Adnams Lighthouse (Bottle)

Brewed by Adnams
Style: Bitter
Southwold, England

Serve in English pint

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UPDATED: NOV 3, 2009 March 2008Champion pale Ale. 275ml bottle. From Shropshire - vintage 1988. Fairly lifeless. Quite a soft drink, with a moderate level of maltiness merged with some soft cardboard notes. This is a weak pale ale, usually called a Light Ale. They are not good even fresh; aging has perhaps added some character, but not much. Not a very pleasurable experience even if the beer is quite drinkable. [1.6]
Feb, 2009 Lighthouse. Slightly fuller bodied than most light ales. There’s not much going on here. Tastes like the washings through. Considering what it is it’s fairly drinkable. [2.3]
Nov, 2009 Lighthouse. I have returned to this after enjoying the cask version in the JDW festival the other day, and found it rather better tasting on this visit than when I had it in Feb. There’s a decent enough malt body with a fairly rich mouthfeel with notes of caramel and toffee. It’s a fairly dry beer with some nuttiness and a Russian tea finish. The hop finish is fairly vague compared to the cask, and there are off-flavours from the processing, in addition to a soft but unwelcome gassiness. All in all, it’s not a great beer, but it’s drinkable and pleasant in parts. [2.5]

The normal (fairly new) brown bottle Adnams use, 500ml and only 3.4%ABV, best before 6 Feb 2010, drank July 2009. Poured into an ’Old Speckled Hen’ vase shaped pint glass. Looked fine, a bright chestnut brown body with an off-white head that tried to hang around but failed. Lacing stayed at the top of the glass otherwise I just had a collar around the beer as it sank down the glass with each sip. Aroma was initially weak, some nuts and earthy esters, a little maltiness was also present as the beer warmed in the glass. I was pleasantly surprised by the extent of the flavours and their strenght considering the ABV. Malty at first, then a mellow hoppy aftertaste. Refreshing and mature, impressed. I don’t normally like weaker beers, but this is one I’d have again and again, ideal for a long session or if working early the next day.

50cl bottle. Amber colour with off white head but quickly dissipating and good lasting. Aroma is fruity, sweet, honey, Flavour is bready, light, fresh, sweet at the beginning with a final slightly bittery with a medium duration. Carbonation is soft. Texture is oily. Body is light to medium.

bottle, very nice dry hoppy aroma, just like usual from Southwold. deep gold, white foam, medium sweetness, medium bitterness, good smoothy taste, medium body, slick feel, average carbonation, bitter, long finish, good bitter beer, i like Adnams

A - Citrus (lemon) with lighter malt A - Dark orange with thin white head T - Light sweet with sour, finished with full bitter P - Medium and a touch fizzy O - Not as inviting as other bitters

Bottle from Vaaland, Bryne. Pours clear light golden with a big creamy white head. Aroma of earthy hops. Taste is light nutty malts with some citrussy and grassy hops towards the end. Quite good, considering the low abv, the body is weak, but refreshing. Fizzy carbonation.

UPDATED: MAR 6, 2011 The British are known for making beers low in alcohol that still have genuine flavor (not unlike our "lite" beers here). The Adnams Lighthouse is a beer I’d love to pit against any macro light lager in a taste test. While it may not be the most delicious or robust beer in the world, it does have a nice flavor and high drinkability.

I poured a 500ml bottle into a Victorina nonic pint glass.

Appearance: Pure amber color. Crystal-clear with plenty of noticeable carbonation. Nice eggshell-colored, frothy/creamy head with decent retention and lacing.

Smell: At first it smells a tad skunky, but upon closer examination it’s more of a cereal malt scent. This beer seems very similar to a generic American summer seasonal, but without any wheat or fruit (well, perhaps a touch of white grape).

Taste: A difficult palate to describe. This is a deliberately mild beer, so the flavor here must be reached for. I get a slightly sweet, slightly doughy, Cheerios-like flavor across the front and middle. The finish and aftertaste and the same - mostly clean, but a tad malty. This beer has an almost lager-like taste that’s a little tangy, but easily tolerable.

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly thick and soft for such a light beer. Despite the many bubbles in my glass, it feels quite tepid.

Drinkability: An extremely chuggable beer and if I were drinking this on a hot summer’s day that’s exactly how I would want it to drink it. Finishes mostly clean, but there is a touch of dryness in the aftertaste.

Overall, a fine English pub-style beer to session for hours on end while watching rugby or football. Not as robust as I’d prefer, but I appreciate the drinkability of this one.

NOTE: Watch the video version of this review at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSuyQP_yyIE

Bottled. An amber beer with a light tan head. The aroma has notes of fruits, toffee, and butterscotch. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, butterscotch, and caramel, leading to a dry finish. The body is light. Thanks yespr for sharing.

Bottle at Yespr’s - Thanks. Clear amber - white head. Caramel, nutty, light bitterness, grassy, hay notes, straw, light grainy, clean and nice - but a bit boring.

bottled. amber coloured. unclear. beige head. aroma of fruits, sweetness, light spice and caramel. flavour of fruits, caramel and sweetness. medium bodied. dry fruity end.

50 cL bottle. Pours cloudy dark orange with a small tan head. Aroma is flat malty and breadish. Flavour is the same. Flat and roasted. Breadish and slight bitter finish.