Adnams SSB

Review Date 8/7/2004 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Extra Special Bitter   Brewery: Adnams   Country: England   State: N/A   $ Per OZ: N/A   ABV: 4.5%

Recently, I was reading Roger Protz excellent dissertation on ale, The Ale Trail. That wonderful book inspired me with a thirst for some genuine English ale. Perusing the local liquor store shelves, I came upon a few bottles of assorted beers from the Adnams brewery of Southwold, England. I brought a few home, one of which was the most excellent Adnams SSB.

The label didn’t tell me much about the beer: Adnams Suffolk Special Bitter is a refreshing brew of real flavour-distinctively hoppy and dry - delicious served cool. Their website calls the brew Suffolk Strong Bitter, though I’m not sure why. At 4.5% alcohol by volume this is an average strength brew at best.

As I said, the label did not really give a lot to go on, but I had tasted Adnams Broadside Ale in the past and enjoyed it, so I figured this one would likely be very good, too. Of course, the packaging certainly seems to have changed since those days. Adnams beers now come in 500ml brown glass bottles (just over a pint) shaped sort of like a bowling pin with ADNAMS stamped into the glass at the bottom. They really are very lovely.

I poured my bottle into an imperial pint glass to allow plenty of room for foam and beer alike. As I did, rich aromas of malt and hops wafted through the air to the delight of my olfactory senses, which pounced upon the scents for all they were worth. Adnams is right: you need to drink the stuff cool, not cold. It’s a myth that the English drink their beer warm. They drink it as a rule (at least in the pub) at cellar temperature, somewhere in the fifties preferably. This is not warm. This is cool. And it allows the full flavor of the beer to emerge. I allowed my bottle to warm slightly before the pour.

Adnams Suffolk Special Bitter pours to a deep ruby orange color with a thick and creamy head formation and a rich malt and hop nose. The palate is very robust with a slightly caramelly, nutty malt body, a touch of fruit, and a hint of butter. A dry herbal hop character permeates the beer.

In the finish, a very impressive minty-grassy hop flavor emerges and leaves a lingering bitter buzz on the tongue. This one is much hoppier than most English beers I’ve tried here in the states. I’m not sure how fresh it is, although the label says it is best by December 28, 2004. One wonders if the beer will magically transform into vinegar on the 29th.

With all of this malt and hop business going on, I’d say it’s a safe bet that SSB is an ESB. But don’t take my word for it. Pick up a few bottles and see for yourself.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??