Wells Banana Bread Beer (Bottle)

Brewed by Wells & Youngs
Style: English Strong Ale
Bedford, England

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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Great beer has a slight banana taste but not overwhelming. Very easy to drink. Not sweet as you would think.

Month of March head cold led to laying off tasting any beer until sense & smell returned. I had days to think about which beer I wanted to taste first, and the Charles Wells Banana Bread beer was calling my name. Ratings and reviews can have the ability of influencing a first impression: low ratings & poor reviews build low expectations, which is why this intruiging beer was somewhat of a pleasant surprize. Multiple reviewers have been likening the aroma to banana laffy taffy dropped into a beer, but that sells this product short I feel. I'd like to note that bananas have never been a fruit that I have enjoyed by itself, though I have always enjoyed banana flavored foods (pudding,bread, candy,sugary bubble gum from childhood days). The folks at Charles Wells claim to use "freetrade bananas" in their recipe, and fresh bananas are what I smell along with the typical malty attributes when taking in the aroma. I find the banana aroma is evenly balanced with the maltiness of this British import: those claiming the banana aroma/flavor is underdone would likely to be the first to complain if it were stepped up a notch. Looks like a garden variety British Ale, and it pours like a typical creamy British Ale as well. Carbonation seemed pretty slight to me, and it delivered a malty caramel banana flavor across my palate along with Bavarian soft pretzel dough and just a hint of alcohol detected. I was not blown away by the melding of flavors but it was not unpleasant either.At no point did it taste like an artifically sweetened banana flavor by my account, and I think they did a good job with that aspect of the brew. I can't imagine too many folks reaching for a second Banana Bread Beer after finishing the first one, but I would like to raise an interesting point at this stage in the review: one other reviewer made the observation that they enjoyed this beer as an in between when switching beer flavors from one to another. The concept is an interesting one because the finest multi course meals I have eaten in my life utilized sorbet to cleanse the palate between courses. I mention the sorbet/palate cleanser concept because I followed the Banana Bread Beer with a Ballast Point Sculpin IPA (my third bottle of the six pack), and found myself completely blown away with the flavor of the sculpin IPA, whereas the first two samples of that same six pack struck me as merely average. Could it be that the Banana Bread Beer sets the palate up for a new beer flavor? Based on my experience, I say it does.Worth a try just for the uniqueness alone. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Excellent flavour, color and body. One of my favorites. I highly recommend it, it’s amazing.

You bastards! How dare you make my all but perfect beer. Who do you think you are over there at Wells & Youngs? Are you the bastard child of a franziskaner monk and a Ninkasi herself? Pours a B-E-A-utiful sparkling red/amber with just enough head and aroma of pilzner and perfectly ripe bananas. Then it drinks exactly like it smells. NO small task in beer making. OUT FN STANDING!

This beer truly smells like a freshly baked loaf of banana bread. The taste is a perfect balance of bitterness and sweet. The banana flavour is more subtle than the smell, which is a good thing as the beer does not seem over-flavoured like some other fruit infused beers. I consider this beer an innovative masterpiece.

A nutty malt aroma with not so subtle overtones of ripe banana. Gold in color with a thick rich head. The taste and palate is smooth and sweet at the start with a crisp clean finish.

caramel, bread, toast, herbs, dough, banana, vanilla, amber, minimal head, medium sweetness, medium body, creamy, long finish,

Pours a thin dark golden amber with a thin head the dissapeared quicly. Tasted started off very ale like than the banana flavors finished it off. medium body, slick feel, long finish, interesting beer

Pours a transparent golden orange with a small white head. Aroma of banana much like banana runts...malt and spices. Flavor is banana, sweet malts, bread and spices. No false advertising here, this is a interesting brew......glad to have tried it but I wouldnt seek it out on a regular basis.

Taste more like Banana Bread than any other beer I’ve ever tasted. If you find a beer that tastes more like Banana Nut Bread you should drink it instead.