Greene King - Abbot Ale

Abbot Ale

From Bury St Edmunds, where brewing can be traced back 1,000 years.

Abbot has been in the Greene King stable since 1951. The Head Brewer, Bernard Tickner, created a fabulous new brew and a competition was launched to name it. We have Mr L F Whitehead from the King’s Arms, Haughley, Suffolk to thank for coming up with ‘Abbot Ale’. His idea was inspired by the famous Abbey which sits in the heart of our home town, Bury St Edmunds. He won £20 for his brilliance!

Originally Abbot was only packaged in bottles, but it wasn’t long before it was available in casks. Looking back at Abbot designs throughout history, it has taken many forms. Sometimes the Abbot is centre stage and other times slightly hidden away. The shape of the pump clip has also morphed throughout the years. We showed the previous designs to Abbot drinkers to see if there was anything from our history which they particularly liked that we could incorporate into our redesign. The result is a return to the shape inspired by the Mitre headdress, worn by Abbots on ceremonial occasions. Also seeing a return is the Abbot icon which we believe last made an appearance in the 1970s.

The Abbot might have a new change of clothes, but rest assured, we haven’t altered the recipe one jot. Brewed for longer, with fruit cake character and superb hop balance, it’s the same beer we know and love!

Tasting Notes

Warming, Malty and Fruity. Pale and amber malts contribute to a mouth filling and satisfying 'Horlicks' and biscuity maltiness. Challenger and First Gold give a base note of herbal hop and Fuggle as a late hop contributes the main fragrant fruity and floral and spicy notes. Fermented slowly to give just enough fruity esters Abbot Ale provides a complex, satisfying and warming experience.

ABV

Bottle: 5% | Cask: 5%

Malt

Pale, Amber

Hops

Challenger, Pilgrim, First Gold, Fuggle.

Food Pairing

Well partnered with English Cheeses, Sunday Roasts and many of our favourite comfort foods.

Bitterness

Sweetness