Adnams Broadside Strong Original - Adnams plc, Sole Bay Brewery

cypressbob

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle

Pours with a ruby body, fluffy tan head with fairly good retention and lacing

Smell, malty aroma, sweetness also coming through

Taste, hefty malty body with a tart sweetness, nice hop bitterness on the finish, bready, body almost like a belgian

A nice strong ale, not on par with fullers 1845 but its different, good stuff

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2004 19:23:29 | More by cypressbob

Lupe

New York

4.4/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Clear copper in color with a large, beige head that slowly recedes to form a nice sheet over the liquid. Some sporadic lace is left behind. Toffee and fruit aroma with earthy hops in the backround. Very malty with caramel and toasted flavors. Green apple crosses the palate along with a buttery flavor. Earthy and lightly spicy hops balance out the malt. Finishes sweet, then drys out. Medium-full in body, very smooth and slick. Highly drinkable. Very flavorful but not too assertive. A wonderful ale.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2004 03:25:10 | More by Lupe

lackenhauser

Maryland

4.55/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Poured a deep amber color-on the border of brown.Huge foamy head that slowly receeded and continued down the glass.Big malt aroma-hints of caramel.Somewhat spicy.Great flavor-malty with notes of chocolate and caramel.Big,full mouthfeel.Velvety smooth.Great residual sweetness.A great beer I could drink all night.Some of the recent British beers I have had are really lacking something-this makes up for all them in a big way.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2004 22:47:16 | More by lackenhauser

ngandhi

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Full malt flavor. Fresh black currants. Grapey/raisiny/vinous. Light chocolate dust. Drying bitter finish.

Adnams is a prototype for the pub-style pint, cleaner and more balanced than Fuller's ESB. Alluring, vinous bouquet hit with spicy cantaloupe, lemon, and lime. Subtle yeast shows well. Soft grain finish, black tea/bergamot with delicate but dynamic late- and mid-boil hops.

Relax, relax.
ng

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2004 17:19:43 | More by ngandhi

rajendra82

Georgia

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

The beer came in a 500 ml. brown bottle with a best before date of 3 February 2005 on the back label. The pour was clear reddish brown with a decent sized reddish white head. The lacing was good too. The aroma was sweetly malty with some earthy mild English hops lurking in the background. The taste was similar with chocolate malts, dark skinned fruits, rum raisins, and charred wood. The hops were restrained, but provided a peppery kick and a dry mouthfeel. It is a bit of stretch to call this one a Strong Ale, as this is at a mere 6% ABV. I would put it in the category of an ordinary Brown Ale. But call it what you may, it is quite good.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2004 03:38:05 | More by rajendra82

connecticutpoet

Connecticut

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

This was another ale I got to try as a free sample at a local liquor store, so I can't comment much on the head from what I got in a 2-ounce glass. It was a nice brown color. The aroma was of very complex malts, very layered, with no hoppiness.

It had a rich, malty taste that had so many flavors intertwined I couldn't pick any particular ones out. It was quite good, with a lingering bitterness. One I wouldn't mind having again.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2004 02:44:13 | More by connecticutpoet

marc77

California

3.83/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Slightly murked ruddy chestnut hue. Mountainous, fluffy light tan head leaves frothy lace. Mellow notes of singed toffee and licorice in aroma, accompanied by earthy hop and trace butterscotch. Just a touch too soft aromawise, but welcoming nonetheless. In flavor, prevalent in malt character is an impression of treacle sweetened burnt biscuit and raisin. After a deliberation, dryish, baker's chocolate melds with butterscotch and dark crystal malt tones to lend a cocoa dusted caramel candy impression. Hop bitterness creeps in, soundly offsetting caramel sweetness and lending overall balance. Undertone of candied fig augments as the beer warms. Mild woody hop flavor complements bitter chocolate notes. Agreeably dextrinous in mouthfeel, but not overly so. Finishes with a surprising surge of hop bitterness that yields to a continution of burnt malt tones. A flavorful, rather complex ale that's seemingly a hybrid of a true ESB and English old ale. Not every flavor component coalesces, however, thus precluding excellence. Regardless, Broadside is certainly worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2004 00:40:59 | More by marc77

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

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

Jason

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

$3.45 @ Charles Street Liquors, Boston, MA:

http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/user_reviews/1008/

Presentation: 16.9 oz brown bowling pin style bottle, best before date on the back label.

Appearance: Pasty off white lace clings well, weather brownish bronze hue is dark and inviting.

Smell: Ripe pear and black currant fruit mix as well as a light metallic malt sweetness. Touch of buttery yeast in the back.

Taste: Very malty with toasted and caramel like qualities, hops barley crest the sweetness and lend some flavor as well. A touch of ripe dark fruit with a hint of buttery yeast and alcoholic esters in the back. Finishes a bit sweet.

Mouthfeel: Slick thickness on the palate drops out after a quick prickle of carbonation.

Notes: A very flavorful strong ale with simple complexities. An easy pick to pair with a nice hearty sandwich for lunch.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2004 18:07:05 | More by Jason

edchicma

Massachusetts

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

Not a bad offering....nice dark amber appearance with a decent head, however smell was abit faint with a light malty note. Taste was sweet on the front with a very nice biiter finish. Mouthfeel was a bit too oily for me and that reduced my overall rating. Likewise, due to the oil quality, I reduced my drinkability rating.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2004 15:30:47 | More by edchicma

Jon

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reddish, tawny copper with a tight white head. Lacks much retention, leaves hardly any trail of lace.

Fruity, bready nose emits whaffs of bubble gum and pine. The Maris Otter malt certainly has something to do with this. Fruity hop esters linger, as well.

Fresh, doughy, fruity, malty and relatively sweet. A real mouthful, but more along the lines of an extra special bitter than an old ale. Mildly roastiness/caramelization comes into play, adding just a touch of port-like sweetness, though the hops and fruitiness never stray too far.

Smooth, moderately oily mouthfeel. Fairly elegant.

Drinks well for a relatively strong beer. Very well-balanced and deep, this is a classic beer that would be even better cask-conditioned, I'm sure.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2004 01:53:11 | More by Jon

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

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

Clear bronze, color, good,creamy head, full and active, yet quick to crumble down. Aroma: very airy, some citrus, yeasty, fruity, but wide, wide open, almost empty. Yet, actually, pretty much dead-on for style.
Taste: tiny, fruity, slightly bitter flavor right off, then smooth, malty, easy-going. A little too sweet and malty, for my taste, but probably, again, right on the button for what they're trying to do. Yep, kind of treacly, but that's what makes Newcastle so damned popular. Nice, little hops, big, fat, fruity malt, very smooth and utterly drinkable. Body is medium, at best, and finish is, perhaps, too short, too sweet.
Overall, not to my taste, but a great example of this style.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2004 07:37:18 | More by feloniousmonk

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer poured clear deep amber. The head was off-white and lasted quite a while to eventually lace the glass.

The aroma was fruity and malty with cherries and caramel.

The flavor was fruity with cherry flavor and malty sweetness. In the background is a nice bitterness to balance the sweetness and keep it from overpowering the beer.

The finish was dry and bitter, but not unpleasant. The body was medium full.

16.9 ounce bottle. Marked at 6% ABV. Best before 26 Nov 04.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2004 23:38:19 | More by GCBrewingCo

oberon

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A nice find here,pours a rich amber with a nice looking slightly off white head.Aroma is deeply malty with some yeast notes with a touch of fruit,taste is sweet and rich with some great fruity depth.Very smooth going down I have a case and I will savor it.A light bitter finish but a nice big malty brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2004 00:58:53 | More by oberon

WesWes

New York

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

The beer pours a dark amber/brown color with a 1/4" off-white head that fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It is dry with a malty scent. It also had a fruity yeast aroma. The taste is good. It is full of malty flavor with a strong caramel finish. It has a dryness that makes the beer very crisp and slightly bitter. The mouthfeel is good. It is a full bodied beer with good carbonation. This beer drinks well. It is a good strong ale. It has good flavor and malt complexity.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2004 18:44:47 | More by WesWes

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

Chsyhkr

North Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A stong version of ESB, light mahogany in color with tawny highlights. Aroma is full of butterscotch and fruit, some hops for good measure. Plenty of body in this puppy with a hop bitterness that accentuates and does not detract.

Sit down, let this one warm up, and sip slowly as there is lots going on here.

A great ESB sent to the states.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2004 03:22:26 | More by Chsyhkr

Realale

Missouri

3.9/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Clear medium mahogany. Fine off-white head settles to a thin, complete cap leaving a lot of lacing.

Nose is caramel, dried cherries, and raisins. Some bready malt pokes through, as does some leafy hop. Bit of earthiness adds complexity.

Medium full in the mouth with the bready malt and caramel dominating. Plenty of fruitness, and enough hop bitterness to balance. Touch of chalkiness helps to boost the hop, and its more controlled than in the SSB. Finish is long and lingering with all of the palate components present.

Mouthfeel is a bit fizzy, and another beer where bottle-conditioning would have a positive impact. Quite drinkable for what it is, and a very nice example of the style. Best before date of February 3, 2005.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2004 19:20:03 | More by Realale

StevieW

Florida

4.4/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500 ml skiny brown bottle. Has the Adnams raised letters just under the label. The label is a shiny maroon, and navy, with a clipper ship. The back label describes the battle of Sole Bay vs the Dutch Republic in 1672 off the Southwold Coast, complete with a reproduction of a print depicting burning ships. God Bless the British Empire. I really wish I would figure out the download picture thing, this is a cool bottle of beer. Best before 27 Mar '04 cleary stamped on the back.
Deep mahogany. Rich, shiny and full.Touches of glowing ruby along the edges. Dense, creamy khaki head. Sticky, hop resiny white lace all the way down the glass. Overall a shade darker than you expect. Dark wood color is eye candy for the English Bitter lover. Malty smooth aromas underneath a hint of tradtional hops. First taste has a hint of biscuity malt and toasted bread. The bitter shot of hops follows up. A real drinking treat, this beer is super smooth creamy and soft on the tongue. Nearly melts in your mouth. Not a hint of alcohol, yet you get the idea of it's 6.3 %. Listed as an old ale, tastes like a bitter and feels like a pale ale.
Nicely hopped, bitter finish, asks you to have another taste. Supersmooth and completely drinkable. A very impressive beer in my opinion. Really worth the wait. Purchased at a grocery store near Prestwick, Scotlund and stuffed in the back of my beer fridge for the last 7 months.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2004 02:43:07 | More by StevieW

budsboy

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Beautiful 1pt 9oz bottle with sophisticated gold/blue/maroon lable. Pours a very pleasing crystal clear reddish tan with a clean tan head and some nice lacing to boot.

Smell is soft, hops and spice, delicate, flowery.

Tastes is hops first, then a spice that I can't identify -- some smokey flavors there too. This is a bit more complex than I expected. Very interesting and mellow. Calming. I'm finding the center now.

Smooth and comfortable, warming and soothing. Ahhhh.

I keep coming back to this on the shelf. This one is a keeper. Keep some in your cellar for those days you need to relax and reflect on the better things life has to offer. It's that kind of beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2004 03:27:33 | More by budsboy

diablo14

Australia

4.58/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

putting this here as the other one is more for the lighter cask version which i have not tried.

this is one english ale that can count itself among the best going around! its not a beer i have ever had a big session on, but one that has never failed to tickle my tastebuds and a few other faculties each time ove had the pleasure of indulging.

its got a great deep ruby like color, and its apparent lack of head retention is intentional. they dont like much head on their beers in those parts of england. its location by the sea explains the strong presence of the old briny! you can smell and taste it in the brew, and adds wonderful character to a beautifully well rounded beer. there are aspects of dried fruit (raisins, currants, peel) and nice oaky overtones all backed with an insistant but not dominant malt flavor. the finish is highlighted with the classic kent goldings and fuggles hops, providing a balance of spiciness and bitterness. combined with that slightly salty taste of the sea, broadside has a touch of individuality that sets it aside from most others in this genre.

i really never notice that its quite strong, even for a traditional english ale, but that is yet another thing about broadside that makes me give it consideration every time im in the mood for a top quality beer from the u.k. i cant wait to head over there next year and get into some of this from the keg!

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2004 17:17:04 | More by diablo14

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Adnams Broadside Original Ale- alc 6% by Vol.
1 pt .9 fl oz

Appearance: a beautiful reddish brown with a thick creamy tan head.
Smell: Floral with lotsa hops. A little piney.
Taste: very good! Bitter with a snap of hops.

Overall a very good beer. I'll buy again.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2003 00:18:54 | More by NJpadreFan

CharlesRiver

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I hope that I am reveiwing the right beer. The label says Broadside Original Ale Alc 6% VOL.

Pours a dark reddish amber color with a nice creamy white head. The smell is malty, sweet, citrus and yeast. Very fine carbonation that I didn't expect. When I say fine I mean tiny little bubbles. Malty in the beginning with a bit of bitterness in the end. Nuts, citrus and a hint of hops are what I get.

The first Adnams that I had was at The Nags Head in London. That was on cask, this is in the bottle. Both excellent.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2003 23:52:57 | More by CharlesRiver

dpend

Florida

4.22/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

WOW! An English Ale in a brown bottle! I'm rating the taste high just because of that. Deep brown with a copper/gold tinge. Head retention was good, but had to be enticed. Nice even balance of maltiness and hops,maybe a bit of oak and also picking up on some fruit. I would have to call this a "flat" beer, in respect to it's equal parts malt and hops acroos the board. Aroma is typical ale but is fresh and inviting. Mouthfeel is good and drinkability is high. Cool bottle too.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2003 16:39:34 | More by dpend