Adnams Explorer | Adnams plc, Sole Bay Brewery

3.75/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

3.79/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

This beer is a hazy honey-colored liquid with a wispy white head. The aroma is has a little malt, a little distant citrus and some herbal hops. The taste has a slight sweetness and just enough bitterness to balance. Smooth. Nice, straightforward beer.

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3.53/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

3.6/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

3.5/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

3.75/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

4.1/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

$ 3.97 (Including tax)/500 mL bottle ($ 0.235/oz) at State Line Liquors, Elkton, MD
Bottle marked 2178 13:11 at 42 degrees into a hand washed and dried JK snifter
Aroma – weak, faint refreshing citrus
Head small (Maximum < two cm, aggressive pour), off white, creamy with rocks, diminishing to an irregular two to four mm ring and thin partial layer
Lacing – good. Medium rings with both stalactites and stalagmites.
Body – light orange, hazy, some effervescence
Flavor – starts sweet, approaching cloying, some malt flavor with a light citrusy bite (Hops, no doubt). No distinct bitterness from either hops or malt. No alcohol, no diacetyl.
Palate medium, approaching creamy, lively carbonation

Actually quite pleasant. This one is certainly one I would happily repeat, praise indeed since I generally don’t care for “blonde” ales.

Appearance 3.75, Aroma 3.75, Flavor 4.25, Palate 4.25, Overall 4.25

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3.59/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

3.6/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

3.29/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

3.6/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

3.77/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Enjoyed form the bottle in a snifter, this nice ale pours a brownish orange with a solid white head of white foam that settles toa a nice thin layer of fine beaded white film and a nice ring with excellent lacing. Nose of biscuit, lemon zest, orange peel, subtle hops, and light toffee. Flavors follow the nose with heavy citrus notes mingling with biscuit, lime and caramel on all sides that fade in the back with moderately strong hops. Nice mouth feel, great carbonation, and a lightly dry and bitter finish. VERY NICE.

Cheers

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3.61/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

3.19/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

3.46/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

3.56/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Hazy orange with a small, light, white head. Faint smell of mango and pineapple. Taste is fruity with a light bitter spike and a piney aftertaste, fairly standard fare for an APA (although this is a blonde ale rather than a pale ale apparently - my taste buds are having a hard time telling the difference). Mouthfeel is light and crisp (is that the difference?)

As far as traditional British breweries attempting American craft beer goes, this is decent, albeit not remarkable. It certainly doesn't make me salivate and go back for more like a New Dogtown or SNPA, but its pretty good and I'd happily have another.

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3.58/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy, golden color. 1/3 inch head of a white color. Decent retention and slight lacing. Smells of pale malt, hint of sweet malt, slight hop, hint of yeast, and a hint of metallic. Fits the style of an American Blonde Ale. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of slight hop, pale malt, hint of pine, sweet malt, hint of biscuit, and a hint of metallic. Overall, weak appearance, unpleasant aroma, but good body and blend.

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3.45/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

4.33/5  rDev +21.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Unusual but not a style that I am fond of.

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3.23/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

3.4/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

3.39/5  rDev -5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

2.8/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

500ml bottle into a nonic.

Pours a hazy dark gold with a fluffy one finger white head. Very fine, soft carbonation bubbles that remind me almost of a nitro pour. Good lacing and retention.

Aroma is very yeasty with that classic British toffee and hay. Some touches of lemon. Nothing particularly outstanding, though.

The flavor has delicate bread and wet hay with notes of toffee. A little bit of tartness that seems out of place. A touch of lemon and apple. Very light bitterness but not enough to clean everything up. Finishes a bit sweet.

Overall, an ok beer but I was expecting better. Not sure the age on this bottle but I imagine this beer is much better from the cask.

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3.6/5  rDev +0.8%

3.5/5  rDev -2%