Adnams Explorer | Adnams plc, Sole Bay Brewery
Brewed by:
Adnams plc, Sole Bay Brewery
United Kingdom (England) | website
Style: American Blonde Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.00%
Availability: Summer
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by brewdlyhooked13 on 10-01-2004
Reviews: 36 | Ratings: 74
3.77/5 rDev +5.3%
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
★ 536 characters
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
★ 536 characters
3.56/5 rDev -0.6%
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.
★ 616 characters
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.
★ 616 characters
3.58/5 rDev 0%
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.
★ 471 characters
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.
★ 471 characters
2.8/5 rDev -21.8%
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.
★ 680 characters
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.
★ 680 characters
4.19/5 rDev +17%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A: Pours a hazy gold with a thick, pillowy white head.
S: Aromas of minerals, pine, leather, lemon, lime, bitter orange, fresh herbs, and biscuit present themselves on the nose.
T: Notes of tobacco, leather, grapefruit, lemon, lime, bitter orange, herbs, pine, cedar, biscuit, crackers, white pepper, and caramel fill the mouth. The finish is earthy, herbal, and a bit resinous with pine, orange, grapefruit, herb, tobacco, and biscuit flavors really standing out as the beer fades.
M: Medium-bodied, firm, and initially dry, though it does grow sappier on the fade. Carbonation is prickly at first, but quickly evens out.
O: An excellent bottled English ale. To me, beers like this serve as proof that the English really need to start bottling and exporting more of their ales. I think classifying this as an American blonde ale, however, is a bit of a mistake. The character of this ale is too English, and in terms of aroma, flavor, and texture, it still feels too much like an English pale ale to me. Still, this is a great ale from a great brewery.
★ 1,057 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A: Pours a hazy gold with a thick, pillowy white head.
S: Aromas of minerals, pine, leather, lemon, lime, bitter orange, fresh herbs, and biscuit present themselves on the nose.
T: Notes of tobacco, leather, grapefruit, lemon, lime, bitter orange, herbs, pine, cedar, biscuit, crackers, white pepper, and caramel fill the mouth. The finish is earthy, herbal, and a bit resinous with pine, orange, grapefruit, herb, tobacco, and biscuit flavors really standing out as the beer fades.
M: Medium-bodied, firm, and initially dry, though it does grow sappier on the fade. Carbonation is prickly at first, but quickly evens out.
O: An excellent bottled English ale. To me, beers like this serve as proof that the English really need to start bottling and exporting more of their ales. I think classifying this as an American blonde ale, however, is a bit of a mistake. The character of this ale is too English, and in terms of aroma, flavor, and texture, it still feels too much like an English pale ale to me. Still, this is a great ale from a great brewery.
★ 1,057 characters
3.71/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a Samuel Smith imperial pint glass. Pours a light golden amber with a thin head and ring around the glassthat left slight lacing. Aroma of biscuit malt and light minty spiciness, slightly sweet. Flavor follows with biscuit malt, grassy, lightly citrus hops with a light minty, floral component that persisted into a nice malty hops finish. Light to medium bodied. Apparently inspired by American beers, this does have a bit more spicy hopping, but still adheres closely to the malt centered British styles like an ESB. Nicely malty and balanced.
★ 557 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a Samuel Smith imperial pint glass. Pours a light golden amber with a thin head and ring around the glassthat left slight lacing. Aroma of biscuit malt and light minty spiciness, slightly sweet. Flavor follows with biscuit malt, grassy, lightly citrus hops with a light minty, floral component that persisted into a nice malty hops finish. Light to medium bodied. Apparently inspired by American beers, this does have a bit more spicy hopping, but still adheres closely to the malt centered British styles like an ESB. Nicely malty and balanced.
★ 557 characters
3.87/5 rDev +8.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: A light golden colored beer with a white head that has plenty of staying power and some good lacing.
S: Smells pretty balanced with grassy and slightly citrusy hops.
T: Tastes very balanced between sweet malts and citrusy hops. The hops have a fruitier flavor than the aroma suggests.
M: Light body expected from a blonde ale. Seems pretty fitting for the style - not too light but definitely not heavy.
O: Easy to drink and very balanced. Refreshing, and I would look for it again if it was more available. I don't know how long this has been on the shelf, so the hops may have faded. If this was fresh, I'm sure it would be a fantastic beer.
★ 650 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: A light golden colored beer with a white head that has plenty of staying power and some good lacing.
S: Smells pretty balanced with grassy and slightly citrusy hops.
T: Tastes very balanced between sweet malts and citrusy hops. The hops have a fruitier flavor than the aroma suggests.
M: Light body expected from a blonde ale. Seems pretty fitting for the style - not too light but definitely not heavy.
O: Easy to drink and very balanced. Refreshing, and I would look for it again if it was more available. I don't know how long this has been on the shelf, so the hops may have faded. If this was fresh, I'm sure it would be a fantastic beer.
★ 650 characters
3.9/5 rDev +8.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Explorer sits somewhere in the range of dark yellow and pale orange as far as color. It's got a hazy thickness in its body. The head is not quite a finger tall, and retention is good but not great, but the lacing left behind is fantastic; thick, patchy rings of yellow-tinted foam cling densely on the glass.
There's a distinctive mild mustiness to the malts on the nose, and it's earthy in a way. It finishes herbal and grassy with some citrus, though not as much as boasted.
The flavor is where this beer develops. It's distinctively British in a gentle, unoffensive metallic note and somewhat herbal quality. The surprise is the hefty dose of hops I wouldn't have expected from the aroma. This is a nice, hoppy blonde for sure.
This beer is consistently crisp in a light body with a moderate smoothness and a semi-dry finish as hops linger on the tongue.
★ 857 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Explorer sits somewhere in the range of dark yellow and pale orange as far as color. It's got a hazy thickness in its body. The head is not quite a finger tall, and retention is good but not great, but the lacing left behind is fantastic; thick, patchy rings of yellow-tinted foam cling densely on the glass.
There's a distinctive mild mustiness to the malts on the nose, and it's earthy in a way. It finishes herbal and grassy with some citrus, though not as much as boasted.
The flavor is where this beer develops. It's distinctively British in a gentle, unoffensive metallic note and somewhat herbal quality. The surprise is the hefty dose of hops I wouldn't have expected from the aroma. This is a nice, hoppy blonde for sure.
This beer is consistently crisp in a light body with a moderate smoothness and a semi-dry finish as hops linger on the tongue.
★ 857 characters
4.15/5 rDev +15.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pint bottle,
A: Pours gold with a medium white head, some nice spotty lace, looks like a light bitter.
S: Grass and some tropical fruit, a bready malt character.
T: Bready malt met with an excellent hop play. Balanced with some pineapple, grass and hay from the hops. Tart at times, a very nice hop attack.
M: Light-bodied, a real easy drinker, crisp and clean.
O: A real nice pint, it started off slow but ended well. Liked this one quite a bit.
★ 451 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pint bottle,
A: Pours gold with a medium white head, some nice spotty lace, looks like a light bitter.
S: Grass and some tropical fruit, a bready malt character.
T: Bready malt met with an excellent hop play. Balanced with some pineapple, grass and hay from the hops. Tart at times, a very nice hop attack.
M: Light-bodied, a real easy drinker, crisp and clean.
O: A real nice pint, it started off slow but ended well. Liked this one quite a bit.
★ 451 characters
3.61/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a dirty gold with a surprising sticky foam head. Had the last inch in the glass for a long time before finishing, and it still retained a bit of a ring.
Disappointing nose on this. Some honeyed grain. That's it.
For the style, this is better than the usual fare. Grain and bread up front. Then some clean bitterness. A bit of a honey, but the bitter shoves everything out of the way. Palate clears with malt and bitterness.
A little soft on the palate. Want a bit more carbonation to help clean off the bitter.
Overall, not bad. Clean bitter beer.
★ 557 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a dirty gold with a surprising sticky foam head. Had the last inch in the glass for a long time before finishing, and it still retained a bit of a ring.
Disappointing nose on this. Some honeyed grain. That's it.
For the style, this is better than the usual fare. Grain and bread up front. Then some clean bitterness. A bit of a honey, but the bitter shoves everything out of the way. Palate clears with malt and bitterness.
A little soft on the palate. Want a bit more carbonation to help clean off the bitter.
Overall, not bad. Clean bitter beer.
★ 557 characters
3.85/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
500ml bottle. Do they actually grow Chinook and Columbus hops on the American East coast? Huh.
This beer pours a clear medium golden straw colour, with one finger of loosely foamy dirty white head, which leaves a low-lying seawall of lace around the glass as it rashly subsides.
It smells of pale grainy, somewhat bready malt, some mild Rocky Mountain spa mineral notes, a bit of mild orchard fruitiness, and soft floral, leafy hops. The taste is semi-sweet pale malt, some biscuity, lightly toasted breadiness, a smidgeon of tangy citrus, and more tame leafy, and kind of peppery, hops.
The carbonation is pretty laid back, the body a decent medium weight, a tad watery, but generally smooth in deferential consolation. It finishes off-dry, the gravitas of the guest star hops coming more fully round on the lingering bready malt.
One of the better blonde ales I've come across, but it is an admittedly weak category to begin with. Anyhoo, the introduction of foreign flora into a native bio-environment has been accomplished with typical English understatement. Successful - yes, but you have to be patient, wait, suffer a wee bit, and then all is revealed, to somewhat of a less than tumultuous eclat.
★ 1,208 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
500ml bottle. Do they actually grow Chinook and Columbus hops on the American East coast? Huh.
This beer pours a clear medium golden straw colour, with one finger of loosely foamy dirty white head, which leaves a low-lying seawall of lace around the glass as it rashly subsides.
It smells of pale grainy, somewhat bready malt, some mild Rocky Mountain spa mineral notes, a bit of mild orchard fruitiness, and soft floral, leafy hops. The taste is semi-sweet pale malt, some biscuity, lightly toasted breadiness, a smidgeon of tangy citrus, and more tame leafy, and kind of peppery, hops.
The carbonation is pretty laid back, the body a decent medium weight, a tad watery, but generally smooth in deferential consolation. It finishes off-dry, the gravitas of the guest star hops coming more fully round on the lingering bready malt.
One of the better blonde ales I've come across, but it is an admittedly weak category to begin with. Anyhoo, the introduction of foreign flora into a native bio-environment has been accomplished with typical English understatement. Successful - yes, but you have to be patient, wait, suffer a wee bit, and then all is revealed, to somewhat of a less than tumultuous eclat.
★ 1,208 characters
3.45/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
1pt, 0.9oz bottle (5% ABV) poured into a tulip stout glass. Date stamp was 2178:13:44.
Appearance: Hazy golden yellow with a bit of orange to it. Thin white head across the top, occasional strands of lacing noted.
Smell: Quite a lot of American hop smell here, which seems to be what they were going for. Mostly grapefruit, but a hint of lemon citrus.
Taste: Very hop forward and hop dominating. Unbalanced towards bitterness with just the barest amount of malt underneath it all. The malt comes across as biscuity, not balancing enough though. Hop flavors are mostly grapefruit, pine, and a hint of skunk at the end.
Mouthfeel: Good in that it cleans the palate, but not fizzy. Just a hair thicker than water underneath.
Overall / Drinkability: Let me tackle drinkability first. Not very drinkable. One is enough as it has too much in the way of hop bitterness and not enough in the way of hop flavor and malt backbone balance. Overall, I think this beer is not in the right category. It's not an American blonde, but rather, a UK take on an American India Pale Ale, but without enough malt. It's too hoppy to be an American Pale Ale, and it's not a Blonde either. Given the hop bitterness of this one with an emphasis on the US based hops, it's more like an unbalanced AIPA. So overall I don't think it works well. Not a bad beer, but not a great one either.
★ 1,370 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
1pt, 0.9oz bottle (5% ABV) poured into a tulip stout glass. Date stamp was 2178:13:44.
Appearance: Hazy golden yellow with a bit of orange to it. Thin white head across the top, occasional strands of lacing noted.
Smell: Quite a lot of American hop smell here, which seems to be what they were going for. Mostly grapefruit, but a hint of lemon citrus.
Taste: Very hop forward and hop dominating. Unbalanced towards bitterness with just the barest amount of malt underneath it all. The malt comes across as biscuity, not balancing enough though. Hop flavors are mostly grapefruit, pine, and a hint of skunk at the end.
Mouthfeel: Good in that it cleans the palate, but not fizzy. Just a hair thicker than water underneath.
Overall / Drinkability: Let me tackle drinkability first. Not very drinkable. One is enough as it has too much in the way of hop bitterness and not enough in the way of hop flavor and malt backbone balance. Overall, I think this beer is not in the right category. It's not an American blonde, but rather, a UK take on an American India Pale Ale, but without enough malt. It's too hoppy to be an American Pale Ale, and it's not a Blonde either. Given the hop bitterness of this one with an emphasis on the US based hops, it's more like an unbalanced AIPA. So overall I don't think it works well. Not a bad beer, but not a great one either.
★ 1,370 characters
3.83/5 rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pouered from a half-liter bottle into a standard pint glass.
Chill-hazed blonde in color, with a nice whipped egg-white head of foam.
Aroma-Subtle hop note
Taste-White grapefruit, mineral note, 'dusty' hops, dry finish. Good flavor for a sessionable brew. A fine match for a hunk of aged English white cheddar.
★ 310 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pouered from a half-liter bottle into a standard pint glass.
Chill-hazed blonde in color, with a nice whipped egg-white head of foam.
Aroma-Subtle hop note
Taste-White grapefruit, mineral note, 'dusty' hops, dry finish. Good flavor for a sessionable brew. A fine match for a hunk of aged English white cheddar.
★ 310 characters
3.69/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Another hand pump cask ale, while visiting friends in Andover, England.
Dark gold color, thin but tight foam with okay retention and lace.
Smell is more hoppy than alot of the ales we have tried, citrus and grapefruit aromas.
The taste jumps out with hoppiness up front, tangy citrus starts then solid backbone of malt finishes. Body is medium, good mouthfeel, dry and clean finish.
A nice, fresh summer brew that was enjoyed immensely.
★ 437 characters
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Another hand pump cask ale, while visiting friends in Andover, England.
Dark gold color, thin but tight foam with okay retention and lace.
Smell is more hoppy than alot of the ales we have tried, citrus and grapefruit aromas.
The taste jumps out with hoppiness up front, tangy citrus starts then solid backbone of malt finishes. Body is medium, good mouthfeel, dry and clean finish.
A nice, fresh summer brew that was enjoyed immensely.
★ 437 characters
3.55/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A 500ml bottle with a BB of May 2012, so it's a little out of date. ABV is stated as 5%. The label commands that it should be served chilled (though I let it warm a little) - I suspect that this has been created to appeal to lager drinkers. A blonde beer brewed with chinook and columbus.
Poured into a straight pint glass. A golden-amber hue with medium carbonation and slight sediment. Forms a smallish head of creamy white foam that lasts for a minute or two before reducing. Aroma of light malt with mild notes of grapefruit and aromatic hops, accompanied by fruity ale yeast. Slightly sweet.
Tastes of light malt with subtle aromatic hops and a dry finish. Notes of mild grapefruit, citrus, and ale yeast. Slightly sweet. A faint, dry bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with good body for the style. Mildly astringent. Aftertaste of yeast with hints of aromatic hops.
Nice - exceeded my initial expectations. Light and refreshing, with a subtle but distinct aromatic hop character. Would go down only too easily on a warm summer day. Worth sampling.
★ 1,082 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A 500ml bottle with a BB of May 2012, so it's a little out of date. ABV is stated as 5%. The label commands that it should be served chilled (though I let it warm a little) - I suspect that this has been created to appeal to lager drinkers. A blonde beer brewed with chinook and columbus.
Poured into a straight pint glass. A golden-amber hue with medium carbonation and slight sediment. Forms a smallish head of creamy white foam that lasts for a minute or two before reducing. Aroma of light malt with mild notes of grapefruit and aromatic hops, accompanied by fruity ale yeast. Slightly sweet.
Tastes of light malt with subtle aromatic hops and a dry finish. Notes of mild grapefruit, citrus, and ale yeast. Slightly sweet. A faint, dry bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with good body for the style. Mildly astringent. Aftertaste of yeast with hints of aromatic hops.
Nice - exceeded my initial expectations. Light and refreshing, with a subtle but distinct aromatic hop character. Would go down only too easily on a warm summer day. Worth sampling.
★ 1,082 characters
3.7/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Picked this up at the biggest beer store in the UK, Beers of Europe Ltd. Clear golden pour with two finger head that quickly fades to a creamy film with decent lacing. The nose is all earthy, fresh mowed grass at first, but as it warms you start getting some subtle sweet caramel malts and a bit of fresh hops with a touch of white pepper. The taste is grassy as well with a slight sourness on the finish. Subtle fresh hop notes along with a sweet maltiness emerge as it warms. The finish is crisp and slightly bitter with a nice refreshing quality to it. The light body makes it pretty drinkable. I liked it better as it warmed as opposed to when it was cold from the fridge, even though it's marketed with "chilled" on the label. A solid summery beer.
★ 753 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Picked this up at the biggest beer store in the UK, Beers of Europe Ltd. Clear golden pour with two finger head that quickly fades to a creamy film with decent lacing. The nose is all earthy, fresh mowed grass at first, but as it warms you start getting some subtle sweet caramel malts and a bit of fresh hops with a touch of white pepper. The taste is grassy as well with a slight sourness on the finish. Subtle fresh hop notes along with a sweet maltiness emerge as it warms. The finish is crisp and slightly bitter with a nice refreshing quality to it. The light body makes it pretty drinkable. I liked it better as it warmed as opposed to when it was cold from the fridge, even though it's marketed with "chilled" on the label. A solid summery beer.
★ 753 characters
3.73/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The first of the 4 beers I got from the Adnams shop in Southwold following a tour of the Adnams brewery. Because of the voucher for a free bottle of beer that came with the tour this was free (being the most expensive of the 3) which always a nice bonus.
A great blonde beer, golden in colour, and when served chilled extremely refreshing and quite easy on the palate. A perfect beer for the summer.
★ 401 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The first of the 4 beers I got from the Adnams shop in Southwold following a tour of the Adnams brewery. Because of the voucher for a free bottle of beer that came with the tour this was free (being the most expensive of the 3) which always a nice bonus.
A great blonde beer, golden in colour, and when served chilled extremely refreshing and quite easy on the palate. A perfect beer for the summer.
★ 401 characters
3.21/5 rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I've obtained Adnams Explorer Chilled ABV 5.0, it looks the same as Adnams Explorer. Orange/amber beer with rapidly vanishing head, only ring remains on the surface. Weak smell of citrus and watery but balanced taste with pleasant citrus and hop palate. Crisp and invigorate beer.
★ 280 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I've obtained Adnams Explorer Chilled ABV 5.0, it looks the same as Adnams Explorer. Orange/amber beer with rapidly vanishing head, only ring remains on the surface. Weak smell of citrus and watery but balanced taste with pleasant citrus and hop palate. Crisp and invigorate beer.
★ 280 characters
3.13/5 rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
This beer pours a golden amber colour with nice carbonation that leaves a fast receding two finger head,it has aromas of pale malts and some feint fruity hops,it has an average mouthfeel which really is pretty light and the aroma definately comes thru on the taste which really is quite bland but drinkable just not a standout beer in my category.
★ 347 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
This beer pours a golden amber colour with nice carbonation that leaves a fast receding two finger head,it has aromas of pale malts and some feint fruity hops,it has an average mouthfeel which really is pretty light and the aroma definately comes thru on the taste which really is quite bland but drinkable just not a standout beer in my category.
★ 347 characters
3.1/5 rDev -13.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
The head quickly dissipates to just a rim ring above the straw coloured beer. The nose is chalky leading me to expect a yeasty taste. There are some banana esters but no hint of the grapefruit mentioned on the bottle.
After a disappointingly watery start a pleasant light but warm Belgian flavour kicks in with hints of a spice I can't place (nutmeg perhaps?). Yeast is not a big factor. Then the hops kick in and I am treated to the grapefruit flavour, not bold or sweet, understated but welcome all the same. Then we're back to the original flavour but with a hint of popcorn. I'm quite surprised by the subtlety of the nuances here.
Rather watery and flat to start, it took a bit of getting into and even then left the mouth rather dry, yet by the end of the bottle I was wishing I had another!
★ 799 characters
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
The head quickly dissipates to just a rim ring above the straw coloured beer. The nose is chalky leading me to expect a yeasty taste. There are some banana esters but no hint of the grapefruit mentioned on the bottle.
After a disappointingly watery start a pleasant light but warm Belgian flavour kicks in with hints of a spice I can't place (nutmeg perhaps?). Yeast is not a big factor. Then the hops kick in and I am treated to the grapefruit flavour, not bold or sweet, understated but welcome all the same. Then we're back to the original flavour but with a hint of popcorn. I'm quite surprised by the subtlety of the nuances here.
Rather watery and flat to start, it took a bit of getting into and even then left the mouth rather dry, yet by the end of the bottle I was wishing I had another!
★ 799 characters
4/5 rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Hazy gold color with a small white head that left fine traces of lacing. Good bitter tinge upfront with a smooth malty presense. Floral citrusy nose. The malty, slightly creamy texture lingers throughout the mouth. Hints of citrus and a clean balanced finish made this a pleasure to drink. I had a four hour layover in London and hopped on the Underground to a pub in Earls Court for a quick pint. I feel I made a good choice considering the selection on hand.
★ 460 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Hazy gold color with a small white head that left fine traces of lacing. Good bitter tinge upfront with a smooth malty presense. Floral citrusy nose. The malty, slightly creamy texture lingers throughout the mouth. Hints of citrus and a clean balanced finish made this a pleasure to drink. I had a four hour layover in London and hopped on the Underground to a pub in Earls Court for a quick pint. I feel I made a good choice considering the selection on hand.
★ 460 characters
3.98/5 rDev +11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Had on cask at the Whitelock pub in Leeds England. Fairly typical ale appearance - slightly hazy gold with a rather thick and lasting head. Aroma was light and malty. Flavor was a wonderful mix of malt with hints of caramel balanced by a solid grapefruit-rind bitterness. The mouthfeel is where this beer shines - really full and smooth - borders on sensuous. The overall blend of flavors and exceptional mouthfeel made this a very drinkable beer - I had several as the night wore on. I wish we could get session-type beers with this much character in the US on a regular basis. This was a treat.
★ 596 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Had on cask at the Whitelock pub in Leeds England. Fairly typical ale appearance - slightly hazy gold with a rather thick and lasting head. Aroma was light and malty. Flavor was a wonderful mix of malt with hints of caramel balanced by a solid grapefruit-rind bitterness. The mouthfeel is where this beer shines - really full and smooth - borders on sensuous. The overall blend of flavors and exceptional mouthfeel made this a very drinkable beer - I had several as the night wore on. I wish we could get session-type beers with this much character in the US on a regular basis. This was a treat.
★ 596 characters
3.8/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Received a full pint at the Blue Anchor in Hammersmith. Body was a hazy butterscotch yellow. sudsy foam on top (no room for a head).
Smell was fresh and very lightly fruity.
Taste was malts and grapefruit. Not grapefruit like a West Coast IPA but a mild grapefruit flavor. Mildly bitter and highly drinkable.
Mouthfeel was smooth and rather creamy. This is only the second cask real ale I've had. I like, but maybe dagerously drinkable.
★ 448 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Received a full pint at the Blue Anchor in Hammersmith. Body was a hazy butterscotch yellow. sudsy foam on top (no room for a head).
Smell was fresh and very lightly fruity.
Taste was malts and grapefruit. Not grapefruit like a West Coast IPA but a mild grapefruit flavor. Mildly bitter and highly drinkable.
Mouthfeel was smooth and rather creamy. This is only the second cask real ale I've had. I like, but maybe dagerously drinkable.
★ 448 characters
3.77/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I am not sure if I would class this as an English Bitter, this is a very light beer, pale ale possibly.
The beer poured an amber colour into a pint glass, initially creating a white head but this quickly disappeared to leave some suds.
The nose was mainly dominated by hops, with a secondary fragrance of grapefruit. This theme of hops continued to dominated the taste, this time it was followed by a sharper, more citrus aftertaste. The feel of the beer was light-medium, not my favourite, but given the style of this beer it was about right.
Overall I found this a very drinkable, excellent summer beer. However this is not much better than others of similar style, but I have tasted a lot worse.
★ 707 characters
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I am not sure if I would class this as an English Bitter, this is a very light beer, pale ale possibly.
The beer poured an amber colour into a pint glass, initially creating a white head but this quickly disappeared to leave some suds.
The nose was mainly dominated by hops, with a secondary fragrance of grapefruit. This theme of hops continued to dominated the taste, this time it was followed by a sharper, more citrus aftertaste. The feel of the beer was light-medium, not my favourite, but given the style of this beer it was about right.
Overall I found this a very drinkable, excellent summer beer. However this is not much better than others of similar style, but I have tasted a lot worse.
★ 707 characters
Adnams Explorer from Adnams plc, Sole Bay Brewery
3.58
out of 5
based on 74 ratings.
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
★ 920 characters