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Broadside Strong Original

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The bottled Broadside is the original recipe, launched in 1972 to mark the tercentenary of the Battle of Sole Bay, and stands at 6.0%. Ruby red in colour, it tastes of rich fruitcake and conserved fruit, with a lingering Christmas-cake character and the mouth-coating richness expected of a strong ale. It shares pale ale and chocolate malt with the lighter cask beer, in different proportions, and residual sweetness gives it weight.

ABV
6%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Roasted bitterness
SRM
deep amber15
PaceTwo or Three
Where this beer sits
Body
lightfull-bodied
Sweetness
drysweet
Bitterness
mildbitter
Texture
crispcreamy
Balance
malt-forwardhop-forward
What makes this beer itself
fruitymaltydark fruit
fruity
malty
dark fruit
chocolate
caramel
Aroma
The nose opens with rich, dried-fruit notes—raisins and prune preserve—underscored by warm, caramel-inflected malt sweetness.
not found:hoppy,roasted,clean,smoky

Tasting Notes

AI-generated sensory profile for Broadside Strong Original

◎ Appearance

Ruby red, displaying the depth characteristic of a malt-forward strong ale. The beer presents good clarity with a modest, persistent head that leaves fine lacework on the glass as it settles. Carbonation is restrained, appropriate for the style.

ruby redclearpersistent headrestrained carbonation

◌ Aroma

The nose opens with rich, dried-fruit notes—raisins and prune preserve—underscored by warm, caramel-inflected malt sweetness. Subtle chocolate undertones emerge, reminiscent of a fruit cake's deeper layers, with no assertive hop character to distract from the malt-driven composition.

dried fruitcaramel maltchocolateChristmas cake

◐ Taste

The palate is mouth-coating and substantial, delivering upfront notes of rich fruitcake and conserved stone fruit. Chocolate and pale ale malts form the backbone, providing warmth without harshness, while residual sweetness gives the beer noticeable weight. The 35 IBUs provide gentle restraint rather than bite, allowing the malt profile to dominate throughout the mid-palate.

fruitcakestone fruitchocolate maltsweet, warming

◑ Finish

A lingering finish with the persistent character of Christmas cake and dried fruit. The aftertaste is sweet and warming, fading gradually with traces of malt richness.

lingeringChristmas-cake characterwarming
78
hopIQ score
Aroma
76
Taste
80
Appearance
75
Finish
78
Serve at 12–16°C

Serve at 12–16°C for the best flavour balance and aroma expression.

Pint glass

The classic — versatile, comfortable to hold and keeps the beer cool. No frills, no distractions: just the beer.

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Food Pairing

What to eat with Broadside Strong Original

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About Strong Ale

Style guide · what to expect · how to find alternatives

What is a Strong Ale?

Strong Ale is a distinctive beer style with its own characteristic flavour, aroma and colour. Discover what makes it unique and find similar beers on hopIQ.

Finding a similar Strong Ale

hopIQ matches by flavor profile — not just style label. A beer with the same rich, fruity, full-bodied character as Broadside Strong Original will score highly even if brewed in a different country or under a different sub-style name.

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