Greene King Strong Suffolk (Olde Suffolk)

Brewed by Greene King
Style: Old Ale
Bury St. Edmunds, England

Bottle. Dark reddish brown with a slim tan head. Aroma of fruit, berries and caramel. Flavours are a nice and complex mix of sweet, fruity, oaky, nutty, caramel, and a light bitter finish. Full bodied, smooth and moderately carbonated. Excellent.

Nice oaky aroma, slightly bitter but not so much. Kind of a coffee and nut flavor, very tasty. This is a beer I enjoy thoroughly. Should really only be consumed warm, though. Would like to try it on tap someday.

Bottle. Very dark ruby color. Smallish brown head.
Spicy, fruity aroma with burnt sugar and toffee.
Malty fruity flavor. Sweet & sour. Slightly oaky.
Fairly smooth. It didn’t strike me as being particularly complex though. I had definitely expected something more. It might have been served a bit too cold though. Perhaps I’ll have to give it another shot and let it warm some before tasting.

1. Bottle 13/01/2005 Dark coloured strong in alcohol and fruity. Some spice aroma and bitterness. Slightly nutty finish. 2. Bottle 28/03/2005 Dark coloued strong in alcohol fruity and slightly spicy. Some bitterness in a lasting malt finish.

Strong Suffolk Vintage Ale isn’t really one beer, it is a blend of two different beers. The brewery starts with brewing a beer called Old 5X which is a strong ale weighing in at a mighty 12% abv. They then take the Old 5X, and let it mature for 2-5 years in 100 barrel oak vats at the brewery. This oak aged Old 5X is then blended with a dark, fresh, full bodied beer called BPA just before bottling. The result of the blend of Old 5X and BPA is a dark, fruity, oaky, complex, and delicious beer coming in at 6% abv. That beer is Suffolk Strong Vintage Ale. One of the most amazing beer experiences of my life happened when I had the honor of sampling cask conditioned, pure, unblended Old 5X, at a beer tasting held at the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC. The tasting was conducted by none other than the Beerhunter himself, Michael Jackson. It was the first time Old 5X had ever left the brewery, the unblended 12% oak aged strong ale is not sold to the public, and there are no plans to ever sell it. This beer was amazingly complex, oaky, strong, and warming. I was in awe of this beer. It was one for the ages, but I take comfort in the fact that I can somewhat recapture that experience with a bottle of Strong Suffolk Vintage Ale. This is truly an amazing beer, and is as world class as a beer will ever get. Strong Suffolk Vintage Ale pours to a beautiful, bright, deep garnet color with a slight tan head, and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose is amazingly complex and inviting. Deep aromas of oak, sweet malt, toffee, dark malt, estery fruit, and yeast flood the nose. The palate is full with big pale, sweet, and caramel malt flavors. This marries with estery fruity flavors of plum and apple, along with strong notes of oak. Strong Suffolk finishes with more big malty and fruity flavors up front, and ends with a very pleasing, sour/oaky, slightly warming, yet refreshing edge. This is without question one of the most impressive beers that I have ever had the pleasure of drinking in all my years as a beer lover. I would not dare match this with food, this is a beer that is meant to be drank and appreciated by itself in my opinion.

Very dark brown beer with red wine tones and a medium beige head fast diminishing leaving a lacing. Aroma is soft with a little of dark berries, coffee and dried fruits. Flavor is wonderful and bitter, having hints of coffee, bitter chocolate, hazelnuts and almonds. Oily texture and moderate carbonation. A pleasure to drink. A beer with a very uncommon taste and character.

500 cc bottle shared with <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/View-User-31163.htm&g />