Grand Union Liberty Blonde
Grand Union Brewery, The

Tasted by half-pint at the Cross Keys, a JDW pub in City, London. At the first glance at the pump-clip, which shows the picture of the Statute of Liberty, I couldn't help wondering if American Liberty hops are indeed used in this beer?!

A: pours a clear, dark-yellowish straw hue; a very thin and sparse beer head sits on top of a low carbonated body.
S: an intense aroma of spicy and floral hops picks up a fight with my nose~~ a bit like very big and assertive Fuggles (as far as my limited knowledge of hops could manage), but a good swirl of the glass brings out a semi-rich, flowery, faintly lychee fruit, and slightly honeyish hoppyness (like Liberty hops? anyone?) to overwhelm my nose, resting on a bed of soft pale malts. Overall, very aromatic and hoppy, true to the usual standards of GU's hoppy beers. But I still don't know if it's Liberty-related~~
T: a quite thin-ish hop flavour kicks in from the tip of my tongue, leading fast to an intriguingly salty-sweet, firm-textured maltiness at the back; a chewy, pale malt's grainy taste lingers, along with some sour-sweetness of hops, and a limited bitterness comes in to balance the malts in the end.
M&D: the texture is quite lively and fresh, but the body is slightly thin and doesn't hold well until the very end... Compared to the aroma, the palate goes thinner bit by bit. Although it's another solid hoppy beer by the GU, it's not as complex nor delicious as GU's other experiments with different hops. A quaffable offer for summer time alright.