Astryd Juicy Hazy Pale, What’s It Like

Astryd Juicy Hazy Pale comes from Thornbridge Riverside Brewery in Bakewell, Derbyshire, England. It is a bottle conditioned session pale ale with a low 3.8% ABV. So what’s it like?

Astryd Juicy Hazy Pale Ale is just what it says it is, very juicy, a little hazy and pretty good. It pours a light straw gold with a one finger fluffy white top. On the nose it just screams juicy with citrus fruity notes bursting out of the glass. The taste is a similar affair with a burst of citrus fruity flavours. It really is juicy, with a smooth thin mouthfeel and just a hint of bitterness. It scores 3.7 out of 5.0.

Astryd is a juicy refreshing little beer, ideal for a warm summers afternoon.

Table Of Contents

Astryd Juicy Hazy Pale Ale Review

When I picked this bottle up I couldn’t wait to pop it, I love a bottled conditioned pale ale, and this one promises to be juicy.

It sits in a 500ml brown bottle with a purple and gold label with ASTRYD in big white letters across the front. A beer coming from the well known a popular brewer Thornbridge, it looks promising.

Astryd is brewed with a trio of American hops, using Crystal, Mosaic and Simcoe, there is nothing wrong with that line up.

At a low 3.8% ABV, if it delivers on flavour, then it could be a go to barbeque beer on a summers afternoon.

Lets crack it open.

Drinking Astryd Juicy Hazy Pale

It pours a slightly hazy light pale straw with a one finger fluffy white head, which does fade pretty quick. Although you can revive it easily with a good swirl of the glass.

Hold the glass up to the light and you really see how light this beer is, a stream of tiny bubbles rise to the rim. And some slightly bigger bubbles up the centre of the glass.

In for a sniff and it smells juicy, I mean really juicy. It is citrus and fruity, but has an almost soft fruit smell to it, like berries. Its hard to identify any particular notes like mango, pineapple or grapefruit like you might expect. Just a juicy fruit salad sweet aroma.

The taste is pretty much just like the smell, plenty of fruity flavours, but again hard to identify any particular ones. But it is what is says on the bottle, juicy, very juicy.

However it has a soft mouthfeel and is a little thin too, with just the slightest bitter edge. Lou likened it to a watered down squash, which I think is a little harsh, but I kind of get where she is coming from.

For me it’s a cheeky little hazy pale ale that is easy drinking, refreshing and light. It’s not going to blow your socks off, but I quite like it. At just 3.8% ABV it is a perfect little session beer, Ideal for those summer barbeque afternoons.

I score it a reasonable 3.7 out of 5.0. If it had just a little more body and a slightly higher ABV, then it could get close to 5.0 out of 5.0.

M’Lady is of similar mind, saying “It’s an okay beer, there is nothing wrong with it, smells juicy and tastes juicy. Although it does taste a little watery.” Lou scores it 3.8 out of 5.0.

I would love to see this beer have an older sibling, A version of Astryd that hits 5% ABV and has a fuller body. That might just be a knockout beer.

Thornbridge Brewery

Thornbridge Brewery started life back in 2005 and was founded by Simon Webster and James Harrison. The brewery started in outbuildings as a small 10 barrel kit and set in the grounds of Thornbridge Hall.

Thornbridge Hall is a large country house set in 80 acres in the peak district area in Derbyshire, it is owned by James and Emma Harrison.

Simon and James Hired two young brewers and work began on producing beer. The first beer was a classic 4% ABV bitter named Lord Marples which is still part of the breweries core range.

This beer was closely followed by popular Jaipur a 5.9% ABV American hopped IPA. Again a beer that is still produced to this day.

Jaipur IPA was so popular and in such demand that expansion had to happen. So in 2009 a new brewery was built at Riverside, Bakewell and a whole range of beers started their development.

The brewery saw further expansion in 2019 with a new canning line and taproom. I quality brewer with the reputation to match.

Thornbridge Beers

Thornbridge produce a lot of beers from their core range to a pretty large barrel aged range of beers with some hefty ABV’s. There really is so much beer to choose from, and yes, I want to get stuck in, but it could take a long time to get through all of them.

They even produce three Jaipur sauces, a hot one, a BBQ one and a pineapple and mango one, crazy people.

Like I said there are a lot of beers to choose from, so let me introduce a few here. These beers need to make their way to my fridge, and bring some mates too.

Jaipur

This had to make my beer hit list, Jaipur a 5.9% ABV IPA is the star of the show at Thornbridge. It’s the beer that put the brewery on the map and people love it.

This massive award winning beer is brewed with no less than six US hops and boasts an truly hoppy tropical experience with a satisfying bitterness.

It sounds right up my street, and although I think I might have had it years ago, I need to get some in.

Lukas

Lukas is a Helles Lager and rolls in at a sessionable 4.2% ABV. A Bavarian style lager which pours straw blonde and is said to be full bodied.

A crisp refreshing lager with a little malt sweetness, made with Bavarian ingredients and a long brewing process.

If you like lager, then this beer is definitely worth a shot.

Cocoa Wonderland

Cocoa Wonderland is a chocolate porter with a big 6.8% ABV strength tag, a sipper to savour and enjoy. Described as having a roastiness with notes of mocha and raisins while delivering those Cocoa chocolate vibes throughout.

It sounds like a winning porter to me, which is maybe why it has won plenty of awards. I love a porter or stout so Cocoa Wonderland definitely has to make my beer hit list.

Final Thoughts

So Thornbridge are a serious brewery with a serious amount of beer to their name. Seen by many as the first craft brewery in the UK, they are a quality outfit.

Astryd while a little light and thin in the mouth, is a pretty good beer. It is only 3.8% ABV so you can’t expect too much, but saying that I do like it.

For me it is a go to session beer that fits the spring and summer perfectly, when the suns out break out the Aystryd.

However I do need to immerse myself in more of Thornbridge beers, I featured three, but there are plenty more I want to try.

If you have tried Astryd Juicy Hazy Pale, then do share your thoughts below. Let me know what you think of it.