BREWER: Greene King, Suffolk, England

STYLE: Ale ?

ABV: 5%

VESSEL: 500ml clear bottle

TWITTER: @greeneking

INSTAGRAM: greeneking_official 

DATE OF POST: 18th April 2021

 

JYMI SAY’S…

I honestly thought that I would be able to write this review without even drinking this beer… I was fairly convinced I was going to write something along the lines of this mass produced ale is perfectly drinkable but not particularly nice.

However I was wrong.

It’s not particularly drinkable and definitely isn’t very nice. It’s a brew that isn’t very good from the first sip and progressively gets worse as you chew your way through. I did manage to finish it but really wished I hadn’t once I had. One particular low point was the beyond acrid aftertaste.

The packaging is a disaster too… as you can see from the picture at the top of this page. I mean, a picture of wax seal really is taking the piss isn’t it?

It is frankly amazing how this sells so well in the UK.

I’m out.

Jymi’s Rating: 28%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Abbot Ale from the outset is a let down.  Let’s not mince our words.  It has shocking packaging: fake wax seal and a clear bottle.  It seems to be aiming for the old world meets new look but it is missing the mark by a long way.  In fact, it’s not even registering anywhere on the scoreboard.  This is all topped by the terribly out of place purple rim around the top of the bottle.

I can hear many of you crying that a beer should not be judged by looks alone.  And that be true.  However, with Abbot Ale, it all ties in together.  You see, not only is it terrible looking, when drunk it has an awful acrid aftertaste that lingers for a while.  As you move through the beverage this gets worse and instigates the gag reflex. Abbot Ale really yanks on the old saliva glands.

The one positive I can find is the very initial taste of the very first mouthful has the slightest hint of crispness about it.  That’s it through.  It ends there.  All downhill after the first hit.

If Greene King got the marketing around this a bit sharper, I feel that AA would be a much more appealing proposition and would fit into the market more astutely.  But it doesn’t.  There are many more beers out there, small batch and mass produced, that would put AA to the sword.

It’s nearly enough to turn you off drinking.

But not quite…

Sammy’s Rating: 35%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 31.5%

MOB review next weekend: KEITH ON BANJO by DOUBLE-BARRELLED

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze since 2017