Sunburst
Dark Star Brewing Company Limited

SunburstSunburst
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From:
Dark Star Brewing Company Limited
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
English Pale Ale
ABV:
4.8%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.72 | pDev: 8.87%
Reviews:
39
Ratings:
46
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 04, 2017
Added:
Sep 12, 2004
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  2
A hint of initial sweetness adds to the fruitiness and grapefruit tang of this summer ale without detracting from its clean flavour and rich hop aroma.
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Ratings by Sammy:
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.65/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A lot of nice grapefruit taste for a sessionable 4.8% abv. Golden yellow colour with quick dissipitating white foamy head. Almost no aroma. Cascade, styrian and Challenger hops. Should be a regular feature. Easy drinkability.Tad above average mouthfeel. LCBO fresh bottle.
May 29, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of Hoppsbabo
Reviewed by Hoppsbabo from England

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Gingery with an interesting fruity bubblegum twist. I'd have guessed Galaxy but it says Kentish hops on the bottle. Some slight dry woodiness in the background and a grassy aftertaste. Nice and complex.

Pretty good. I bet it really shines on cask.
Nov 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4.12 by jweis from Massachusetts

Oct 29, 2016
Photo of Malt_Man
Reviewed by Malt_Man from England

3.81/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Served cool from 500ml brown bottle into straight pint glass.

L) Bright golden colour, clear, thin bubbly film. A few big bubbles rising.

S) Strong odour of English bittering hops.

T) Noticeably bitter, straight away. Astringent taste, a bit of liquorice flavour, no balancing malt sweetness to speak of.

F) Nicely carbonated, bitterness is astringent though, drying the mouth, not one to drink for refreshment.

O) One for the fans of the true English bitter fans.
Sep 09, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by steverx8 from England

Apr 22, 2016
Photo of vinicole
Reviewed by vinicole from England

3.53/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Golden yellow. Thin but long lasting frothy head.
Aroma of English hops.
Light grain and grapefruit flavour. Bitter finish.
Quite smooth and refreshing.
Oct 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by JSOBB from England

Mar 06, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by cfalovo97 from Canada (ON)

Nov 22, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by Molson2000 from Canada (ON)

Sep 21, 2012
Photo of jonb5
Reviewed by jonb5 from England

4.02/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Pint at the Rake, pale amber colour, slight haze, no head or lacing. Citrus aroma, notes of cork, very fragrant. Tasted citrus, mango and notes of cork. Finish bitter and wheaty. Mouthfull silky smooth, body slightly thick, minimal carbonation. Nice summer beer, slightly strong too session.
Sep 06, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by MatJones from England

Mar 08, 2012
Photo of TerryW
Reviewed by TerryW from Canada (ON)

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Slightly hazy, apricot orange pour. Short head quickly settles to a film, but does give some spotty lace.

Nice orange nose, over some gentle malt - smells appetizing. Great flavour of grain in this beer. Just enough citrus orange peel. Medium bodied, with a comfortably bitter, slightly drying finish.

A decent beer and worth a try.
Feb 19, 2012
Photo of jazzyjeff13
Reviewed by jazzyjeff13 from England

3.62/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A 500ml bottle with an unreadable BB date. Acquired some time ago from my local beer specialist. I've heard good things about this brewery, and have been meaning to review this for a while.

Poured into a Sam Smith's pint glass. A hazy golden hue with medium carbonation. Appears to be bottle-conditioned. Forms a small white head that doesn't last long. Aroma of tangy citrus hops with undertones of light malt and yeast.

Tastes of light, grainy malt with an aromatic hop character and a dry finish. Notes of floral citrus and earthy yeast. Mild bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry. Slightly astringent. Aftertaste of aromatic hops and yeast.

Nice - plenty of aromatic hops; light and highly drinkable. This would be refreshing on a hot day. Worth sampling.
Feb 03, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by kelvarnsen from Canada (ON)

Dec 21, 2011
Photo of andrenaline
Reviewed by andrenaline from Canada (ON)

3.42/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A - Pours a slightly hazy golden colour, finger of head with little retention and no real lacing.

S - Grassy and wheat notes, touch of citrus and vanilla.

T - The grassy hops come through alongside the lemon citrus notes, slightly bitter but a bit sweet on the finish. Some earthy wooden notes linger on the tongue.

M - Medium bodied, but finishes a tad thin and overly dry.

O - A tasty english pale ale, but nothing spectacular in my mind. Certainly easy drinking, but it won't scar your memory with pleasant memories.
Sep 04, 2011
Photo of spinrsx
Reviewed by spinrsx from Canada (ON)

3.4/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
500ml Bottle

Appearance - Clear yellow colour with an average size fizzy white coloured head. There is a low amount of carbonation showing and there is some fairly good lacing. The head lasted for around 4 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Hops, lemon/tangerine juice and zest, honey, grains

Taste & Mouth - There is a low amount of carbonation and I can taste light hops, lemon/tangerine juice and zest. There is also a honey sweetness and some wheat. It finishes with a tart citrus aftertaste.

Overall - A nice tasting beer that goes well with the warmer summer weather. The taste is interesting and although I enjoyed it, I don't think I could drink more than a couple before getting tired of it. Still worth a try.
Aug 23, 2011
Photo of fostachild
Reviewed by fostachild from Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
BBE: MAR12

pours a medium-light golden yellow color. foamy head. little bit of lacing that lasts throughout.
smell is malty, hoppy, orange peel, tangy.
taste has oranges, wheat/malt, bit of hops. good carbonation, easy going, overall pretty enjoyable beer.
Jul 16, 2011
Photo of Phyl21ca
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

3.87/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bottle: Poured a bright golden color ale with a large foamy head with OK retention and some light lacing. Aroma of fresh citrusy hops is very enticing with light floral and semi-sweet malt. Taste is also an interesting mix between some citrusy notes with a very light bitterness and loads of floral undertones; semi-sweet malt base is well incorporated in the mix. Body is average with good carbonation. Well brewed and interesting beer in a style that doesn’t necessarily produces it lots of complex beer.
Jul 11, 2011
Photo of bryehn
Reviewed by bryehn from Canada (ON)

4.12/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a slightly hazy, light golden colour with a nice frothy head that settles as a collared film and leaves a fair amount of lace.

Smells like fresh wheat, honey and ripened fruit with a toffee sweetness, biscuit-y malt backing and a hint of chocolate. Opens up as it warms and is very fresh.

Tastes like honey-sweetened ripe fruit, oatmeal and has a nice bitterness on the tongue. Mild, but satisfying.

Light-bodied, watery upfront with a low carbonation. an easy-going creaminess comes from the thin ring that is present until the bottom of your pint glass.

What a lovely, highly drinkable English ale. Pretty much everything I could ask for in a session beer. Great for a Sunday afternoon with some roasted peanuts or kettle chips.
Jul 03, 2011
Photo of cyrenaica
Reviewed by cyrenaica from Canada (ON)

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
500ml bottle
4.8% ABV
I tried this beer ion June 11, 2011 after purchasing from one of my local LCBO outlets. The beer poured a translucent medium gold colour with a this white head. The aroma was floral hops, grainy malt, and light fruit. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. The flavour is grainy malt and orange peel bitterness finishes it off.
Jun 29, 2011
Sunburst from Dark Star Brewing Company Limited
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 46 ratings