Lancaster Bomber - Daniel Thwaites Brewery PLC

DoctorStrangiato

Alberta (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a 500-ml bottle into a draught glass.

Appearance - copper-amber colour with thin, lacey head of beige bubbles.

Smell - thin malt essence with a little hop extract aroma behind it.

Taste - decent malty flavour in the front and then washes away to a boring watery residual with very little hop presence beneath the malt sweetness.

Mouthfeel - fairly smooth and well-balanced but the character is unencountering.

Drinkability - this actually goes down easy and for the amount of front-end flavour (albeit too sweet) it is a good candidate for several. A little pricey though is a knock against.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2009 21:38:07 | More by DoctorStrangiato

TheBeeraholic

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

06-16-2013 13:12:59 | More by TheBeeraholic

Sesam

Sweden

3.25/5  rDev -4.7%

06-15-2013 07:12:53 | More by Sesam

Robert-Simmonds

United Kingdom (England)

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

06-12-2013 21:50:33 | More by Robert-Simmonds

pkenkman

Estonia

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

06-01-2013 20:18:49 | More by pkenkman

MylesMac

Manitoba (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -4.7%

05-25-2013 03:43:34 | More by MylesMac

derekvandenbrink

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +32%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I was surprised how much I liked this pint. Quite often a canned or bottled beer can be quite different from a pint served at a pub. This pint was less gassy than for example a London Pride in a bottle. Smelled more hoppy than it tasted.
I wouldn't say it tasted much like an ESB more like a Gayles pint - as taken over by The Griffin Brewery.

Serving type: can

05-04-2013 22:04:41 | More by derekvandenbrink

NorthernSoul

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

04-17-2013 22:45:00 | More by NorthernSoul

Olavi

3.75/5  rDev +10%

03-01-2013 13:51:47 | More by Olavi

NightINgale

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev +17.3%

02-10-2013 13:27:02 | More by NightINgale

defect_

Sweden

3.75/5  rDev +10%

02-06-2013 17:55:34 | More by defect_

jonb5

United Kingdom (England)

3.73/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Half litre bottle, poured into pint glass. Bronze auburn colour, clear, one finger off white head. Retained a fair amount of lacing. Aroma had hints of Fuggles and Goldings hop with some apple, also had to think of a north German style Pilsner. Tasted pine and citrus fruits (mainly grapefruit) sharp finish, moderate bitterness. Smooth texture, decent carbonation, slightly watery body. Overall it lacked the character of some ESBs and was slightly too strong to session as Andrew Flintoff found out after 17 pints at the 2007 cricket world cup in Barbados.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 15:46:39 | More by jonb5

RyGlas

1/5  rDev -70.7%

12-25-2012 18:00:25 | More by RyGlas

lwadd

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

12-25-2012 02:28:15 | More by lwadd

sbarre

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

11-24-2012 20:05:10 | More by sbarre

bark

Sweden

3.73/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The colour is deep copper (30 EBC), the liquid is clear. The three finger head is airy and beige. It sinks slowly leaving lots of thick lacing.

The smell is semi-sweet with distinct notes of apricots, hay, spices (allspice?), caramel and flowers (black currant bush).

The taste is smooth. It is not very bitter, instead the hoppy flavours dominates. Fresh flowers, dried and fresh apricots, hints of tart berries (gooseberries, green bananas) and grass. Mild sweet notes with some caramel and plums. Medium to light body. The aftertaste got a smooth flowery bitterness and a growing sweetness (caramel, brown sugar) and green berries. The finish is somewhat bitter.

The carbonation is light, the many small bubbles are smooth. The liquid is semi-dry.

More like a malty best bitter than an ESB. Still, a highly gulpable ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 19:53:23 | More by bark

HankC

Sweden

2.75/5  rDev -19.4%

10-09-2012 18:57:47 | More by HankC

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

09-14-2012 00:27:18 | More by Molson2000

MEP

4.25/5  rDev +24.6%

08-29-2012 16:24:19 | More by MEP

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a nice copper colour, finger of head with little retention and no lacing.

S - Musty caramel, grassy hops, hints of buttered bread.

T - The musty caramel dominates, solid grassy hop notes, caramel corn and buttered bread lingers.

M - Thin and watery, but smooth an refreshing.

O - A super tasty ale that goes down smooth and is super sessoionable. I will be buying more of this.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 19:15:42 | More by andrenaline

Antikythera

New York

3.28/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I have a soft spot for this beer's namesake. It flew over on my wedding day. No, I did not get married during WWII.

A: thick creamy head with fine bubbles. Pour it right or the head will stay around forever. It's still lacing up the sides of the glass fifteen minutes later. Crystal-clear brownish amber colour.

S: hoppy to the point where I was afraid it would be very bitter.

T: barely bitter at all, and in fact very mellow considering the hoppy smell. There's definitely a hop flavour but it's not overpowering. I expected other flavours to dominate in a beer this dark.

M: a little tiny bit fizzy. Little bubbles are popping on my lips after every sip. Smooth and lingering.

O: Pleasant and easy-drinking. Not as attention-grabbing as I expected for a beer named after a giant buzzing bomb-dropping airplane, but I'd buy it again.

Serving type: can

08-07-2012 00:19:55 | More by Antikythera

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500 mL can from the LCBO; best before May 7 2013. The abv seems a little light for an ESB, but I'll reserve judgment until I've tasted it - besides, I tend to like sessionable, mild English-style ales in general anyway.

Pours a clear amber-copper colour, topped with one finger of smooth, creamy, pearl white-coloured head. It lasts for a few minutes, until it finally wilts away completely, leaving an even coat on the surface - and another fine coat of lacing on the sides of the glass. Mild aroma with bready malts, some tea leafy hops and a touch of toffee and butterscotch. Certainly to style, but a little plain.

The flavour doesn't exactly wow me either. The initial sweetness is kicked off with some caramel and biscuity, grainy malts, but this is soon countered with the leafy, tea-like, vaguely earthly (and highly English) hop dryness. This bitterness remains dominant into the finish, and lingers for a while in the aftertaste. Nothing is out of place flavour-wise, but everything comes across as weak and diluted for an ESB. Light-bodied and disappointingly watery, with very mild (almost flat) carbonation levels. Easy to drink quickly, if nothing else.

Final Grade: 3.28, a relatively forgettable B minus. Not much of an ESB; there's nothing special or extra about it that's for sure. I graded this as a regular English bitter, but even by those standards it's nothing remarkable - serviceable, at best. One thing I will say - the bitter finish encourages quick sips, and this fact combined with the low abv and diluted flavours make this an absurdly drinkable ale.

But even though it's highly sessionable and I wouldn't be opposed to drinking it again... frankly I can't see myself bothering. Maybe on-tap if I find myself in merry old England. Anyone who enjoys bitters should consider Lancaster Bomber worthy of a try (at 2.50 for a half-litre it's actually decent value), but you probably shouldn't expect an award winner.

Serving type: can

08-04-2012 05:32:02 | More by thehyperduck

pin

Australia

4/5  rDev +17.3%

07-25-2012 03:03:26 | More by pin

bryehn

Ontario (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a copper-amber colour with a large and fluffy white head that has great retention, acting as a cap and leaving behind thick lace.

Very fruity aroma, mild caramel and grain backing.

Toasted malts, mild caramel and a surprisingly biting bitterness. Hints of chocolate, grain, orange peel and grape in the dry finish.

Medium-bodied with a mild carbonation. The everlasting head makes for a very smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Slightly syrupy sensation in the aftertaste.

Nothing Earth-shattering, but makes for a great session ale. Goes well with sandwiches, fried foods, potato chips and crackers.

Serving type: can

07-18-2012 16:31:25 | More by bryehn

BigGruntyThirst

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

07-08-2012 03:04:30 | More by BigGruntyThirst