Burton Bridge Empire India Pale Ale | Burton Bridge Brewery
Brewed by:
Burton Bridge Brewery
England, United Kingdom
Style: English India Pale Ale (IPA)
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.50%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by BeerAdvocate on 04-01-2002
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Ratings: 169 | Reviews: 134
3.94/5 rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Giving credit where credit is due is, I hope, an important BA tradition. And this is a great beer deserves lots of credit.
Empire IPA adjusted its market and methods in the early 19th Century to brew for British colonials in India and the ale, that took America by storm in the 21st Century was born.
BB's Empire IPA was reviewed at length in Roger Protz' " 300 Beers To Try Before You Die!" and it deserves to be on this list. Also reviewed in a broader context by Garett Oliver in "The Brewmaster's Table" he gives Burton Bridge credit as the source (water source) of how to make "hoppy" beers without having to use tons of hops as other brewers do. (I often think a few American brewers should try to "Burtonize" their water -- prickly water taken from limestone wells -- and avoid the hops.)
As for my review and MHO, Empire IPA Looks and Smells like the real deal. Its Taste is even fuller (perhaps it's the water.)
For Feel, I found this chewy. OA it went well with Indian food. A great versatile ale.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Giving credit where credit is due is, I hope, an important BA tradition. And this is a great beer deserves lots of credit.
Empire IPA adjusted its market and methods in the early 19th Century to brew for British colonials in India and the ale, that took America by storm in the 21st Century was born.
BB's Empire IPA was reviewed at length in Roger Protz' " 300 Beers To Try Before You Die!" and it deserves to be on this list. Also reviewed in a broader context by Garett Oliver in "The Brewmaster's Table" he gives Burton Bridge credit as the source (water source) of how to make "hoppy" beers without having to use tons of hops as other brewers do. (I often think a few American brewers should try to "Burtonize" their water -- prickly water taken from limestone wells -- and avoid the hops.)
As for my review and MHO, Empire IPA Looks and Smells like the real deal. Its Taste is even fuller (perhaps it's the water.)
For Feel, I found this chewy. OA it went well with Indian food. A great versatile ale.
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3.25/5 rDev -9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
4.05/5 rDev +13.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Holy foam batman! I opened this from my cold fridge and an explosion of foam.
Poured into lager glass. Looks like a great IPA. Semi-opaque dark orange. Very foamy head, about 1/4 foam. Tons of carbonation bubbles, almost like champagne.
Smell is very interesting for a pale ale, very fruity, lots of floral notes as well. Very unique smell.
With this interesting smell and marketing as the old school authentic IPA, taste was not too entirely different from a basic IPA upon first going down, but suddenly the crisp hos give way into something more darker and woody, it is quite pleasant. Cask aging I take it, and tastes great. Notes of alcohol come in as well, which add to the taste. Tastes old school, fo sho!
Mouth feel is of an IPA but the wood is left in your mouth with a little bit of hops bite. Wouldn't say it is unpleasant, but very unique. Dry. Longer after the drink the more dry your mouth is, eek.
That carbonation and ABV hit you quick and you feel like you are sipping some history. I dig it but not at the price. Would definitely have again.
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look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Holy foam batman! I opened this from my cold fridge and an explosion of foam.
Poured into lager glass. Looks like a great IPA. Semi-opaque dark orange. Very foamy head, about 1/4 foam. Tons of carbonation bubbles, almost like champagne.
Smell is very interesting for a pale ale, very fruity, lots of floral notes as well. Very unique smell.
With this interesting smell and marketing as the old school authentic IPA, taste was not too entirely different from a basic IPA upon first going down, but suddenly the crisp hos give way into something more darker and woody, it is quite pleasant. Cask aging I take it, and tastes great. Notes of alcohol come in as well, which add to the taste. Tastes old school, fo sho!
Mouth feel is of an IPA but the wood is left in your mouth with a little bit of hops bite. Wouldn't say it is unpleasant, but very unique. Dry. Longer after the drink the more dry your mouth is, eek.
That carbonation and ABV hit you quick and you feel like you are sipping some history. I dig it but not at the price. Would definitely have again.
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3.75/5 rDev +5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3/5 rDev -16%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Very unusual. Woody, thick with resins. And I think a hint of brett
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look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Very unusual. Woody, thick with resins. And I think a hint of brett
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4/5 rDev +12%
Funky and delicious. Bright and refreshing. Taste follows nose. Grape must, lemon, oak. Tastes like the stodgy old grandpa of american IPAs
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Funky and delicious. Bright and refreshing. Taste follows nose. Grape must, lemon, oak. Tastes like the stodgy old grandpa of american IPAs
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2.63/5 rDev -26.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
Appearance: billowy 3" off white head settles very slowly with much lacing. Cloudy golden appearance.
Aroma: Floral and earthy hops, toasted grain
Mouthfeel: medium and a bit sticky with a semi-dry finish
Flavor: spicy hop presence with a sweet malt backbone. Somewhat astringent and a bit of a cough syrup flavor.
Overall: good but not great. Glad I tried this but I doubt I would buy it again at $6 for one bottle.
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look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
Appearance: billowy 3" off white head settles very slowly with much lacing. Cloudy golden appearance.
Aroma: Floral and earthy hops, toasted grain
Mouthfeel: medium and a bit sticky with a semi-dry finish
Flavor: spicy hop presence with a sweet malt backbone. Somewhat astringent and a bit of a cough syrup flavor.
Overall: good but not great. Glad I tried this but I doubt I would buy it again at $6 for one bottle.
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3.75/5 rDev +5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A: Pours a crystal clear burnt orange in color with minimal amounts of gentle visible carbonation and some faint golden yellow + amber highlights. The beer has a quarter finger tall foamy beige head that reduces to a medium patch of thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.
S: Light to moderate aromas of citrus/lemon hops and a lightly sulfuric aroma. There are some very light aromas of sweet caramel malts in the background.
T: Upfront there is a light flavors of slightly sweet caramel malts which is followed by moderate to strong flavors of citrus/lemon hops. Light notes of minerals and a light to moderate amount of lingering bitterness.
M: Slightly heavier than medium bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation. Creamy.
O: I kind of enjoy the really lemony hop aromas and flavors to this beer - it is easy to drink and hides the relatively moderate to high levels of alcohol well. I would get this again and I imagine it would be really nice served as a proper pint at the pub.
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look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A: Pours a crystal clear burnt orange in color with minimal amounts of gentle visible carbonation and some faint golden yellow + amber highlights. The beer has a quarter finger tall foamy beige head that reduces to a medium patch of thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.
S: Light to moderate aromas of citrus/lemon hops and a lightly sulfuric aroma. There are some very light aromas of sweet caramel malts in the background.
T: Upfront there is a light flavors of slightly sweet caramel malts which is followed by moderate to strong flavors of citrus/lemon hops. Light notes of minerals and a light to moderate amount of lingering bitterness.
M: Slightly heavier than medium bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation. Creamy.
O: I kind of enjoy the really lemony hop aromas and flavors to this beer - it is easy to drink and hides the relatively moderate to high levels of alcohol well. I would get this again and I imagine it would be really nice served as a proper pint at the pub.
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1.76/5 rDev -50.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5
Poured into a 16 oz. goblet.
Pours a vey cloudy golden-amber color with a one-finger off-white head.
Smells of fresh cut hay with some cherry and orange aromas. A slightly sour smell.
Taste is strong with hops right from the start with a very sour flavor while on the tongue.
The aftertaste yields some fruity malt flavors, but still dominated by an awful, grapefruit-like sourness. Hop bitterness is not backed up with enough malt to balance. As the beer warms, I'm picking up more yeast flavors, but still horribly sour and bitter. Not a good bitter. It's starting to taste like Alka Seltzer. Mouthfeel is harsh, astringent and dry with too much carbonation.
Overall, too much like a grapefruity, American IPA and a total waste of $7. Barely able to finish this one.
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look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5
Poured into a 16 oz. goblet.
Pours a vey cloudy golden-amber color with a one-finger off-white head.
Smells of fresh cut hay with some cherry and orange aromas. A slightly sour smell.
Taste is strong with hops right from the start with a very sour flavor while on the tongue.
The aftertaste yields some fruity malt flavors, but still dominated by an awful, grapefruit-like sourness. Hop bitterness is not backed up with enough malt to balance. As the beer warms, I'm picking up more yeast flavors, but still horribly sour and bitter. Not a good bitter. It's starting to taste like Alka Seltzer. Mouthfeel is harsh, astringent and dry with too much carbonation.
Overall, too much like a grapefruity, American IPA and a total waste of $7. Barely able to finish this one.
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Burton Bridge Empire India Pale Ale from Burton Bridge Brewery
3.57
out of 5
based on 169 ratings.
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 2