Thornbridge Brewery

Cocoa Wonderland (6.8% ABV, bottle)
Black as night with a thick, tight, tan head, this is a lovely beer! There’s intense chocolate on the nose, with an edge of coffee. Both flavours carry through to the palate, with a lactose note coming in. There’s a hint of woodiness, too, and a suggestion of dark dried fruit. The body is full and beautifully smooth, with good coffee bitterness on the finish.
(1st March, 2021)

Fonio (4.5% ABV, bottle)
Very pale indeed, with a billowing white head, this offers a fresh, grassy, herbal aroma. Lemon citrus kicks in on the palate, very sherbet lemon. If you didn’t know this wasn’t made with barley, I think you wouldn’t pay any attention to the malt bill. There’s quite a softness to the body. A very enjoyable session pale.
(9th September, 2024)

Jaipur (5.9% ABV, bottle)
Golden with a foaming white head, it offers lemon and orange citrus aromas. On the palate, it’s beautifully balanced between rich, light, bready malt and citrussy, grapefruit, spicy hop notes. A delightful English-style IPA, moreish and easy drinking.
(13th September, 2024)

DDH Jaipur (5.9% ABV, can)
Hazy straw with a big thick white head, this is grassy, with light orange notes, on the aroma. On the palate, big, bold hops, fruity, herbal, sligtly spicy. There’s orange, plus more tropical notes of pineapple, with a hint of mango. A nicely ramped up version of classic, but I think I prefer the original.
(24th February, 2021)

Jamestown (5.9% ABV, can)
A lovely beer — very easy drinking. It pours hazy straw with a thick, foaming white head. There’s an assertive tropical fruit aroma — not too over the top. On the palate, it’s wonderfully smooth, with a good mouthfeel, and well balanced. The fruit flavours mesh well with light biscuit malt, and there’s a good bitter, fruity punch on the finish.
(7th March, 2021)

Sugar Spun Sister (8% ABV, can)
This is a delicious drop. Black, with the faintest tinge of red, and a thick tan head, the aroma is intense milk chocolate — so inviting! That chocolate gets more bitter on the palate where it’s joined by deep dark roast malt sweetness, married with lovely lactose notes. There’s vanilla, too, and even a hint of rich, dark, dried fruit. Great body. What’s not to like?
(26th February, 2021)

The Union (7% ABV, Bottle)
I was looking forward to trying this, and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s an IPA fermented on the newly-acquired Thornbridge Union system, which had previously been in Burton. Golden, with good carbonation and a foaming white head, it offers orange citrus — juice and pith — as well as some berry and a hint of lemon on the nose. On the palate, plenty of citrus comes through, with berry and spice, but there’s also an excellent balancing sweetness, with an edge of demerara sugar. A really excellent taste with a great bitter finish. The body has a delightful softness, and the beer certainly doesn’t drink as strong as 7%!
(8th September, 2024)