McNeills Extra Special Bitter Ale

Brewed by McNeills Brewery
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Brattleboro, Vermont USA

22oz bottle.... pours a slightly hazy apple cider brown with a fluffy white head....aroma of grassy hops and pale malt, somewhat grainy.....slightly bitter and grassy hops, more hop dominated with an almost unnoticeable malt presence. finishes on a bitternote. refreshing at first but bitterness becomes a little overbearing. just haven’t been able to enjoy this style as much as others.

on cask-pours an off white head that bubbles and gold color. Aroma is mild sweet light malt. Taste is mild sweet light malt, secondary herbal hops. Close to a bitter.

Bottle. Pours a clear orange with a HUGE foamy white head. Aroma of sweet light malts, floral hops. Flavor is sweet and puckering up front with a fruity (like fruit punch) finish. Slightly astringent with malty cereal graininess. I’m not really a fan of the McNeills house flavor, which seems to be present in all their beers. This isn’t too bad, but it isn’t too good either. 6/4/6/3/13 (3.2/5)

Tap at Blind Tiger. Aroma of huge, toasted caramel malt, bread crust, spicy hop character, peppery, zesty, a trickle of fresh-squeezed orange juice. Flavor opens up very bitter for an ESB and exhibits a juicy hop character with a straight bitter finish. As it warms, the sweet malt catches up and actually overtakes the bitter aspects by the end, even going a bit too sweet for me beyond the lovely toastedness I felt in the aroma. Fairly full-bodied, maybe a bit too much residual sugar in there. Still, not shabby at all.

Slightly cloudy dark copper color with a head you could rest a playing card on. Nice lightly metallic hop aroma, hints of leather and fruit. Firm hop bitterness in the flavor that lasts well after.

Thanks to HogTownHarry. Appearance: Grapefruit orange, large proud head. Floaties too. Aroma: Grapefruit, hops, lemons, very sweet. Flavour: Grapefruit, hops, almost IPA like, lots of carbonation, very bitter too.Very nice

Bottle (22oz). Shared with blankboy and garthicus, via trade with glouglouburp. Incredibly cloudy deep orange pour, lots of floaties, and a huge fluffy beige head. Dry, pungently floral/herbal aroma, peppery and spicy, a slightly lemony sourness to it. The taste followed the nose, slightly pungent and sour, a touch papery in the malt body, but plenty of herbal bitterness. Dry, sharply carbonated mouthfeel, with a long astringent/bitter finish --- maybe a tad too dry, but a very long-lasting bitter ale, definitely NOT filtered.

Bottle (22oz) shared with HogTownHarry & garthicus -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a deep cloudy orange-amber with a trillion stationary floaties and a large lasting frothy off-white head -- cool! Nice aroma, lots of hops -- floral, spicy and piney -- backed by caramel malt, fruit and light spices. Refreshing and tasty flavour is hoppy, nicely backed by caramel malt along with some spices and some fruit and has a nice bitter finish. Medium bodied. Man, I really liked this!