Adnams Explorer (Bottle)

Bottle. Poured a bright amber colour slight hazy that might be in was in the fridge for three weeks. Had a little head and no real carbonation; very hoppy aroma with rich flavours.

Bottle, pours a clear and bright amber (darker that I remember the cask version) with a good sized foamy head. A surpringly malty aroma, sweet and juicy with only just a touch of citrus. A strongly hopped palate with an earthy bitterness dominating the citrus flavours. The finish is much more malty with some nutty characteristics. Hard to believe this is the same Adnams Exploerer I have had from the cask, the bottle version much more an ESB than a "blonde beer". I definitely prefer the "live" version.

This smells and tastes like a bad lager,it has that flavour which i can only explain as feet....i was really disappointed with this beer because Adnams is such a great brewery

Bottled, pasteurised, 500ml. Orange gold with white head. Adnams are one of my favourite breweries and this was given to me at a meet the Brewer night, so I wanted to be generous, but it has nowhere near the character of the cask beer, it is sharp and a little tinny and for its ABV, somewhat thin. There is a reasonable hoppiness on the finish, but I did expect so much more.

A bit of a disappointment this one given the other couple of Adnams I have had were quite decent. Look okay with a orange amber body and fluffy beige head. Mixed aroma with some banana paddlepop, sugary toffee and some general staleness that seems commonplace in pasteurised bitters. A bitter and sweet flavour that just doesn’t seem right, appearing to compete rather than work together. On tasting some nuttiness appears but is baseless. Rather heavy feeling, with the sweetness cloying and although there a healthy carbonation it doesn’t help to break it up. As a "light and refreshing" beer it just doesn’t work as far as I’m concerned.

Hoppy, citric and quite interesting. fuller body than expected for a ’light’ beer, indistinct malt appears as an aftertaste. Hop flavours good, quite sharp - would go well with spicy food though.

I guess all explorers are a bit eccentric - it’s pretty much a job requirement. I mean, who in their right mind kisses the missus goodbye, says "See you in two or three years - if I survive" and puts to sea in a leaky boat with no reliable map or clear idea where they are heading? This Explorer certainly fits the bill. It’s a "blonde" brewed with American hops and emerging with much of the character of a standard English ESB. The experiment can be applauded, but it’s not entirely successful. For a blonde, this one has been under the sunlamp, in the process acquiring a rich bronze tan. The head retention is above average for the British bottled ales of my experience. There’s a whiff of fresh peaches in the aroma, plus tropical fruit cordial and the usual pasteurised burnt sugars. It’s a little bit smoky, but overall muddy and ill-defined. They certainly haven’t been heavy-handed with the Chinook. There are lots of fruity esters in there - watery passionfruit and quince - with some typical nutty malts - hazelnuts - before a fairly resinous finish. Quite a chewy palate. Some citric sourness in the finish. Bit too sweet, for mine, and I’m not sure that this particular marriage of English malts and US hops has my blessing. That said, it’s slightly above average for a bottled British bitter, IMO. (500ml bottle from Camperdown Cellars, Parramatta Rd. BB 17/4/07)

Mlat hop aroma. Clear yellow colour with poor head and lacing. Stale malt flavour. Flat palate.