependably pleasing and enjoyable. An excellent choice for those who've yet to get into hops...

Comes out a clean-filtered (a little too-), amber (nearing coppery) color. Decent, feathery light and white head which sticks around as a thin collar to the end.

Predominantly a quite fruity-estery scent (somewhere in the range of apple/grape). Fresh, soft floral hop scent. A touch of light-toasted malt pokes through.

Estery fruitiness dominates the taste, from the start, lingering on the palate long after. As opposed to in the smell, those flavors come off like a mix of white grape (vinous) and cherry. Hops are mild in their floral qualities, carried nicely by the body's soft smooth flow, yet show a surprising degree of spice that, through into the finish and combined with a curious boozy warmth, draw attention away from the, decidedly, rather standard (or too familiar) British ale estery flavors and finish each sip off with a zippy, clean, and refreshingly-dry bite. I could swear there's actually a tiny rush of a buttery malt flavor way in the end...

I'm wondering if this is what I've always believed a modern British IPA should be like (not that I've had a ton of them). I mean, it's a nice beer, just not terribly distinctive. Then again, a fresher sample would likely alter my view of this. I thought I was told the keg was nearly a year old - cold stored the entire time - just forgotten in the back of the keg cooler.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2012 00:56:09 | More by Bouleboubier