Olde Suffolk English Ale - Strong Suffolk Vintage
Greene King / Morland Brewery

Olde Suffolk English Ale - Strong Suffolk VintageOlde Suffolk English Ale - Strong Suffolk Vintage
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From:
Greene King / Morland Brewery
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Old Ale
ABV:
6%
Score:
89
Avg:
4 | pDev: 10.75%
Reviews:
311
Ratings:
476
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 06, 2019
Added:
Feb 14, 2002
Wants:
  32
Gots:
  30
No description / notes.
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Ratings by Fernando_Bastos:
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Rated by Fernando_Bastos from Brazil

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

May 27, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by craigbelly from Iowa

Dec 06, 2019
Photo of jkblr
Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
500mL clear undated bottle (it did have an oxygen absorbing cap) poured into a snifter. The beer was warmed from fridge temp for an hour before pouring. The beer pours bright medium brown with chestnut highlights and light khaki head on a fairly hard pour. The head recedes to fat, splotchy ring and leaves some lacing. The aroma is fruitcake with plum, raisin, cherry and molasses. The taste is oxidized (almost on purpose) with subdued notes of cherry, darker malts, wood, red wine and burnt sugar. The finish is mostly dry with minimal bitterness and a tart aftertaste. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with very low carbonation. Overall, very good. I'm assuming this bottle is quite old. It was pulled from the back of a shelf at room temperature earlier this year at a grocery I visit a couple times a year. They have the best import selection I've ever seen, but still use stickers for pricing and have no inventory control system. I've bought 10 year old beer there. I would love to try on draft or a guaranteed fresh bottle. I'm betting the flavors would have a lot more pop.
Nov 15, 2019
 
Rated: 3.9 by shelby415 from Oregon

Jul 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.27 by travelguy from Ohio

Jul 11, 2018
 
Rated: 3.49 by HungarianCount from California

Apr 27, 2018
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.88/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Draught at pub in Borough. Aroma is nutty and sweet, taste has up front elements of caramel and toffee. A nice break from the usual bitter style. Flavor to enjoy...
Mar 05, 2018
Photo of drmeto
Reviewed by drmeto from Germany

3.88/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4
L:
-pours a clear ruby-brown with a small to medium,foamy,sand-coloured head
-medium carbonation visible
S:
-plums,raisins,syrupy,dates,cooked potatoes
T:
-Follows the nose + spicy,bready
-finishes dry
F:
-medium carbonation
-light to medium body
-slight alcohol noticeable
O:
A really good Ale.It reminded me of some Doppelbocks in profile.I kinda missed the Toffee flavours/Aromas i get a lot in English Ale styles.
Feb 14, 2018
Photo of sokol_1993
Reviewed by sokol_1993 from California

4.12/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look: dark brown, with a white creamy head that doesn't dissipate that quickly. A lot of lacing around. Lively, lot of bubbles.
Smell: Malty, biscuity predominantly.
Taste: sweetness of malt, honey, biscuit hit you first thing in the beginning. Then the bitterness of the hop hit, but only lightly, balancing out the sweetness. Finally, you can taste the dark fruit, plum, cherry.
Feel: happiness in a bottle. Quite warming too!

Great English brew, of the greatest beer tradition. Lovely, lovely!
Jan 20, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by chebode2 from Germany

Dec 20, 2017
Photo of Brolo75
Reviewed by Brolo75 from California

2.75/5  rDev -31.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
16.9 ounce bottle poured into a snifter

A: Pours a rich dark amber, mahogany red color with no head or lacing, low carbonation however the bottle was overly carbonated when I opened it, had to put it in the sink to allow it finish bubbling, looks flat, looks a little thin as well.

A: Very little aroma, caramel, toffee, sweet stone fruit, dates, light oak, not much else, very subtle aromas.

T: Caramel malts, toffee, light stone fruits, dates, plums, no oak on the taste, not what I was expecting, I hoping for rich, deep, layered flavors, not there at all.

M: Medium bodied, it's flat, no carbonation at all on the mouthfeel.

O: This must be a bad bottle, it exploded when I popped the cap, overflowed and I had to set it in the sink, very little aroma and flavor, mouthfeel is flat, not good at all. It came in a clear bottle not sure if that affected the quality.
Sep 21, 2017
Photo of Smakawhat
Reviewed by Smakawhat from Maryland

4.23/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from the bottle into a snifter glass. Clear bottle, hopefully dodging the skunk monster here. Vintage undetermined.

Deep garnet red body, with excellent brown mahogany like wood colors. Head creation is about a little more than a finger, and a khaki color like cream consistency. Collar is made quite thick pencil size and creamy too, with a thin whispy puck showing quite a decent amount of body clarity. Some leopard like lacing adds some nice eye candy as well.

So for the nose is there any light struck quality? At first I thought there might be, but it doesn't seem so with some exploration. Small amounts of crisp toffee like aromas, and touches of berry like fruit. A small muted toasty nearly nut like quality but has more wood quality to it. Very creamy sensing, like a matching strawberry and cream character that starts to dominate. Very neat brew. Faint touch possibly of skunk.

Palate seems to stick to basics, but done real nicely. Light crisp body matching a waffery toffee flavor and slight caramel bar quality. Much of the hinted fruit quality seems not noticeable, more of a light wet mineral and hard water like presence which gives only so much depth. Faint wood char, slightly sticky resin flavors as well. Quick drinking, but creates a desire for more.

I call Session drinking old ale! Feels almost light and poundable, but with far more power and richness.
Sep 17, 2017
Photo of Bouleboubier
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

3.94/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
(16.9 oz bottle, no date, bought at SL... poured into a teku)

L: very deep ruddy burgundy-colored liquid - bit hard to tell if there's any sediment afloat... about an inch of tan foam forms on the pour, but fades away to a thin collar, as expected... scab of dark sediment left in corner of bottle bottom

S: cloyingly deliciously-rich caramel (initially), chestnut, hint of spice... perhaps a whiff of light milk chocolate... hint of fresh oak and caramelized wood fibers... faint note of an almost bourbon-like booze... subtle nuances soon die off, and what's left is mostly the caramel and some dried fig

T: first off, notably much less sweet than anticipated by the smell... bits of toasted toffee, leather, and roasted generic nut coated chased with a thin tail of caramel; woody and dry on the back end, with a minuscule vibration of bitter acorn lingering... pleasant dryness, but concurrently a tad dull in the aftertaste

F: certainly has a few more sinewy layers of malt body than an average Brit pale ale, but it arguably falls short of medium-bodied... not much carbonation to dazzle, but it lends just fine to letting it sit for a long while, sipping periodically

O: something a bit different, and I feel worth the wait (had this on my want list since I think 2010)... this is right up my alley and I'm looking forward to 1) maybe finding a fresher bottle within the next 7 years and 2) getting a couple more bottles to pair with funky cheeses
Aug 17, 2017
 
Rated: 3.77 by samEBC from Belgium

Jul 16, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by brittanylicious from Indiana

May 28, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by heysuz from Indiana

May 28, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by RMW66 from Australia

May 20, 2017
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
500 ml bottle into snifter, bottled on 5/31/2016. Pours crystal clear dark ruby red/brown color with a 1 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, vanilla, oak, raisin, plum, fig, date, cherry, apple, sherry, and red grape; with light notes of cocoa, licorice, tobacco, leather, butterscotch, herbal, pepper, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready/light roasted malt, fruity yeast, and light-moderate oak notes; with great strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, vanilla, oak, raisin, plum, fig, date, cherry, apple, sherry, and red grape; with light notes of cocoa, licorice, tobacco, leather, butterscotch, herbal, pepper, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light herbal/roast bitterness and tannic oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, vanilla, oak, dark fruit, apple, sherry, herbal, light cocoa/leather/tobacco, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malt, fruity yeast, and light-moderate oak flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light dryness from lingering bitterness, lightly increasing through the glass. Light-medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 6%. Overall this is a great old ale! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malt, fruity yeast, and light-moderate oak flavors; very smooth and easy to drink. Very well rounded and rich in complexity for the modest ABV. The diacetyl was a bit overpowering in the aromas at first, but seemed to mellow out as it warmed. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.
May 06, 2017
Photo of dcotom
Reviewed by dcotom from Iowa

3.78/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured from 1/2 liter bottle into a Craft Beer Club sampling glass. Dark caramel color with tan highlights and a thin off-white head that disappears quickly leaving no lacing to speak of. Aromas and flavors of dark malt, sweet caramel, and toffee, with notes of dried fruit. There are also hints of oaky sourness on the finish, with a little sticky sweetness lingering. A tad astringent, with a bit of tannin. Everything seems to come together quite well, resulting in a very good beer overall.
Apr 17, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by Fettpopps from Massachusetts

Mar 11, 2017
Olde Suffolk English Ale - Strong Suffolk Vintage from Greene King / Morland Brewery
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 476 ratings