Old Ale Project – Greene King’s Olde Suffolk English Ale (#6)

16.9oz bottle decanted into a snifter.  6.0% ABV.  Served at 55F and allowed to elevate to room temperature. 

Appearance:  Stained maple, brilliantly clear, rapidly fading head (4.5/5).

Aroma:  Smells like an ancient, musty, dark old bar.  There is an incredible lingering sweetness and fresh tobacco scent.  This aroma definitely puts the “old” in Old Ale (4/5).

Taste:  This beer features an incredible complexity considering its relatively low ABV.  There’s an intresting staleness, followed by brown sugar, tobacco, caramel, dark cherries, and oak (4.25/5).

Mouthfeel:  Full body with low carbonation (4/5)

Overall:  It’s interesting to go directly from The Bruery’s Coton to Olde Suffollk.  Both beers are great examples of the style, but on completely opposite ends of the spectrum for alcohol by volume.  Both have been aged to perfection.  Both have a minimal contribution from hops.  Both have rich dark cherry and brown sugar flavors, but one clocks in at 14.5%  and the other is 6.0%.  It’s enlightening to see that these Old Ale flavors can develop, regardless of the alcohol.  I guess you could call Olde Suffolk a “sessionalbe” Old Ale (4.25/5).

-Matt