I don't believe I've ever had a Boddingtons before. It's not that I've actively avoided it, but I do generally avoid British beers. My experience with them (British beers) so far has been that they are generally lackluster. That said, a glance at this can makes me think of a brewery that takes a little pride in its work. It's a nice, stately can with a lot of promises that I hope they deliver on.
Upon opening the can, I realize that this has that fantastic little widget in the bottom that releases nitrogen back into the beer. As a result, the bubbles absolutely infuse the beer as it's being poured, and it gives it a rich, creamy texture as it comes out of the can. The microscopic bubbles form a solid and impenetrable head that floats on top of the beer a good half inch thick. I don't know if there's going to be any lacing, but so far this is pretty good. Once the head settles, the golden beer is very clear. The aroma is a bit malt heavy with bread, but a regular ale shouldn't be too hoppy in the first place.First sip is sweet with honey and earth. There is a strange dichotomy between the smoothness engendered by the nitrogen head and the relatively muddled taste of the beer. The can appears to have left a slight metallic taste, but the bigger problem is the general malaise of this beer. It tastes like an American macro brew that has attempted to mix a bunch of their flavors together to try and botch together a reasonable beer. The sip isn't working.
Tip-in is smoothness from the nitrogen and honey sweetness that is a very good starting point for the beer. The middle continues to be smooth and turns a bit creamy as the flavor almost goes away entirely; this might be a poster child for wateriness. The finish brings back fruit esters and slight bitterness before the metallic intrusion heads for the trail off.
Bottom Line: Seems like they went through a lot of effort for a beer that's just okay.
2.0/5