Adnams Broadside Strong Original - Adnams plc, Sole Bay Brewery

trics90

United Kingdom (England)

3.8/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

500ml bottle poured into a pint glass mug.

Pours out a clear, very dark brown with a hint of ruby red. A light brown head which goes down quickly but retains a thin layer.

A strong smell of dark berries and currents. A little bit biscuity.

Initial taste is very sweet, of brown sugar with a strong fruity flavour. A vert pleasant fruitcake and hoppy aftertaste with a hint of caramel.

Has a fairly thick and creamy feel in the mouth with a slight carbonation.

Overall, not the usual beer I would go for but enjoyable none the less. I would not have guessed the strong alcohol content and it wasn't as thick or filling as I expected which is a good thing for me. A beer which is very different to most which I would recommend.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 21:29:15 | More by trics90

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle poured into pint glass20/12/12 cheers Chris for the bottle and having such an awesome name

A a clear reddish copper with about as many bubbles as you could fit in a glass, a thumbs width of dense tan foam has great retention ending up as a pencil eraser top like island and leaves lots of random lace, sexy looking stuff

S a nutty malt monster with some nice fruity notes and lots of brown sugar both crystal and burnt, some earthy notes and the smell is quite strong, I can smell it from the table

T much like the nose with a fruit packed, nutty caramel bar thing going on that works well, some faint spice, lots of caramels and earthy hops, packed with flavor

M medium-full with mellow carbonation that give it a creamy feel, I almost expected it to be foamy and airy after seeing how carbonated it looks but everything's well done in this department

O solid stuff and a good example of an English Strong ale, malty and the booze is well hidden, I'd say this would make a good session beer but it would end up being a short session at 6.3% its pretty easy to drink

I really had no idea what to expect and it turned out to be pretty solid, I'm wondering what else this brewery's getting up to and I may just go out of my way to find out

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 19:48:35 | More by wordemupg

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Pours out a clear brownish-amber color with a single finger of tan foam that lasts for about three minutes and leaves behind fairly decent loops of lacing on the glass. Medium body and carbonation levels, smooth texture.

Smells of an even blend of caramel and toffee malts with a general toasted nuttiness and plenty of dark fruits. The bottle wasn't kidding when the label boasted of a fruit cake aroma. The flavor follows suit mostly, with a touch of balancing herbal / medicinal hopping. A faintly metallic ghostly flavor nuance does appear as the glass warms up, but rather than being a flaw, it surprisingly seems to provide a dab of extra counter-balance to the malt sweetness! It's really good... right up there amongst my other personal favorite English offerings.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 00:18:56 | More by WastingFreetime

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

500ml bottle. It says 'Strong Original' on the label, so I'm going with this listing.

This beer pours a clear, medium ruddy bronzed amber hue, with two actively skyborne fingers of bubbly, thinly foamy, yet chunky at the same rate, dirty white head, which leaves some random proliferate specks of lace around the glass as it lazily blows off.

It smells of a strong nutty caramel malt, a bit of toffee, dark, acidic fruit, crystallized brown sugar, and leafy, musty hops - quite hefty, all. The taste is somewhat bready, sturdy biscuity caramel malt, sour, astringent pit fruit, a trifling metallic flinty character, some wayward oily canned nuts, and bitter earthy, leafy hops. A quite subtle, and wee warming rises in concert with deeper reflection (read: drinking) of the beer.

The bubbles are a tad zingy, and lightly cutting, but settle to a support role for the most part, the body a decent medium weight, and maybe a bit too tight and manor-ish to be dubbed really all that smooth. It finishes off-dry, the caramel/toffee sweetness deeply tempered by a lingering musty, old fruitiness, and the stalwart noble hops.

An approachable, and conquer-worthy old-world strong ale, the subtly of it all clear in the restraint in the main players' getting lost in the timid, though distracting enough off-flavours - to note: mineral and must (which sounds like an old Judas Priest song...). Still rather good though, and duly representative of the style, one, like its kin, having lost its place to the more effusive American take on things, sadly, I suppose.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 20:29:47 | More by biboergosum

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Interesting looking beer, my first from this brewery which I guess one some Brewery of the Year award in 2011, not sure which award but something.

Pours a creamy looking 1/2 finger head that fades semi quickly but leaves a big halo ring of nice looking thick lacing, over dark but very clear mahogany brown color with some ruby light streaming through.

Nose has that typical English strong beer aroma, typical yeast, malts, and hops. Lots of fruity esters at first, typical from English yeasts, fruit cake almost with some bright stone type fruits and light bready malts. Very light phenolic touches underneath with a hint of booze that reminisces of beers higher than 6.3% abv. Hops bring a light herbal character. Lots of sweeteners with light brown sugar and molasses, caramel, light biscuit made with brown sugar, and again hinting at the fruit cake.

Taste brings a mild caramelized molasses cake flavor, with the sweetness rushing out to the front. Plenty of molasses and some brown sugar, with hints of caramel and toffee. The bready malts beneath that with decent sweetness really give a taste of molasses cake or rum cake with candied dates or something. Then light fruity esters come through, much less than the nose, but again typical of the English yeast varieties. Fruits add a touch of a fruit cake to the molasses cake. There is also an interesting caramelized almost smoky like coffee syrup flavor, it's a really interesting flavor to run along side the molasses cake and fruit. Then some light herbal earthy hops. The hops are interesting in giving some light grassy herbal flavors, but not the overpowering typical herbal UK style hops I can't stand, so interesting. The finish gets a bit more bitter but never overly bitter, typical of English bitters, it also dries a bit but stays somewhat sweet, more molasses and cake lingering, and a bit of the nutty toffee lingering.

Mouth is med to a bit richer bodied, decent carb.

Overall interesting, pretty much a good example of an English strong beer, that has characteristics of a bitter and a brown ale, with tons of molasses cake, fruity esters, biscuit, etc. and the hops add a nice bitterness and herbal earthy flavor that doesn't go to the icky taste I don't like. Drinkable, and something I wouldn't mind drinking a bunch of at a pub.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 01:31:52 | More by jlindros

Offa

California

4.93/5  rDev +25.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is a wonderful example of a characterful English ale that achieves great richness and complexity on relatively modest strength.

Deep reddish brown – but bright – it has a medium off-white head that slowly thins to foamy ring and some lace.

Aroma is wonderful, rich caramelized dark bread rum-soaked dried fruits – raisins and figs – hint of gingerbread, jammy fruit, hints of metal and earth. It is very English.

Taste is similar, extremely rich and complex, engaging and lively. It has rich spicy-sweet caramelized dark breads, rum-soaked dried cherries and caramelised jam, a hint of plum pudding, strong earthy-toasty finish and earthy-spicy bitterness. It has amazing richness of character whilst remaining light and engaging. It is somewhat similar to another favourite of mine, Fuller’s 1845.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 07:02:40 | More by Offa

UCLABrewN84

California

3.98/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear brown with a tan head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is very malty along with some caramel and slightly fruity aromas. Taste is of sweet malt and some burnt caramel flavors. There is a medium amount of bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with a very malty presence that I am enjoying.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 01:00:52 | More by UCLABrewN84

hosehead83

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16.9oz. "half-liter" bottle into a standard pint glass.
Deep amber in color, with a concise, bone-white head of foam.
Aroma-Pilsner and bread malt
Taste-Subtle fruit, caramel, toasted malt,mineral essence. Subtle hop bite leads to a dryish finish. A very traditional English strong ale. Very pleasant, good character. An enjoyable pint.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 17:49:18 | More by hosehead83

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Chestnut brown colour with a part bubbly, part foamy head that is off-white to very light brown in colour. There appears to be plenty of carbonation and nice retention.

Quite sweet and very fruity smelling with some strong earthy malts and sugar. There are a few hops in there too and lots of toffee and maybe even a little banana amongst other fruits fighting to be noticed. The sweetness is pleasant and the aroma seems quite well balanced.

Very sweet and sugary with a lot of different fruits in there, amongst them is some banana and figs along with a little hint of toffee as well as some vanilla. I also detected some earthy malts and hops with a lingering sweetness that works really well.

Medium-full mouthfeel with a great, creamy texture and lots of sugary sweetness from the fruit. The beer has a sticky smoothness to it and is a lot more refreshing than you would imagine.

Really nice and well balanced beer that has a great sweet, fruity taste to it with a wonderful body. This one goes down really well and is excellent to take your time with. I usually shy away from English style ales but this one is definitely one I can see myself going back to.

From the 1001 Beers Blog:
http://abarwithnoname.wordpress.com

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 17:25:38 | More by flyingpig

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Aroma is not strong but has tempting notes of malt and fruit with hints of molasses and toffee. It pours a clear, dark cola brown with a decent light tan head. Flavor fills the mouth with malt, caramel, wood, molasses and toffee with a subtle undertone of fruit, mainly apple and cherry. Smooth texture has plenty of fizz and leaves behind a nice malty, woody tingle.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 02:22:24 | More by Cyberkedi

thierrynantes

France

3.85/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Beer bottle (50 cl.) purchased from Bières & Chopes, and tasted in 2011.

Appearance : reddish amber color, with white foam head.
Smell : malty aromas.
Taste and mouthfeel : roasted malts, with notes of wood and bitter finish.
Drinkability : a good beer in the style English Strong Ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2011 20:27:51 | More by thierrynantes

rjimlad

Australia

3.8/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a nice deep copper colour that's almost clear. Head dissipated quickly with no lacing but there could be a temperature issue there as it came straight from the fridge.
Aromas were caramel and hop but not quite leaping out of the glass. Flavour is caramel, toffee and a bit bready with a crisp bitter finish. Not super complex but still tasty. A risk of booziness but restrained enough not to spoil the balance and mouthfeel. Not the best strong ale but enjoyable and relatively inexpensive.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2011 09:46:45 | More by rjimlad

ADZA

Australia

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The brew pours a see through mahogany hue with decent carbonation that leaves behind a two finger fast vanishing head with sporadic lacing,the smell is xmas pudding,brandy and earthy hops,it has a medium bodied mouthfeel and has tastes of xmas pudding,caramel,burnt toffee,fruit bread and finished with a plum jam dryness and definately moreish and overall a nice drop thats very drinkable and hides its high ABV very well.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 07:26:11 | More by ADZA

claspada

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Aromas are definitely not the strong suit of this beer. Slight toasted pale and sweet caramel malts. The earthy English hops are most prevalent but not "fresh" if that makes sense.

The tastes begin with a solid Marris Otter English pale malt backbone with complementary lesser caramel sweet maltiness. Hope soon join the picture; strong bitterness from the spicy and earthy English hops. Really one of the better/lingering bitter flavor profile of any English beer I have had lately. As it warms you get some nice English fruit yeast flavor contributions.

Mouthfeel is medium-full mouthfeel that makes the beer a pleasure to drink. Hops add a nice drying finish. Overall this is definitely one of the better English Strong Ales I have had in recently memory. ABV is well masked and the flavors and pleasant bitter finish make up for the average aromas. Recommended over the ESB from Adanams; both are good, but not revolutionary, but that is not their purpose.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2011 14:29:38 | More by claspada

dasenebler

Maine

3.65/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

500ml, best by 7/31/11. Gift from a friend, and I haven't had (reviewed) a British ale in a while.

Pours a slightly hazy, coppery amber with a fantastic creamy head. Nice sheets of lacing.

The nose has a big dose of woody hops, though not much else.

Very bitter strong ale here. The middle reveals some nice malt complexity, with a burnt caramel goodness and toasty notes. Little bit of tang and ale fruitiness. The finish is very dry and woody. The mouthfeel is soft and creamy with medium-low carbonation. I appreciate the hop bitterness, but I feel this is unbalanced in the end. In addition, the (moderate) alcohol content is pretty noticeable.

This is a solid beer, though nothing I'd seek out.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 18:08:51 | More by dasenebler

iguenard

Quebec (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

( 39/50, 6% alc/vol, Home) Very thick and chunky head of thick bubbles of light brown color. Leaves lace everywhere. Beautiful pinkish-brown color. You'll see… filtered and hazey. Usually, expired beer doesn’t smell this good. There's gotta be a catch! Strawberry tartness and chocolate vanilla. Some esters of banana cream pie. Light but for an english ale, wow! There's the catch! The metal aftertaste of an expired brew. I really want to try this new and fresh or on draft! Bitter finish ruined by metal. Could be on the over-bitter side. Silky smooth, medium thick body. Warm and sensuous on the tongue. Small tickle of carbonation. Slight sour. Nutty and Sweet. Oh! How dissapoointing, smelled and looked like a clear winner. Still very nice brew, smooth, bitter and aromatic and warm.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2011 18:42:04 | More by iguenard

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.95/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A 500ml bottle with a BB date of July 2011. The label mentions that this was brewed in commemoration of the battle of Sole Bay. The stylised image of a navel battle is cool. I received this for Christmas as part of a gift pack - cheers!

Poured into a pint glass. A deep reddish-brown colour with strong carbonation. Produces a thick, creamy off-white head that subsides slowly but remains for the entire glass. A rich malty aroma with a whiff of alcohol. Notes of burnt/roasted malt. Warm and inviting.

The taste is dark malt with good bitterness. Plenty of roasted malt on the palate, as well as burnt flavours. No obvious hoppy notes. Mouthfeel is smooth and somewhat creamy with mild astringency. Leaves a rounded bitter aftertaste.

An excellent dark ale, and well worth seeking out. Achieves a great balance between the dark malt and hops bitterness. I'd have this again....

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 01:15:10 | More by jazzyjeff13

Finite

Australia

3.88/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Dark red to deep ruby brown in colour with a tight, brilliant clarity. Medium fine carbonation releasing into a medium, surprisingly small head but creamy and lightly tanned. Light lacing on the glass.

S- Dull while cold but when warmer. Golding hops and alcohol resin, lacquer-like phenols. Hits of fruit and a smooth light cigar-like smoke.

T- Sweet toffee dark and medium roasted malts. Brown sugar, pine sugar, caramel, molasses, alcohol phenols, Floral rosy hops, smokey undertone. Green bitterness of hops lingering on the palate.

M- Sticky, full bodied thick sweet malts. Delicate biting carbonation leaving a residual cleanliness of hop bitterness.

D- For a Full bodied beer you could probably session this which speaks alot for it despite the flavors. A great beer. I have a soft spot for this style but this is top class.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 09:59:47 | More by Finite

AEK

United Kingdom (Wales)

3.8/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500ml brown bottle poured into a Hobgoblin pint pot.

A. Deep autumnal red accompanied by an off white, ever so slightly tanned head.

S. Roasted malt, toffee, banana.

T. Winey, pruney notes, possible bitter chocolate and banana, slight hints of cough candy sweets, fruity malt with a good hop bitterness.

M. Full bodied and slightly carbonated.

D. I admit that this beer is not my favourite tiple nor is it my least favourite by any means. A good, robust brew from Southwold that is a good session drinking beer, be careful how you go though, at 6.3%ABV give it the respect it deserves.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2010 16:16:47 | More by AEK

SteveDavies

United Kingdom (England)

3.23/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

6.3% 50cl bottle from The Beer Emporium, Sandbach. Poured into a pint glass, a brown / ruby colour, minimal lacing. Smells of cherries, sultanas, prunes and malt obvious. Tasted strongly of rich fruit and malt with a bitter finish on the palate. Body is good with a satisfying feel and not over carbonated. One of these beers was enough for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2010 18:13:05 | More by SteveDavies

mjgarrett2

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A-Dark chestnut brown, slightly translucent, pale beige head with good lacing.

S-Bright, clean, citrus freshness. Mild hint of hops.

T-Earthy malts up front, but not overly sweet. Almost reminds me of hay. Mild hops with a tart fruit finish.

M-Pretty mellow with the sharper flavors coming on the back end. Flavors tend to stick to one part of the mouth and not disperse evenly.

D-Not terrible, but the tartness accumulates overtime making the bitter aspects somewhat abrasive. Could be slightly more balanced

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2010 21:01:58 | More by mjgarrett2

funkengruven

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A new find, this poured a nice very dark amber, with a slight off white head and tons of lace. Smell is malty, some alcohol, some dried fruit in there as well. This is reflected in the flavor as well, hops and some prune aroma is present, it's very bold but quite nice. Mouthfeel is complex as you have the bitterness, alcohol and sweetness all coming together. Drinkability is decent but because of how much the alcohol stands out and how bold the flavor is, I wouldn't session this.

Overall this was a good find and I'd get it again to enjoy once in a while with a heavy meat dish.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2010 23:58:55 | More by funkengruven

ludachris

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a deep and rich hazy amber brown with ruby red highlights and one finger of off white, filmy head that surprisingly leaves a decent amount of lace.

Notes of juicy cherries, red grapes, and sticky raisons are all encompassed by a bready malt character making for a great similarity with fresh fruit cake. Alcohol is also present with hints of toffee in the background. If the nose was a bit more pronounced, this would make for an exceptional smelling beer.

The assertion of the alcohol is furthered in the taste which I find a bit odd considering it's only 6% ABV, but it adds a nice warming feel to the experience. The fruit cake essence is still there but less pronounced and paired with a mineral-like character that adds a slight bitterness to the finish.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, crisp, and dry. A bit more balance with the alcohol and fruity flavours would have been nice, but this beer is still good without.

Overall, a solid brew, but seems to be in need of some minor tweaking. I was surprised at how pronounced the alcohol was in both the nose and in the taste, considering that it's not much higher than the standard percentage. The sweet, fruit cake character in the nose was the highlight of the beer for me. This one's a good alternative in terms of pricing to Fuller's offering, but in terms of quality, I'd stick with Fuller's.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2010 01:31:09 | More by ludachris

Dentist666

Russian Federation

3.78/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

ABV 6,3
Ruby-brown beer with decent off-white head, some lacing. Low carbonation, fruit nose - grapes, prunes & sweet malt. Crisp taste with well expressed alcohol, also fruits and caramel, lingering on the tongue for minutes after beer is over. Warming & balanced ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2010 15:59:37 | More by Dentist666

FreshHawk

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Reddish brown/copper color. Creamy off-white head, medium sized.

S - Fruity smells along with some slight orange hops and toffee malt.

T - A good amount of dark fruit and spice (kind of like a slightly toned down Quad). A good amount of caramel and maltiness up front. There is slight hopiness that provides a touch of citrus and earthiness that evens out the beer. Alcohol taste is slightly there (more than I would expect) and gives it a warming affect.

M - Pretty creamy and smooth, medium bodied, and low carbonation.

D - The flavors are bold and fairly strong, yet balanced. The alcohol is present and warming but not so much that I would feel bad having another one. Really a pretty drinkable beer.

Notes: Good, balanced beer. Most of the flavor is malt and fruit, but it has enough hop flavor to balance out.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2010 01:43:01 | More by FreshHawk