Beer Man: London Pride lets pleasant malt flavor shine

By
Todd Haefer, The (Appleton, Wis.) Post-Crescent
August 11, 2012, 11:44 AM ET
3 min read

— -- Beer Man is a weekly profile of beers from across the country and around the world.This week: Fuller's London Pride Fuller, Smith & Turner; Chiswick, London fullers.co.uk.

I've seen a depressing downsizing of English ale offerings in stores the past couple of years, no doubt because of their increasing cost and the popularity of less expensive, hoppier American pale ales.

I still have a preference for English ales. I've never understood the appeal of pine and grapefruit flavors, extreme bitterness and harshness in a beer at the expense of a pleasant malt flavor.

London Pride is a textbook example of an English ale, though technically I'm not sure where it falls when breaking down categories. The late, great beer writer Michael Jackson, a United Kingdom native, classified it as a bitter; others place it in the English pale ale category.

The main difference between London Pride and a typical American pale ale is the hops. Where an American ale will many times have that piney, grapefruit hop aroma and flavor, pronounced bitterness and, more often than not, a lingering harshness at the end, Fuller's hops are more floral, provide less bitterness and the harshness is absent. This allows the nutty malt flavor to come to the forefront.

London Pride poured with a nice half-inch white head and a bright golden-copper body. Bready pale malt, floral hops and a slight fruitiness quickly come through in the aroma. The flavor is light malt with a touch of caramel and nuttiness, a hint of sweetness and a bit of prickly bitterness. The latter is not as intense as in typical American ales, but is still noticeable.

The London Pride body is smooth and light, but with a solid mouthfeel and a finish that is clean and somewhat dry, with a last-minute boost of the floral hops.

For those who want a maltier, stronger version (5.9% ABV vs. 4.7%), there is Fuller's ESB, which stands for Extra Special Bitter.

Fuller's ales are imported and distributed in the United States by Paulaner HP USA and are readily available for stores to order; but whether they actually do is another matter.

Many beers are available only regionally. Check the brewer's website, which often contains information on product availability. Contact Todd Haefer at: beerman@postcrescent.com. To read previous Beer Man columns Click here.