Adnams Broadside Strong Original - Adnams plc, Sole Bay Brewery

Higravity

Michigan

2.3/5  rDev -41.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I couldn't finish this beer. I gave it to my friends dog. It was like drinking metal shavings. The water was so metallic like many other english beers. It had a decent pour with a decent white head that hung around for a little while. The first sip was like licking the body of a rusty Ford, once I got past the metal fragments stuck in my tongue I tasted a lot of what I smell which was an average amber ale. They should keep this one in England.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2004 11:50:21 | More by Higravity

Guinness4me

Florida

2.93/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Once I got past the appearance of "muddy lake water" in my glass, it wasn't that bad of a beer. The head was a bit soapy and faded quickly.

The smell was very perfumed and slightly citrus. I wish I could place the exactly perfume, maybe honeysuckle? Very light smell for such a muddy beer.

The taste was simple but pleasant with flowery hops, slight malt and tasty yeast. I noticed no offensive aftertaste and little bitterness.

The mouthfeel was a little bland to me without sufficient carbonation. Maybe I got an old bottle. I'd find it hard to stomach too many more of these.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2004 01:15:19 | More by Guinness4me

Naes

New York

2.95/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This strong ale is dark amber in color with ruby highlights. It also caries a tall frothy tan head that retains and laces well.
The aroma is of caramel malt and has almost no hops detectable to the nose.
The flavor starts out sweet and finishes with a slight alcohol warming which I find surprising considering that this is only 6% ABV.
Mouth feel is medium in body.

This is an alright beer, but I will not go out of my way for it.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2006 01:48:25 | More by Naes

pezoids

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Best before November 26, 04 on the label.

I didn’t enjoy this beer all that much. Orange-amber in color with a slight tinge of ruby. Porous foamy head thinned out pretty quick. The taste is fruity and heavy handed with sweet malts. Sticky sweet and almost wine like, actually. Leaves a coating of syrupy sweetness in the throat. A sweet ale, that was hard for me to finish. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for this one. Not bad.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2004 16:54:33 | More by pezoids

kimcgolf

Georgia

3.18/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured to a brown color with hints of ruby red, with a thin off-white head that lingereed midway and left okay lacing. Aroma was muted, but slightly nuts and caramel. Flavor was somewhat malty sweet, and while body was fairly creamy, any true flavor was diifficult to ascertain. Although only 6.3%, the alcohol made itself known toward the end in both aroma and flavor, and the palate and finish were just so-so. Not a bad beer, but not great either.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2007 02:49:45 | More by kimcgolf

fullsweep

United Kingdom (England)

3.18/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

500 mL bottle poured into a pint glass.

Brown, but transparent brew with a thick 2-finger head of non-foamy bubbles. Leaves no lacing.

Smells sweet and malty.

I have mixed feelings about the taste. On the one hand, it has a nice sweet-caramel-malt profile, but there's lots of alcohol in the taste from start to finish. It tastes good, but the alcohol puts me off a bit.

Feels nice on the tongue, only light carbonation.

Would drink again, but only under the right circumstances. ABV on my bottle actually read 6.3, so slightly higher than listed here.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2009 20:42:54 | More by fullsweep

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

Shiloh

Ontario (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I find this dark brown hazy like brew to be very sweet and lingering in taste. The head was short leading to a full but thin island lace with limited glass cling. The carbonation is very active to the eye but limited to taste.
The aroma is phenolic/tarry, not all that pleasing.
Mouthfeel is smooth and of a full bodied brew.
Very few hops were used in the production of this strong ale, only to balance the strong malty flavour in a loosing cause.
Alas to sweet for my taste but a nice product for those who prefer the malts in my humble opinion.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2007 01:32:44 | More by Shiloh

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle: Poured a dark amber color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of light dry fruits and some dry caramel malt is mildly interesting. Taste is also a balanced mix between some medium dry figs and raisins with some notes of dry caramel malt. Body si about average with good carbonation and no signs of alcohol. I thought the aroma had some fruity ester that could have lead tom something interesting but the taste couldn't really match up with the rest -not bad overall but I won't seek this again necessarily.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2010 03:39:40 | More by Phyl21ca

smanders

Virginia

3.33/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this from a hand pull at The George in Spaldwick. Nothing better than a beer to go with pizza and the locals all raved about the Broadside Original.

This is a dark brown/red beer with an off-white head that smells like overripe fruit, toffee, and nuts. The taste is very sweet (caramel & toffee) with a little bitterness in the finish.

I wouldn't recommend this with pizza, but by itself, it's a respectable ale.

Serving type: cask

10-12-2009 20:39:01 | More by smanders

CWiggins

North Carolina

3.4/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I came across this ale while visiting Top Brews in Burlington. This is one I don't believe I've seen before, even in some of the more better-stocked establishments.

The color is dark brown with reddish highlights. A thin, tan head appears briefly, but it soon dissipates and leaves nothing behind. Aromas of toasted malts, caramel are prominent, while scents of dark, ripe fruit lurk in the background. "Burnt honey" is the best way I can describe the flavor. Caramel, brown sugar, and a mild, fruity sweetness are also noticeable. The finish is more hoppy than I imagined it would be, with a sight biscuit-like flavor accenting the aftertaste. This aftertaste also contains a bit a sweet caramel, and lingers for an appreciable amount of time. As with many beers, it contains too much carbonation for my taste; there's just more fizz, and that negatively affects the mouthfeel.

Interesting brew, but I'll have to seek out more examples of this style to get a grasp on Adnam's Broadside place in the beer universe.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2008 00:38:23 | More by CWiggins

jvdineen

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Purchased a single at Deluca's on Charles St. Boston, MA

It looks like Smithwicks when poured yet it tastes nothing like it. At first sip you can tell its a strong ale.The alcohol and hops work together to give a spicy tang and warmth. I don't think I would have more than two pints of this brew. A lingering hop aftertaste is pleasurable and is what I think a beer should taste like.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2006 23:35:48 | More by jvdineen

malty

Michigan

3.45/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 500 ml nicely curved bottle - BB Feb 05 (it's been in a cool dark fridge for the past 8 months.

Beautiful ruby-copper color with a very faint off-white head that disipates to a fine cloud with a tiny halo above the ale.

Notes of carmelized dark fruits, molasses and bread dough. Winey notes are apparent also.

A warming spicy caramel flavor hits the tongue at first. Followed by roasted malts and cracker-like flavors. The spicy character surfaces once again wrapped in the warmth of subdued alcohol.

Mouthfeel if a tad flat with a medium body, moderate fine carbonation and a nice even finish.

Drinkability is above average. I bet this would be fantastic on cask.

Overall an interesting ale of quiet intensity. Surprisingly warming with only 6% ABV. It seems to me this ale would be done utmost justice straight from the firkin. Will seek this out on tap in the future.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2005 20:49:46 | More by malty

charlatan

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.48/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle has freshness date ten months away and claims 6.3% abv. The beer pours a slightly darker than brick red colour with a big thick head. It smells fairly yeasty. I pick up banana esters rather than the fruit cake, almond and conserved fruit advertised on the bottle. Maybe they think it's Christmas.

Starts of tasting rather like a Belgian beer as the nose suggests before a rather more sweet kick, then back to the yeast again before a faintly bitter finish. The feel is smooth, rendering a beer which could otherwise prove cloying relatively drinkable. This one is definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2007 23:23:53 | More by charlatan

nick76

Florida

3.48/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

The aroma has raisins, yeast, brown sugar and carrots. The appearance is red-brown with a large head. The flavor is very sweet with plenty of bitterness and alcohol. There are also the elements from the aroma. The palate is just slightly chewy. Despite some good qualities it has a medicinal aftertaste. This is alright.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2008 07:14:31 | More by nick76

tmoneyba

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle.

Poured dark brownish hue with medium off-white head that diminished slowly with fair lacing. Good aroma of malt and sweet fruit. Medium body with flat carbonation. Medium sweet flavor with small bitter finish of moderate duration.

My expectations where met.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2008 14:06:08 | More by tmoneyba

aracauna

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is a beautiful color, a deep ruby that’s fairly clear. The head is a bit fizzy, and fades incompletely pretty fast. This is a malty beer. A little wood and a good bit of caramel, brown sugar and cherries. Not a lot of hops present and a bit sweet in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2004 06:31:18 | More by aracauna

Dantes

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Package: 1 pint, 0.9 oz. (500ml) crowned, brown, “custom-shaped” bottle that tapers at the bottom until flaring to a heavy base. “Best before 26 NOV 04.” Label lists it at 6% ABV. Blurb calls this a “...a fine heart-warming English Ale. Rich in flavours of malt and hops” and calls it “original ale.” No indication whether it’s bottle-conditioned.

Cost: $3.49 per bottle at Ramsey Liquors

Presentation: Poured into an Imperial pint glass at ~50º

Appearance: Body is chestnut-colored, shading toward brown. The pour generates a pretty fine, tight, beige head; but this quickly disappears. Held to the light, there’s almost no evidence of carbonation of any kind. After a couple of minutes, it appears still and a bit turgid.

Smell: Pretty traditionally malty, with an extra hop “pop” on the nose. Some odd fruity notes in the background as well. Uninspiring.

Taste: Somewhat unusual. The first few deep quaffs seem pretty standard: mostly toasty malts with some interesting hoppy notes. I can’t identify the specific hops, but they don’t taste quite like the traditional British ones. As this warms further, I think the experience deteriorated a bit. The odd, fruity aroma notes manifested themselves in a slightly sourish way on the palate. This sensation seemed to increase as the beer warmed. The same thing occurred in a second bottle, but they were both similarly dated and from the same source, so further samples are probably warranted. Finishes a bit metallically.

Mouthfeel: Some other BA reviews suggested this is bottle-conditioned, but I don’t think so. There were no lees in the bottle, and the carbonation, while not visibly apparent, was quite strong and somewhat rough. There’s a decent amount of flavor and body, but there’s still a bit of thin-ness in the mouthfeel.

Drinkability: I have to give this fairly low marks for drinkability. While a decent beer of which one could drink a fair amount, this is somewhat expensive and there seem to be many other better options. I think the cheaper Fuller’s 1845 (still $2.49 around me) is far better, and the similarly priced Royal Oak is also superior.

Backwash: I was very happy to find this beer, because I like Adnams on draught, and an Adnams pub was one of my favorites in London (it’s gone now). However, this was somewhat of a disappointment. First, this really isn’t much like a bitter. It’s more like a hoppy brown ale/winter warmer. I don’t think the hops are traditional UK varieties. Considering some of the other great bottle-conditioned beers I’ve had lately from Fuller’s, Freeminer, and O’Hanlon’s; this isn’t quite up to snuff. I’d certainly give it a try if I saw it on draught, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to find this.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2004 21:24:29 | More by Dantes

DerBayer

Germany

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

The beer pours a beautiful ruby to chestnut colour with froth but slightly soapy off-white head

The smell is slightly alcoholic and dark fruit - not much else

The tatste is of strong malt with dark cherries and plums upfront followed by bitter hops

The mouthfeel is adequate but nothing special and the hops leave a slightly unpleasant bitter aftertyaste which makes the beer challenging after the first couple of sips.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2010 16:52:35 | More by DerBayer

GreenCard

Oregon

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

Appearance: dark amber, great clarity, thick layer of tan suds, good head retention, some lace

Aroma: Trappist-like maltiness, caramel, herbal hops, cotton candy, alcohol, dark honey, sisal rope

Flavor: full malty sweetness with an edge of roast, burnt caramel, herbal hop flavor, roots, licorice, cannabis, a bit vegetal in the background, finishes semi-dry with a long-lingering aftertaste of roast bitterness and caramel

Mouthfeel: medium-full body, fine carbonation, alcohol warmth

Other comments: After living in Belgium, I was used to 6% abv as the norm. In the UK, this is considered "strong", but with that also comes more flavor than the typical British ale. Now that winter is here, it is nice to have some of these higher abv British ales around.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2004 19:42:15 | More by GreenCard

rebel1771

Florida

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

Pours a lovely dark reddish brown with a decent head. Nice aroma with hints of fruit and sweet malts. The fruit found in the aroma makes a return in the front end of flavor and fades to a slightly roasted malt flavor. The only thing I didn't like about the flavor was the peppery finish. This is a decent brew but not my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2006 03:23:45 | More by rebel1771

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

DogFood11

California

3.55/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a deep shade of copper, medium carbonation. Forms a decent white head that has some girth to it. Lacing is minimal.

Not alot to the nose. Some dark fruits and sweet malts are about all that come through in the smell. The taste? Boy oh boy what a nice fruitiness to this beer. A deep berry type presence mixed with a lighter more citrusy pineapple and buried in a mix of charred malt and caramel. Alcohol grows as it warms and is a welcomed change from the rich malty goodness.

Notes: Tasted pretty damn nice. Missed alot of the other categories in my opinion. Rather heavy for the style in the mouthfeel, kinda syrupy at times. Bit of a tinny presence as well. All told this is probably the last I'll have of this. In order to pay import prices I'll have to have a stunner to keep up the purchases.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2006 03:55:33 | More by DogFood11

allergictomacros

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Dark and hazy ruby red, really good tan foam. Rocky and creamy.

S - Hoppy and malty. Typical EPA qualities. Slight sharpness with a hint of grain and coffee.

T - Kind of a heavy beer. Slightly metallic and nutty with coffee and fruitiness. Fairly bitter finish.

M - Medium-heavy without being creamy. Medium carbonation.

D - Somewhat complex. Not a sessioning beer. Fairly tasty and worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2008 02:51:46 | More by allergictomacros

jmz62565

Connecticut

3.58/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This pours a dark brownish red with a large tan foamy head. The smell has a strong dark fruit,prune or raisin, and alcohol aroma. The taste is malty with dark fruit flavors. The flavors are strong except for the malt, which is too weak for my tastes. The m/f is light with flavors that don't mix well at all. The fruit is much too strong with the malt sweetness being an afterthought. This is an Ok beer, but it is flawed.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2006 05:16:56 | More by jmz62565