London's oldest brewery has so much to offer
May 09 '01
The Bottom Line London's oldest brewery offers an excellent range of independantly brewed, award winning ales in the USA. This review centers on two epinion omissions: ESB and London Pride.
I decided to add this review due to my experience of several Fuller’s ales over the past few days. I recently posted reviews on the IPA, 1845, and London Porter. The other night I was in an English bar and sampled both the London Pride and ESB, probably the best-known products of the company, neither of which are listed on epinions. Primarily focused on the latter two brews, I will also touch on the other Fuller’s products as well as a little information about the brewery.
The Brewery
The Fuller, Smith & Turner's Griffin Brewery, better known as Fuller’s claims to be England’s oldest brewery. There has been a brewery on the site for 350 years, with the current ownership in operation since 1845.
Although the brewery has been updated over the years, Fuller’s has stood by traditional brewing methods as well as a commitment to pure ingredients. Consequently Fuller’s has developed an excellent range of award-winning products. In the 20 years that CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) have held their Champion Beer of Britain competition, Fuller's have won the Beer of the Year award five times. Fuller's beers have been the best in their class nine times, while ESB has been voted “Best Strong Ale” seven times, unmatched by any other brew.
London Pride
This is the company’s flagship beer, therefore somewhat surprisingly not listed on this site. Chiswick Bitter (named after the brewery’s surrounding area) is the most common form of Fuller’s in England, available on draft and therefore not exported. London Pride is the company’s Pale Ale, and becoming widely available in the USA.
Historically, Bitter and Pale Ale are the same style, although Bitter is used to refer to draft ales, usually a working-man’s beer, whereas Pale Ale is seen as something of an upper class product, usually available in bottle. The two terms are often overlapped and used interchangeably.
At 4.7%, this is a little stronger than the cask version which carries a 4.1% ABV. The beer’s pour is only slightly foamy although it does maintain its head, and coming in an over-sized bottle (for an American glass that is), you can keep topping up and relivening your pint. The body is fairly light and clear, with a light reddish-brown color. There’s a little hoppiness in the aroma, but predominantly malty with a hint of nuttiness. The palate has a nice smooth texture, making for pleasant easy drinking. The flavor is rich, offering a well-rounded fruit maltiness, with a slight nuttiness. While the finish is slightly bitter, it’s not particularly strong or dry.
Overall London Pride offers a good complexity, the malt and subtle hops balancing together perfectly, and provides for easy and refreshing drinking. This is the perfect pub beer, ideally suited to a night with friends. I could recommend this beer pretty safely to any drinker.
Awards
“Supreme Best Bitter” at the CAMRA Great British Beer Festival in 1979 and 1995 and Overall “Beer of the Year” in 1979.
“Gold medal” at the 2001 International Beer and Cider competition.
Recommended: Yes
Rating: 4.5 Stars
ESB
ESB, Extra Special Bitter, is named according to an unofficial rating system employed by breweries to differentiate their Bitters. Most breweries carry a Best (Chiswick), the primary product, followed by a Special (London Pride) and an ESB. As a result Fuller’s ESB is slightly stronger than a pale ale at 5.9%.
ESB is a little darker, verging closer to brown, than the London Pride, but in similar style also lacks a little life and foam in the pour. The aroma shows a sweet honey-like malt, but is noticeably hoppy, somewhat flowery. The palate is medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel. The first note in the flavor is a rich fruity-malt mixed with nuttiness, and again bears many similarities to the London Pride. ESB’s character however is emphasized by the hops and slight bitterness, which provide for a little tang in the finish as well as a pepper spiciness in the aftertaste.
This beer gives the drinker an excellent blend of hops and malt. Not only is it stronger than London Pride, it’s also a little more authoritive. It does bear close similarities to a winter ale, which was the original designation of this beer until 1971.
Although the London Pride and ESB carry their differences through their respective styles, there is a certain familiarity between the two, noticeably in the malt. As the name and style suggest, ESB is stronger in hops as well as alcohol. Despite its strength, ESB is not too difficult to drink, and might also work as a session beer, but don’t expect to remember too much if you treat it as such.
Awards
No beer has won more CAMRA awards - Best Strong Ale in 1978, 79, 81, 83, 85, 87 and 91, and crowned Champion Beer of Britain in 1978, 81 and 85.
US Beverage Tasting Institute 'World Champion Bitter' in 1997 and 98.
Recommended: Yes
Rating: 5 Stars
Other Fuller’s Products
Chiswick Bitter: Popular English pub-beer which I have not tried for some time, named after the brewery’s home town. This beer is also an award winner having won CAMRA’s Beer of the Year in 1989. Lower in alcohol than other Fuller’s, Chiswick is intended for quantitive consumption and easy-drinkability.
IPA: Highly rated beer, although I found it somewhat disappointing. In the true IPA style, this beer carries a heavier hop content (although not as high as USA versions), balanced by a heavier malt.
http://andaryl.epinions.com/content_20971294340
Porter:Another excellent beer from Fuller’s, caramel, sweet coffee-cream mocha-like flavor, and very easy drinking. Not as dry in the finish as you would expect.
http://andaryl.epinions.com/content_21697957508
1845: A bottle conditioned ale, other Fuller’s in the USA are filtered, commissioned in 1995 to commemorate 150 years of the current ownership. An excellent brew; foamy, well carbonated, and perfectly complex. Brief hint of maltiness but characterized by dry, bitter finish.
http://andaryl.epinions.com/content_21694877316
The Last Word
Fuller’s clearly are an excellent brewery, independent and family-owned and committed to quality beers. Although I was not convinced by their IPA, this beer has enough supporters (including Michael Jackson) to convince me otherwise. The other brews I have reviewed however were outstanding, the ESB and 1845 sensational, with the Porter and London Pride not too far behind.. If you’re a fan of real ales, pick up a Fuller’s next time you see one at the grocery store. You can be assured of a quality product (they have consumption dates on the back too). This is a brewery that understandably is quickly becoming more recognizable in the USA.
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Member: Andrew Smith
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