Breckenridge 471 Small Batch Extra ESB

Brewed by Breckenridge Brewery
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Denver, Colorado USA

Serve in English pint

12oz bottle pours deep amber with a short offwhite head that stays well. Aromas of lots of toasted and caramel malts with a good amount of cascade hops. Flavor is mostly those same toasted and caramel malts. A good amount of citrus finds it’s way through too. Slight bitterness at the finish makes you come back for another sip. Palate seems pretty well balanced with lively carbonation. Pretty nice

Bottle. Pours an amber body with an off white head. Malty body, caramel and light fruit tones. Bitter toasted malts hints of bitter hop resins and light grapefruit. Medium warmth with a bittersweet finish. Decent.

Just to clarify this batch doesn’t say 471 but the Extra ESB is the same as 471 Extra ESB. The beer pours a clear medium copper with about a finger of light tan head that has decent retention. The lacing is light. The aroma is light mostly some bitter hops with a tiny bit of skunky, not your normal ESB. The taste is not great to me its like a bad IPA. The hops are all over the place very strong but nothing else to reward you. Not a normal bitter. The feel is watery and not very drinkable. Overall, I wouldn’t qualify as an ESB and I wouldn’t drink it eiter. Not a great effort overall.

On tap at Breckenridge Brewery & BBQ. Clearish deep burnt orange/deep amber. Oddly, it smells like a freshly cleaned sink. Somewhat malty aroma, semisweet and candy-like. Tass has a maole syrup taste and texture. Thick and full bodied. Sweet toffee start with subtle bitterness at the end. Some sweet fruity hop tones. Overall a pretty sweet ESB, but not cloying, just right. Nice subtle alcohol burn to remind you it’s a big beer.

I liked this beer. A good easy drinking beer. I could definately have a couple of these in one sitting. Smooth, drinkable, tasty. Good brew.

Bottle. A - Nice burnt amber color with a good sized, creamy, thick, full, off-white head. Really nice retention and a nice creamy layer of lace. S - Has a nice toasted caramel and bready/biscuity aroma with a nice Scottish ale spice/herbal characteristic as well. Has a pretty strong metallic aroma and a hint citrus/berry too. T - Starts out with the nice toasted caramel malt. Mid sip there is more herbal hops and Scottish spice along with some biscuity flavors. The finish is a little harsh with a little too much hoppy bitterness with a grassy and spicy hop flavor. Some metallic undertones on the finish as well. M - Medium body with average carbonation. Fairly creamy. D - It would be quite easy to drink if the finish were so harsh/sharp. Just a little too much hop and bitterness for the style. Metallic flavors also detract a bit. Notes: Decent Scottish ale and a bit better than I expected. It’s good, but the finish is a little too much with the hops. There is a nice biscuity/herbal/spice flavor that is tasty and enjoyable, but it just doesn’t quite reach that upper echelon. Worth a go (especially when on sale like I got it) but it’s not going to become a staple in my fridge.

amber pour with a medium tight head. aroma is toasty caramel maltiness. light herbal hoppiness. flavour is caramel and oranges, toast, hint of alc in the finish.

12oz bottle. Small beige head atop clear copper body. Aroma is moderately sweet, orange, caramel/toast, some earthy. Taste is moderately sweet, caramel, orange/earthy, some toast, grapefruit, alcohol warming, light prune. Sticky medium-full body. With the alcohol evident, I’d consider this an ESA rather than an ESB -- I certainly like it better from that perspective.

Clear burnt orange with a small, lasting head. Aroma is toffee with slight prickly herb-spice. Flavor is initially big toffee-apple; turns to a delicate, bitter herb and light fruit finish. Slight wood and smoke on the finish at times, too. Pretty decent for a canned beer, and seems true to the style. Not a bad ESB