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Adnams SSB (Suffolk Special Bitter)
Adnams plc, Sole Bay Brewery
- From:
- Adnams plc, Sole Bay Brewery
- England, United Kingdom
- Style:
- Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
- ABV:
- 4.5%
- Score:
- 87
- Avg:
- 3.86 | pDev: 10.62%
- Reviews:
- 132
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Aug 19, 2015
- Added:
- Dec 21, 2002
- Wants:
- 12
- Gots:
- 1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Rated by papat444 from Canada (QC)
3.75/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Flashback #391
Aug 19, 2015Rated by Wobbly from Missouri
4.75/5 rDev +23.1%
4.75/5 rDev +23.1%
A true classic. One of the best strong bitters in the world.
Oct 09, 2014Reviewed by Hopheadjeffery from Illinois
3.84/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.84/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Tasted in a pint glass from a 500 ml bottle. Look is bright clear amber with a thick foamy head and lingering lacing. Smell and taste is spice, resin and aniseed with biscuit malt aromas and flavors. Feel is medium in body with a smooth dry finish.
Jul 08, 2013Reviewed by claminat420 from Michigan
2.31/5 rDev -40.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
2.31/5 rDev -40.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
A- poured a deep brown/ mahagonay color. white half a finger head with thin lacing.
S- raisons and alcohol.
T- dark malts with a raison taste. no hops. lame.
M- medium. hardly any carbonation.
D- pissed i bought a 4 pack.
Overall- for 12 bucks a 4 pack this is just rediculous. and only 3.7 abv??? pass this up!!
Nov 09, 2009S- raisons and alcohol.
T- dark malts with a raison taste. no hops. lame.
M- medium. hardly any carbonation.
D- pissed i bought a 4 pack.
Overall- for 12 bucks a 4 pack this is just rediculous. and only 3.7 abv??? pass this up!!
Reviewed by TLove from District of Columbia
3.17/5 rDev -17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.17/5 rDev -17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
12 oz bottle poured into a glass tumbler.
Has a truly beautiful pour, color, head, and retention. Without a doubt the best appearance of its style. A nice, balanced ESB that is actually quite smooth and yeasty. Tangy, buttery, sweet, and slightly smoked in flavor, the beer has a slight, malty structure.
Sweet finish, with some very soft, apple-like finish with moderate carbonation. A solid beer of its style. Decent finish, though a bit dry and sparse tasting.
Nov 06, 2009Has a truly beautiful pour, color, head, and retention. Without a doubt the best appearance of its style. A nice, balanced ESB that is actually quite smooth and yeasty. Tangy, buttery, sweet, and slightly smoked in flavor, the beer has a slight, malty structure.
Sweet finish, with some very soft, apple-like finish with moderate carbonation. A solid beer of its style. Decent finish, though a bit dry and sparse tasting.
Reviewed by cswhitehorse from California
4/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The Suffolk ESB poured a caramel color with a 1-2 finger foam head that dissipated quickly. Not much in the way of lacing.
It smelled of caramel and a slight hoppiness. The taste reminded me of a Scotch ale which has that unique taste to it. It had a nice bitterness on the finish which rounded it out nicely to me. Overall a good ESB and I would recommend it.
Feb 09, 2009It smelled of caramel and a slight hoppiness. The taste reminded me of a Scotch ale which has that unique taste to it. It had a nice bitterness on the finish which rounded it out nicely to me. Overall a good ESB and I would recommend it.
Reviewed by BedetheVenerable from Missouri
3.56/5 rDev -7.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.56/5 rDev -7.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Presentation: 16.9oz brown bottle with a cool lighthouse label...best before date of over a year ago...Damn you Friar Tuck's...
Appearance: A SUPER hazy orange/gold beer with medium carbonation and a thin ivory cap.
Smell: Large sweet caramel and toffee presence up front supported by a mild fruitiness and just a TOUCH of leafy hops.
Taste: Fruitier than expected from the nose...there's a mild/grainy presence up front, backed by slightly tart fruit (apple) and a decent kick of hop bitterness on the finish. The beer finishes tart and dry, and bitter.
Mouthfeel: Slightly fizzy and light-medium bodied.
Drinkability: Fairly high.
Conclusion: Not bad, not great. It's pretty on target for a Special Bitter, but it's a little TART and aggressively bitter (without much hop flavor for my taste). I'd really like a FRESH sample to compare this to as I think this beer might have greater potential than shown here.
Jan 08, 2009Appearance: A SUPER hazy orange/gold beer with medium carbonation and a thin ivory cap.
Smell: Large sweet caramel and toffee presence up front supported by a mild fruitiness and just a TOUCH of leafy hops.
Taste: Fruitier than expected from the nose...there's a mild/grainy presence up front, backed by slightly tart fruit (apple) and a decent kick of hop bitterness on the finish. The beer finishes tart and dry, and bitter.
Mouthfeel: Slightly fizzy and light-medium bodied.
Drinkability: Fairly high.
Conclusion: Not bad, not great. It's pretty on target for a Special Bitter, but it's a little TART and aggressively bitter (without much hop flavor for my taste). I'd really like a FRESH sample to compare this to as I think this beer might have greater potential than shown here.
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina
4/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a yellowish-brown color and a cloudy consistency. There wasn't much head with this beer, but it did have excellent lacing.
S: There was a very malty, bready smell, along with some mild spices.
T: A nice roasted malt flavor accented by some brown sugar and other spices. Not overly complex but good.
M: A fairly well-carbonated beer with a very dry finish. Medium-bodied.
D: On the whole, this is a well made ESB with a solid taste.
Dec 19, 2008S: There was a very malty, bready smell, along with some mild spices.
T: A nice roasted malt flavor accented by some brown sugar and other spices. Not overly complex but good.
M: A fairly well-carbonated beer with a very dry finish. Medium-bodied.
D: On the whole, this is a well made ESB with a solid taste.
Reviewed by Spikester from Oregon
3.51/5 rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.51/5 rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours cloudy brown with a fat one finger light tan head. Plentiful lacings.
Aroma was malty with some euro hops.
Taste is sweet malts and a good amount of bitter hops. Some leather, minor citrus, and a medium dry finish. Not a bad ESB overall. Quite sessionable considering the 4.5% abv.
Dec 10, 2008Aroma was malty with some euro hops.
Taste is sweet malts and a good amount of bitter hops. Some leather, minor citrus, and a medium dry finish. Not a bad ESB overall. Quite sessionable considering the 4.5% abv.
Reviewed by champ103 from Texas
3.98/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
3.98/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
A: Pours a dark copper/brown color. A two finger beige head forms and leaves sticky lace down the pint glass.
S: Light buttery and caramel malt. A light citrus hop aroma.
T: Toasty sweet caramel malt. A subtle fruity flavor with pears and apples that come out as the beer warms a bit. A light hop bitterness to balance out the sweetness.
M/D: A medium body, but thin and watery. Low on the carbonation end. Easy and smooth to drink, like most good ESB's. A good session beer.
I enjoyed this. Pretty much everything you want in the style, I just find it a bit typical. Though, I will take a typical ESB over most anything else.
Nov 08, 2008S: Light buttery and caramel malt. A light citrus hop aroma.
T: Toasty sweet caramel malt. A subtle fruity flavor with pears and apples that come out as the beer warms a bit. A light hop bitterness to balance out the sweetness.
M/D: A medium body, but thin and watery. Low on the carbonation end. Easy and smooth to drink, like most good ESB's. A good session beer.
I enjoyed this. Pretty much everything you want in the style, I just find it a bit typical. Though, I will take a typical ESB over most anything else.
Reviewed by clayrock81 from Florida
4.1/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.1/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours a light copper body with a foamy one-finger head. Has a strong malt smell along with some citric notes and dark fruits from the hops.
A mix bag here - there is some tartness and fruit notes from the hops, yet this fuller-bodied beer goes down smooth and creamy, and has some sweet malt taste to it. Finishes with a dry backbite. A great beer that I'm glad I got to try.
Oct 09, 2008A mix bag here - there is some tartness and fruit notes from the hops, yet this fuller-bodied beer goes down smooth and creamy, and has some sweet malt taste to it. Finishes with a dry backbite. A great beer that I'm glad I got to try.
Reviewed by AKBelgianBeast from Alaska
4/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a nice slightly clear ruby red/deep orange amber color with a nice frothy white head that leaves good lace. Nose is mostly malty. Taste has a good malt profile with some decent british hop presence. Almost some toffee or caramel hints in here. Mouthfeel is nice, but a bit thick. Nice dry finish. Drinkability is good but not the best. Overall a good english bitter and a fair representation of the style. Im not that crazy about it, but it is a good representation. I think this bottle may be a bit old. A good brew, but there are enough better bitters available that I probably wont be purchasing this one again, except maybe at a bar.
Aug 22, 2008Reviewed by nasty15108 from New York
4.2/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.2/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Tulip pint glass.
A - Deep brown color with ruby hues when held up to the light. The pour produced a slightly off-white head that subsided into a spotty film. Scattered lacing throughout the glass.
S - Malty. Slightly nutty, with sweet buttery aroma. I also detected slight hints of caramel.
T - Slightly sweet roasted malt flavor up front. Hints of butterscotch and caramel. Finished creamy with a slight bitterness from the hops.
MF&D - A creamy and smooth medium bodied ESB. It reminded me a lot of Sam Smiths Nut Brown. Great flavor, coats mouth well and left a sweet taste on my lips. Highly recommended.
Apr 05, 2008A - Deep brown color with ruby hues when held up to the light. The pour produced a slightly off-white head that subsided into a spotty film. Scattered lacing throughout the glass.
S - Malty. Slightly nutty, with sweet buttery aroma. I also detected slight hints of caramel.
T - Slightly sweet roasted malt flavor up front. Hints of butterscotch and caramel. Finished creamy with a slight bitterness from the hops.
MF&D - A creamy and smooth medium bodied ESB. It reminded me a lot of Sam Smiths Nut Brown. Great flavor, coats mouth well and left a sweet taste on my lips. Highly recommended.
Adnams SSB (Suffolk Special Bitter) from Adnams plc, Sole Bay Brewery
Beer rating:
87 out of
100 with
141 ratings
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