Beer
Review:
Fuller's London Pride
London, England
By: George
Zhen
September 28, 2005
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(London,
England) - At long last, we've landed in London and
are getting our first taste of English brew. Chronicled
in song and tale, the brew from this region is engrained
into the fabric of the culture, and naturally we're
excited to experience this wonder for ourselves.
The problem, if one can
call it that, is that there are so many brews to choose
from, and a limited amount of time on our end. For this
reason, we've packed The Hopper full of a pub's worth
of offerings so we can dabble into them as we travel
to regions of the world where local beers can not be
procured. Think of the African legs of our journey!
We'll be reliving colonializm there for sure. So, please
excuse us if a favorite representative isn't chronicled
here - we'll get to plenty of English beers as the months
progress.
Seeing that we were in London,
Fuller's
London Pride seemed to be the logical choice for
this stop. A bit pricey, but most of the beers we have
reviewed are premium in this department, so for us there
is no sticker shock. It comes in a 6-pack of 12 ounce
bottles here stateside which will run you about $11.
Tell that to your Bud-swigging friends and watch the
expression on their face. In this case, the tasting
experience is worth the investment.
London Pride is a pale ale
which pours as a rich, golden brown liquid with a striking,
confident head. The foam is left behind to tickle the
sides of the glass as you drink - nearly perfect in
that respect. The aroma is a fairly complex mix of caramel
and English hops which beckon the drinker forth. All
good marks here, about as good as it can get while still
in the glass.
The taste is a wonderful
balance with up front malts leading the way to a uplifting
hop finish, but nothing too obnoxious to the senses.
The caramel flavor does nothing to inhibit the bitterness
of this bold brew. A very nice mix that is as satisifying
as it gets.
Effect? Well, here is where
it falls a little short, but just a little. At 4.7%
ABV, London Pride is pretty weak when compaired with
it's high-priced shelf mates. Although the taste is
spot-on, the effect can't warrent an investment of this
magnitude if supplying for a party, for instance.
So, that's our first taste
of London, and a pretty fair one at that. Can't wait
to try some more!
Beer
Tasting Scorecard
Fuller's
London Pride |
Attribute |
Score
(0-5) |
Head |
5 |
Color |
4 |
Taste |
4 |
Flavor |
4 |
Effect |
2 |
Overall Score |
3.8 |
For more information
on Fuller's London Pride, visit their website
at www.fullers.co.uk
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