British Invasion
HammerHeart Brewing Company

British InvasionBritish Invasion
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From:
HammerHeart Brewing Company
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
English Pale Ale
ABV:
6%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.93 | pDev: 9.67%
Reviews:
14
Ratings:
49
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 25, 2021
Added:
Aug 31, 2013
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  4
Modeled after classic English ales with a twist of American hops. The name is a reference to the Dane Law in Northern England, in addition to the 25 years that southern England was under the thumb of King Cnut.
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Photo of MNAle
Reviewed by MNAle from Minnesota

3.49/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Aroma is earthy with roasty malts underneath.

Appearance is a murky brown with tiny carbonation bubbles rising to a tall light tan, thick and creamy head with excellent retention. It leaves clumpy and sticky lacing behind as it recedes. The murkiness is not expected for the style, and it is not particularly pale, either.

Taste repeats the earthy and roasty flavors picked up in the aroma, and adds a biscuity malt backbone. The taste is pleasantly English, but rather one-dimensional. There is a level of bitterness typical of English pales that carries through from the beginning to the finish, leaving a nicely bitter and earthy and biscuit aftertaste.

Mouth feel is thin.

Overall, a nice enough English-style pale, but not particularly remarkable. Maybe next time I'll try a beer that perhaps is more in their wheelhouse.
Feb 25, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by MonkeyPilates from Minnesota

Dec 19, 2020
Photo of Mdog
Reviewed by Mdog from Minnesota

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From a 16oz can:

Appearance: Clear amber, big head. 2nd can was cloudy amber.

Smell: Toasted bread, roasted malt, earthy.

Taste: Mildly sweet toffee, toasted bread, some tea-like bitterness.

Overall: After going to Hammerheart's taproom for 6+ years and never having this beer, I finally tried it since it was available in cans. And it is a perfectly solid English pale ale. Nice malty flavor and balanced, easy to drink.

I never had it in all my visits to the taproom because there were always more intense beers available. British Invasion was for the tag-alongs, not the trve seekers of smoked or barrel-aged goodness!
Dec 06, 2020
Photo of Hopheadjeffery
Reviewed by Hopheadjeffery from Illinois

3.56/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Tasted in a tulip from draft at Kuma's Corner on January 21, 2020. Modeled after classic English ales with a twist of American hops. Average interpretation of the style.
Mar 03, 2020
Photo of Alieniloquium
Reviewed by Alieniloquium from Florida

3.08/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
750 mL bottle. Pours amber with a huge white head. Smells of oxidation, sharp sherry notes, deep bready and nutty malts. Tastes better. Some bready malts and caramel. Spicy hops and some earthy bitterness. High carbonation. Well, it's my fault for sitting on this so long, but it isn't terrible. Tastes pretty good for being way too old.
Dec 07, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by DissentFatsquirrel from Minnesota

Jan 11, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by frank_the_tankMN from Minnesota

Oct 14, 2018
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.62/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
one of the least inspiring hammerheart beers i have had, which is not to say i didnt like it, just that its not really what i know them for, and it doesnt quite move me the way almost all of the rest of them do. an english ipa or pale they say, and it sure does have the malts lined up for that, sturdy and bready and a little sweet, a little oxidized, and even a little smokey, intentional or not im not sure they can avoid it in here anymore. the hops taste american to me, even a little juicy up front before turning vegetal and bitter later on, they are robust in here, but so is the grain, and balance is retained despite the sort of more flavorful than usual complexion it has. i think its a bit overly bitter, and im not sure the hops selected are the most appropriate, it tastes a little bit disjointed to me, although i do not dislike it at all. slightly acrid at the end, hops and faint smoke coming out a little more, long finish. overall this is definitely not the place to start with these guys, but a seasoned drinker of their beer will find subtleties to appreciate here...
Apr 10, 2018
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the brewery.

Reminds me a lot of a British pub cask ale. White head. Golden color. Bready and biscuit malts. Grassy and floral hops. Earthy and bitter. Some stickiness.
Apr 11, 2017
Photo of NilocRellim
Reviewed by NilocRellim from Minnesota

3.79/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Pours a dark amber/blood orange colour. Smells like citrus hops, earthy hops, and a light pine-ness, with a slight malt nose as well. Tastes like earthy hops, pale malts, bitter and with a grainy finish.
Dec 12, 2016
Photo of MattyG85
Reviewed by MattyG85 from Minnesota

4.46/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
750 ml mini growler from the brewery. Poured into a Hammerheart tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber orange. Moderate amount of bubbles and a solid finger of off white head that settles into a thin creamy patch.

Smell: A pretty earthy balanced aroma of malt and hops. Earthy hops with a scent of grass along with some pine and slight citrus. Malt scent of caramel, biscuit, grains, and cracker with some yeast. A very nice aroma.

Taste: Like it smells, an earthy and floral balanced taste of malt and earthy hops. Fairly strong presence of earthy hops with some notes of grass and pine. Also some light notes of citrus. Malt notes of caramel, grains, biscuit, and cracker along with some yeast. A very solid taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Crisp and fairly chewy with a drying finish.

Overall: A very good take on a Pale Ale. Nice earthy hop presence and balance with the malt.
Nov 27, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by GRG1313 from California

Nov 19, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by jera1350 from Minnesota

Jul 21, 2016
 
Rated: 3.52 by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

Jun 26, 2016
 
Rated: 4.1 by HoistinBrews from Minnesota

Feb 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by Josholson666 from Minnesota

Jan 09, 2016
 
Rated: 4.06 by jakemn91 from New Mexico

Dec 23, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by ZombiesAteMyDog from Indiana

Sep 21, 2015
Photo of Taybeh
Reviewed by Taybeh from Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
At the brewery on tap
Pours a murky brownish Amber...not a big nose, but some malty bready notes and some earthy hops. Taste is similar to the nose but a lot more rewarding...nice layers of flavor, substantial body without being heavy. I keep on thinking it is going to turn sweet with some caramel or some citrus but it doesn't go there, instead staying with an almost woodsy and very earthy herbal profile. Tasty and unique. Wish I could find this around town more easily.
Sep 07, 2015
 
Rated: 4.21 by crbnfbr from Kentucky

Jul 26, 2015
British Invasion from HammerHeart Brewing Company
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 49 ratings