Burton Bridge Empire Pale Ale

Bottle Conditioned. Has appeared in cask as a special.

Previously known as Empire Ale.

Light in color, strong and heavily hopped.

Colour: Pale

Nose: Strong hoppy aroma

Taste: Very bitter beer

Hops: Challenger with Styrian used as a late copper hop

Malt: Pale & Invert sugar No.2

3.5

366 reviews

Burton-on-Trent, England

Community reviews

3.6 Pours a cloudy dark orange with a big lasting foamy white head. Very mild aroma of hops, yeast and sweet malt. Flavour starts malty and ends quite bitter with a strong alcohol presence.

4.1 Bottle from Beers of Europe. Pours hazy amber, was a bit lively, had a big 3 finger white head. Aroma of light malts and very dry hops. Taste is of initial caramel, biscuit, then citrus, lemon, orange, wee touch of grapefruit, touch of pine in there too. Very good!

3.2 Bottled. Pale amber colour, small white head, which leaves some lace. Aroma is berries, caramel, some floral and resiny notes. Flavour is crisp toffeeish and biscuity notes along with some berries. Some slight alcohol sweetness to it as well.

3.7 Bottle from SarkyNorthener cheers Martin; clear golden amber pour with a big frothy off white head, pleasant assertive hop aroma, taste has citrus, biscuit, sweet caramel, a hint of pine, ABV makes itself known, bitter finish, overall an impressive English pale.

4.1 Appearance is slightly hazy, light amber, plenty of bubbles, a big rocky clingy white head which settles down. Aroma- smells almost lambic- tart fruit, very citrussy, pine undertones, grapefruit and orange, slightly musty. Taste- big, big hop bitterness, but also sour, fruity- bitter orange and tangerine, like concentrated fruit juice. A hint of biscuity malt in the middle of the mouth, a lasting, bitter, fruity finish. Great.

3.9 Bottle from national brewery centre, burton. Drank in caravan at a Hafan y mor, Wales. Slightly hazy amber beer, lively on opening with large foam head. Aroma is a little yeasty with dry hops. Taste is yeast, dry hops, citrus, some resin, caramel, slightly sweet malts and a dry finish. Palate has a little oil. Very nice, a proper IPA.

3.4 Very strong fruity aroma with strong alcoholic hit. Dark amber colour, cloudy with ok head. Strong fruity up front, nectarine flavour with caramel finish. Heavy body with low to medium carbonation.

3.8 The classical Burton ale, precursor of the IPA’s we know today and honouring its 19th-century roots. Creamy, yellowish white, thin but stable head, colour a brownish copper, misty. Appealing aroma of orange juice and orange peel, white pepper, apple, rose petals, rhum, mint, honey, white wine, grapefruit, candi sugar and melon. Taste kicks off with a ’spicy’ sweetness, herbal, very fruity and citrussy, lively and appetising, then becoming increasingly malty, caramelly, bit honeyish with a sourish note, ending in an assertive, peppery and rooty hop bitterness, which spreads out gently over tongue and throat, while the sweetness also lingers a bit without being cloying and some warming alcohol is added without becoming astringent. A memorable, delicious and very well-balanced, appetising ale.

3.3 Hazy medium amber with dots of sediment, a generous head that sticks around, foamy lace that slowly slides back into the drink. Taste is a steady sour malt with light hop bittering. Taste moves smoothly through the palate to a distinctly sour finish. Not at all what I expected, but does go well with food (Taco Bell tonight). Interesting.

3.6 500ml bottle. Golden amber colour, foam white head and aroma of malt, orangey, lemon rind, yeast, sourish. Taste is malt caramel with fruity orange marmalade notes and a sourish bitterness through to the finish. Smooth mouthfeel, medium bodied, well carbonated. Went well with a curry, very drinkable.

3.1 Bottle, Mass in Mills, Matlock Bath. Exceptionally lively foamy pour, with a hazy amber colour. Yeasty and acidic aroma, lots of apple and gooseberry in the flavour, almost stinging on the inside of the mouth. Has Belgian sour characteristics, which I doubt are right, becomes quite sweet and sticky, with some orange and kiwi flavours. Odd......

2.7 Appearance: billowy 3" off white head settles very slowly with much lacing. Cloudy golden appearance. Aroma: Floral and earthy hops, toasted grain Mouthfeel: medium and a bit sticky with a semi-dry finish Flavor: spicy hop presence with a sweet malt backbone. Somewhat astringent and a bit of a cough syrup flavor. Overall: good but not great. Glad I tried this but I doubt I would buy it again at $6 for one bottle.

3.1 500ml bottle from Beer Hawk - Massive foamy top over a very cloudy orange-yellow beer. The lemon-rind aroma can be sensed from at least a foot away. The first swallow is gristly and fruity, but with an odd sourness to it that I didn’t care for. A little over rated for mine.

3.7 Excellent ipa out of burton. Really fruity and flavorful. Pours golden yellow and has a nice head. Love it

1.4 Poors gold-orange with NIL foam head and almost no corbonation. This brew smells like a strong cider. Which is quite wrong for a beer because it is linked to apple like aromas = ethyl acetate so from a fermentation or lagering issues... Taste is poor, a bit malty, alcoholic with aftertaste bitterness. The beer is desperately flat and boring.

1.6 Bottle, must have been an old one, it poured hazy, some of the yeastys got in there, the aroma was of a sour beer funk, it was barnyard, there was some hops that came through but it was a bit off, harsh finish, overall it was okay, definitely will give it another chance in the future

4.8 500ml bottle.Aroma of orange peel and of course hops, hops and more. Some ginger too. Pours a hazy gold with tiny 1mm white head. Initial taste is very rich almondy hop with medium bitterness. Aftertaste lingering and hoppy. A masterpiece!

3.5 Caramel, fruit, and a little funk in the aroma, almost like a Belgian yeast. A little bit of a sweet and sour flavor, almost like a sour ale, followed by a spicy, fruity, bitter finish. Not what I expected, but still good.

3.3 500ml bottle. Poured a cloudy golden with an off white head. Aromas of funk, citrus, and some spiciness. Tastes of the same lighter funk, citrus, and caramel. I’m sure the funkiness was not supposed to be there, but I kinda dug it.

3.5 500ml bottle in a tulip. Pours honey color with a fluffy, cream-colored head. Aroma of lots of bitter hops, some sweet malts, and a little alcohol. Flavor too bitter on the hops without a balance from the malts. Smooth texture. Not bad, but the strength of the ingredients doesn’t blend in the best way.

3.3 26th February 2010 Hazy amber beer, thick frothy white head. Softish and semi dry palate. Bittering hop with a metallic edge but it’s not unpleasant. Dry bubblegum and malt underneath that carries through to the semi crisp and semi dry finish. Decent and a little off the beaten track.

4.6 Looks great. Cloudy orange-red. A strong citrus hop aroma with grapefruit. This is pretty darn tasty, even though it seems fruity. Then, it seems to get a bit of oldish flavor to it. A good dry hop bite at the end. Quite nice.

2.9 500ml bottle. Bought for its label which is reminiscent of a homebrew. It pours a slightly hazy amberish brown with a big foamy but creamy white head. I am not a huge fan of the scent. It has a spiciness of like anise or something. There is some sourdough, golden raisin, and alcohol. The flavor is boozy and astringent at first. The mouthfeel is prickly and highly carbonated. The flavor has ripe apple, booze, a mild bitterness, and some liqueur-like caramel. It is decent the longer you sip, it reminds me of an amber ale that has sat for a bit, but the hotness makes me think it isn’t that old. It is a pretty decent one in the flavor. Kind of a wonky one.

3.8 500 ml bottle. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a cloudy golden/orange color with about an inch off-white head that stays around a while. Not much lacing. Aroma is bready malt, grassy and citrusy hops (lemon peel, oranges), and a bit of apples. The brew tastes mostly like the aroma, with toasted and bready malt, wood, citrusy hops (lemon and orange peel), minerals, and apple flavors all noticeable. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it’s a bit slick and has a good amount of carbonation. I thought this was a pretty decent brew, the more I drank it, the more I liked it. I’d buy it again. $5.49 a bottle.

3.4 Bottle from Wineways, Harrogate. Pours golden with a dense head. Toffee on the nose. The palate is rich, full and fragrant. Citrus fruit, caramel, floral hop character - it carries it’s 7.5% well and is very moreish. Creamy and some sweetness to finish.

3.6 A - dried fruit and Cotten candy A - dark gold with no head T - light sweet and sour with alcohol and controlled bitter P - full and soft O - decent

3.4 500ml bottle. Pours dark orange with a thin head. Aroma is earthy, gassy orange. Taste is sweet, some alcohol and cloying orange on the finish. Low carbonation.

2.2 Bottle@Home. Grainy aroma with cinnamon and sweet apples, alcoholic. Amber, off-white irregular head, fair lace. Sweet, apples, bitter, very very alcoholic. Off-flavours and unbalanced.

3.2 Not what I expected at all, pours orange with quite a bit of head. Not much aroma - light. Smooth, didn’t find it too hoppy, a little bitter. Wouldn’t buy it again but wouldn’t turn it away either.

3.2 Bottle from Beers of Europe poured into a pint glass. Vibrant orange and a bit cloudy. No head at all. Smooth, somewhat hopped, acidic. Hoppy aroma. Quite plain actually, but hides its alcohol content reasonably well.