Independence
Bristol Beer Factory

IndependenceIndependence
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From:
Bristol Beer Factory
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
American Pale Ale
Ranked #449
ABV:
4.6%
Score:
88
Ranked #14,254
Avg:
3.94 | pDev: 8.38%
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
21
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 17, 2023
Added:
Mar 20, 2013
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  3
Our distinctive American Pale Ale is full of big hop character but without the strong bitterness. Carefully selected American hops are added continuously during the boil, and also during conditioning (dry hopping) to give a really fresh aromatic boost. This beer is mainly about hops but we have given it a malt backbone to balance the beautiful tropical fruit aromas.

Bottle-conditioned: This is real ale that has fermented in the bottle. This beer is alive, unfiltered, unpasteurised.
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Ratings by PEIhop:
Photo of PEIhop
Rated by PEIhop from Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Jul 19, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by Dethark from England

Jun 17, 2023
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.8/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
500 ml bottle conditioned, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.6%. Hazy deep golden colour, moderate white head. Pleasant aroma of fruity hops, some grainy and dusty notes in the background. The flavour is hoppy. fruity and fairly dry. The finish is medium bitter, dry and woody.
Apr 23, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by steverx8 from England

Dec 09, 2017
Photo of Spike
Reviewed by Spike from England

3.98/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
From a 500ml bottle.
L: Hazy, burnt orange colour. Many streams of slow moving bubbles. One finger of dense, creamy head. LIght lacing.
S: Oranges, mangoes.
T: Tropical fruit, lychee, oily pine-resin. Sweet (from the malt base) more than dry.
F: Medium bodied. Some chewiness. Light carbonation. Bitter finish is light and short-lived.
O: A good, anglicized, American Pale Ale from Bristol, England. A solid malt base underpins the American hops so it's nicely hoppy but not too bitter or dry.
Nov 20, 2016
 
Rated: 5 by nataliette from Singapore

Mar 28, 2016
Photo of vinicole
Reviewed by vinicole from England

3.88/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Cloudy gold - even after careful pouring. Thick white head.
Aroma of tropical fruit. Grapefruit and lychee.
Astringent pine and unripe fruit. Some spicy pepper.
Soft to moderate feel.
OK by me.
Mar 09, 2016
 
Rated: 3.82 by Tdenham from England

Jan 15, 2016
Photo of Ems
Rated by Ems from New York

3.99/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Very solid pale ale.
Oct 23, 2015
 
Rated: 4.22 by stephenlee from England

Sep 26, 2015
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Reviewed by Andrewharemza from Australia

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Deepish amber colour, thin head. Pine and grapefruit citrus, bitter, long finish. Holds a lot of flavour for the abv, which is to be applauded, and this is very refreshing. A very good effort.
Jul 22, 2015
Photo of EmperorBevis
Reviewed by EmperorBevis from England

3.94/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On cask at Piccadilly Tap via eletric metered pump creating a good looking pint
Independence, full on citrus bops you on the nose and tongue with some popcorn flavour there too
Apr 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by Jerseyislandbeer from Jersey

Dec 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by SlimPhilthy from England

Jul 05, 2014
Photo of gutbucket2
Reviewed by gutbucket2 from England

3.84/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
500ml, bottle-conditioned. appearance: slightly cloudy. smell: citric hop. taste: american hops, not too strongly flavoured, or too bitter. mouthfeel: fairly light, lingering hop. overall: I liked this beer. It is not overly hopped. It has good flavour without being intense. It is 4.6% abv, which is not overly strong. Well done BBF.
Jul 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by innominat from Ireland

Jul 28, 2013
Photo of StJamesGate
Reviewed by StJamesGate from New York

3.84/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Rosey blonde with pitted off white shaving cream head.
Lots of bright lemon and tangerine hops on the nose with maybe some flowers and fresh hay.
Saltines and lemon curd with orange hard candy and grapefruit hops.
Pineapple slushie finish and fizzing grassy linger.
Light thinking of medium, crisp, only slight chew.

Lean + bright APA that's light enough for summer but nobody would mistake for an English blonde. Hoppier (Citra?), aromawise, than Southville, actually. A bit sharp - could use maybe a speck more crystal malt - but a top example of this style in Britain
Jul 27, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by DonFrap from Massachusetts

Jul 10, 2013
Photo of mdagnew
Reviewed by mdagnew from Northern Ireland

3.93/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
500ml bottle bought from The Vineyard, Belfast

Poured a light golden yellow colour with a slight haze... White head poured fairly thick and foamy then faded to decent light covering... light carbonation... good sticky lacing lines cling to the glass...

Aroma - Light maltiness mixed with a good dose of citrusy and peppery hops, pine, tart fruits (grapefruit, lemons, apples), very floral, quite grassy, faint honey sweetness, light breadiness, some sea salt...

Taste - Good grassy and citrus hop bitterness, light pine, tart fruits (grapefruits, apples), light sweet biscuit malts, hint of wheat, peppery, some salty notes, floral and perfumed...

Feel - Quite smooth with a little bite underneath... light / medium body. Very, very quaffable and refreshing...

Overall - A excellent, straightforward, hoppy and very drinkable APA... recommended...
Jun 29, 2013
Photo of jazzyjeff13
Reviewed by jazzyjeff13 from England

3.95/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A 500ml bottle with a BB of Oct 2013. Picked up a little while back from Trembling Madness in York. The label describes it as an American pale ale that is late/dry-hopped with a variety of American hops. Sounds delish.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. Bottle conditioned. A sunset-amber hue with faint haze and low carbonation. Yields a decent head of white foam that lasts for a minute or two before settling as a thin surface layer. Aroma of sweet, juicy hop notes: white grape, melon, mango, passionfruit and citrus. This is underpinned by subtle malt and earthy yeast. It smells fantastic.

Tastes of fruity aromatic hops with a dry, bitter finish. Notes of grapefruit, orange peel, lime, melon, white grape, faint mango, light caramel malt, earthy yeast and stewed hops. Highly attenuated, with a peppery bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry, tingly and slightly spicy, with decent body. Carbonation is light but the hop oils tease the palate. Rather astringent, with an aftertaste of bitter aromatic hops, fruitiness and mild yeast.

Quality - a superbly executed APA. Tons of fruity hops in the aroma and flavour; it's interesting that the taste and aroma emphasise different notes. Would benefit from a tad more carbonation and a more resiliant head, but why nitpick when it tastes so good? Well worth sampling if you chance across it.
Apr 20, 2013
Independence from Bristol Beer Factory
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 21 ratings