23rd Street ESB (Xtra Special Bitter)

Brewed by 23rd Street Brewery
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Lawrence, Kansas USA

Serve in English pint

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Draft at 23rd. Pours an amber brune body with a white head. Malty chalky caramel with some soft nutty notes. Chewy a bit thin and a hint of scotch and smoke which must be my perception of the bitterness. A light vanilla and ash note to finish. Good.

Name: Xtra Special Bitter
Date: February 24, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: clear amber, fine off wheat head, heavy lace
Aroma: light sweet malt aroma
Flavor: sweet caramel and butterscotch flavor, lots of tasty hops, well balanced bitterness
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *4

Shaker Pint draft at the brewpub. Pour is hazed copper ruby with a 1/4 inch soapy off white head. Aroma of biscuit grainy maltiness, bit of chemical sweetness. Touch of diacetyl perhaps. Taste is the toasty biscuit malt, a bit of resin, and some fruit sweetness (craisin). Palate is watery, with an acidic twinge to the finish. Drinkable, and decent ESB.

On tap at the brewpub. A dark amber colored beauty with a white head. Sweat socks with bread and toffee were some off smells. The taste was sweet caramel and leather with some peanuts. There was also some iced tea in the finish.

Growler from brewpub. Pours with a dark amber color, slightly hazy, and a strong but small head which sticks around. Aroma is very authentic English. Its light stale bread maltiness and a dirty earthiness behind that. I feel I feel like I am smelling rainy London or something like that. Taste is a bit lighter, a bit less dusty but still wet, stale bread and a bit f bitterness at the end. Nice stuff, seems very authentic. I feel like I am tasting England.