Adnams Broadside Strong Original - Adnams plc, Sole Bay Brewery

mdagnew

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

4.05/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle bought from Sainsburys...

Poured a deep reddy brown colour with some amber tinges... Creamy tan head poured nice and thick and meringue like then settled to a nice thin layer which lasted until near the end... some light sticky lacing...

Aroma - Toffee malts, spicy dark fruits (figs, some blackcurrents, prunes), biscuity notes, nutty sweetness, malt loaf notes, nutmeg, some light rum traces, definite treacle notes, spicy / peppery hops...

Taste – Strong spicy dark bitter fruits (definite prunes, figs, and raisins), light toasted toffee malts, definite treacle notes, light sweetness, spicy / peppery hops, light warming alcohol notes, breadiness...

Feel - Sharp initially but quite creamy afterwards... Medium / full bodied... Pretty drinkable considering strength...

Overall - An excellent strong ale... Recommended...

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2006 09:03:09 | More by mdagnew

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

CAMRAhardliner

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark amber color with a long lasting head and good lacing. The aroma is of fruity malts with raisin bread and overripe banana hints. The taste rich with a lot of malts up front and a few hops in the back. Hops show themselves the most in the finish, with some mild bittering. This Tastes like a Scotch Ale with a bit more hop flavor.

The mouthfeel is thick with active carbonation. The drinkability and mouthfeel of this beer are somewhat dinged by a pronounced sweetness that lasts till the finish.

Overall this beer is decent though nothing special. Its worth a try but its a little one dimensional with the malts.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2004 00:33:27 | More by CAMRAhardliner

woemad

Washington

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

This review comes with apologies to historians of the Anglo-Dutch wars and fans of Patrick O'Brian.

Big-ass 1.pt9oz bottle, featuring a line-of-battle ship loosing a broadside - presumably HMS Royal James (ok, that's the only ship name from this battle I know), purchased at Jim's Homebrew in Spokane for $5.45. I went in looking for AK Smoked Porter for a possible trade. Not finding my quarry (and knowing it was gone everywhere else in town), and feeling all those bottle staring at me, I decided to pick up something to make putting up with the moronic Division Street traffic worth my while. I settled on the Broadside bomber and remembered I'd had a couple of pints of the draft version at the Castle Inn on a rainy day in Cambridge, UK, in the summer of 2001. I decided it would be fun to try the bottled take on it. Also my predilection for naval and maritime history dictated that I had to drink something commemorating the Battle of Sole Bay (or Solebay, as it's often written). "Best before 21 Sept 05." Oops. BTW, why is an English brewery commemorating a defeat? Yeah, yeah, it was their local battle, but their side lost! It'd be like a brewer in Honolulu offering a Day of Infamy IPA, or a Russian brewer making a Tsushima Stout.

Poured a muddy brown that took on a copperish orange shade when held up to direct light, with a big, thick off-white head that dropped faster than you can say Michiel Adriaanszoon De Ruyter. The head dropped in about 2 minutes, but left lovely sheets of foam on the sides of the glass as it made it's way down my imperial pint glass.

The smell isn't what I expected, despite not really knowing what to expect. There's a mild, berry sweetness, along with a mild bitterness. There's also a noticeable bready yeast scent that might have been less strong had this been fresher, but had not reached an unpleasant level. This smelled tasty without being flashy about it.

This unflappable, steady without being spectacular quality carried over to the taste. Make no bones about it - this is a mostly malty beer. The mildly fruity sweetness is the most noticable flavor component, but it's kept from beating the drinker over the head by a no-frills hoppiness that doggedly sticks to it's job -keeping the malts from running amok. Otherwise, the hops are about as active as the French were at Sole Bay.

While more substantial than a typical English pale ale, the thickness of this beer is no slab-sided Dutch built buggar. Mouthfeel-wise, this is at the upper end of medium bodied, with a level of carbonation that keeps this from being too heavy but other wise doesn't draw too much attention to itself.

This is a tasty beer that doesn't make too many demands on the palate, but at the same time is more interesting tasting than a typical English pale ale. It would go well with a hearty (earl of) sandwich, and you'd probably fare better than Mr. Montagu if you chose this.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2005 04:38:13 | More by woemad

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

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

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

MrHurmateeowish

New Hampshire

4.3/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

16.9oz brown bottle from Florian's. Hazy brick-reddish/brown with around an inch of off-white head that leaves a good amount of lacing. Diacetyl plays a big part in the aroma with a fair bit of malt. Biscuit malt and earthy hops dominate the flavor with undertones of diacetyl. Very well balanced. Full flavored. Full bodied with a good amount of carbonation to support it. Drinkable as well. This is a damn good English ale. I'm quite impressed, and will deffinitely be picking this one up again.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2007 18:16:14 | More by MrHurmateeowish

bruachan

Rhode Island

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

this is a fine, malty brew. it's a deep brownish red with a tan head that spews forth robust malt aromas. it's an intoxicating cocktail of chocolate and soft nuttiness. it actually reminds me of the rochefort 10 (is that crazy?)

doesn't taste much like it smells. dark fruits romp around the strong bitterness. blackcurrant and earthy hop flavors. sweet, but the bitterness cuts this off

too bitter for me, actually, but otherwise a fine beer

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2006 03:32:52 | More by bruachan

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

Naerhu

Japan

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

Thanks to RobBeer for bringing this beer all the way to Japan!

A - Dark amber body, transparent thick head. Stubborn lacing.
S - Light sweet earth malts, with English hops.
T - Earthy malt balanced with a substantial bitterness. Smoky aftertaste or rather hints of burnt old fruit. Not overly sweet.
M - A little light in the body. Alcohol integrated nicely.
D - A nice ale to be had, though nothing outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2006 22:04:18 | More by Naerhu

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

Dukeofearl

California

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

Pours a deep amber with ruby back-lit tints. A decent light tan head forms,a nd it nicely proudly sticks around for a good long time. Aroma is malty bready with some dark fruit notes, slight brown sugar/molassas, and a hint of alcohol. Flavor follows through, the alcohol is stronger in the flavor than expected for a 6% brew. Also has a somewhat (but not strong) sharp hop bite back end. Overall nice taste, but generally bigger and heavier than I want in a beer most of the time. Body is full and rich.

A good, decent beer, and at $5.99 for a four pack of 12 oz bottles, this one is a great value!

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2006 20:59:36 | More by Dukeofearl

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

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

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

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

What's this? A new imported strong ale at the LCBO?

Done. And. Done.

Lovely looking bottle, shaped almost like a bullet. Poured into a nonic. A deep, dark ruby, one inch thick head. Loads of spidery lacing. Very nice.

The smell is not this brew's strongpoint, but gets a bit more discernible with warmth. Mostly roasted malts, bread, a bit of fruit (plums and cherries).

A terrific English bitter ale. Intensely flavourful, with nice roasted maltiness up front, fruitiness in the middle (cherry, plums, apples), tart bitterness at the finish. I get a slight taste of alcohol, but not enough to be a problem.

Mouthfeel is slightly syrupy, but still terrific. Right amount of carbonation. The bitterness lingers long after each sip.

Just a terrific ale. Well worth a try if you like the style, certainly good for a session, although the ABV is certainly high enough to warrant caution.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2009 04:03:41 | More by JohnnyBarman

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

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

Sigmund

Norway

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. Deep copper coloured, very good off-white head. Nice aroma of dark fruits, leather, oak and caramel malts. Flavour is malty sweet with a certain alcoholic burn, but not unpleasant. Some raisin notes too. Decent hops and a peppery finish. Not bad at all.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2005 18:32:43 | More by Sigmund

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

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

marburg

Michigan

4.18/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Burnt reddish-brown with a bubbly cream-colored head that fades away to a small ring around the glass. Brute aromatic force asserts itself through the tiny opening of the bottle right from the get go. Sweet, rotting pine forest smothered in sap, flowers, and alcohol. The slightest roasted flavor provides a welcome accompaniment to the sweetness of the generally smooth, sweet, malty taste. Almost fruity, really. Some grassiness and a mild astringency leads to a potent but brief burst of hops. Very thick and beefy.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2005 01:40:06 | More by marburg

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Great looking beer. Walnut colour with a big chunky head that settles to a heavy film and leaves lots of lace. Impressive.

Unremarkable nose, just a little dark fruit and a whiff of malt. This is a muscular beer tastewise though. Solidly bitter, evenhanded malt and hops. A hint of dark fruit. Leaves an impression of black licorice. Finishes with dry lingering bittereness. Interesting, not for the faint of heart. Initiallt too spritzy, but quicklt settles down and edges towards syrupy.

Higher than normal alcohol content, but well managed, just warms you up nicely.

Interesting, worth a try, quite substantial.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2008 22:34:41 | More by TerryW

hero27

Iowa

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

16.9 oz bottle. 6% abv.

I'm not huge on bottled English ales that have made the journey over to the US, but this one surprised me. Caramel color...cappuccino-like lacing left on the glass. Great bold toffee malt and biscuit flavor..with a nice dry bitterness as well. I'm just glad this didn't turn out to be one of those bland, forgettable English ales (which it certainly is not)..and actually reminded me a bit of Fuller's ESB..only $3 a bottle at my local bar, not bad at all.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2006 04:24:08 | More by hero27

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