Driftwood Naughty Hildegard’s ESB

Brewed by Driftwood Brewery (Canada)
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Victoria, Canada

Serve in English pint

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hahaha compiling my beers i had in various closets, this one pops up. thought i had reviewed it, as i was giving a bunch of them away. it’s a bit passed its prime, but seems to be relatively fine. nice burnt orange colour, with citric bitter, and caramel aroma. Prominent orange flavour, spices, a bit of vanilla. good bitterness to it normally, but yeah, it’s a bit weak at this point, compared to when it’s fresh. typically has a lasting bitter finish to it.

From a large bottle. Lots of tan head, but it falls quickly. It’s a very promising amber color. Over the gums! It’s a bitter, resiny, citrus hop-bomb, folks. Yes, there’s some malt there in the background. An ESB that’s actually bitter. Very refreshing!

Single bottle purchased from a BC Liqour Store on 08/11/2012 in Invermere, BC. Colour: Light red and dark brown mix with low head. Nose: Delicious dark bread, hints of mild cocoa, caramel, herbal hops, and a bit of glue. Taste: Medium sweet, medium bitter, medium-light sour. Some decent caramel sweetness accompanies a spiced herbal bitterness that runs through the palate. I love a beer that has a peppery spice and this one is just that. It comes strong accompanied by smooth hops in the finish. Long lingering.

Beautiful, complex aroma of pine and hops...however the taste had a great balance of malt and hops with a lean towards a quiet bite in the lingering finish. Full bodied with a creamy texture. Very impressed with this brew not to mention the label is awesome!

650 ml bottle. 2012 vintage. Pours an orange amber with a light head. Sour malty aroma with hops and caramel, almost like a barley wine. Flavors of fresh dark fruit, orange peel, toasted malts, and little bit of brown sugar. Nice carbonation. Light bitter finish. Much better than the 2011.

Bottle courtesy of James at a tasting at Andy’s the day after doing a tasting at Paul’s. Pours a clear caramel color with a thin to medium head. Nice nutty malt, a touch of toast. Medium bodied, crisp malt and toast. Nutty and toasty, good amount of malt. Nice earthy bitterness.

Bottle. Pours clear, light copper. Hoppy nose, orange, pine, some caramel. Lightly toasted malts with fruity and earthy hops. A bit thin mouthfeel, abrupt finish. A decent beer that I would not call a bitter/ESB

Haha I had lots of local ales in England and Scotland before joining this site but since I retried the Fuller’s ESB recently and loved it I thought I should from now on consider that the standard-bearer. I then go to the BJCP guidelines and it says "Judges should not judge all beers in this style as if they were Fuller’s ESB clones." so never mind. This is certainly the hoppiest example of its style I’ve had yet; if it were made by an English brewer I think it would be labelled an IPA. However when I plug my nose and take a sip the sweet seems stronger than the bitter. The latest three Driftwood beers I’ve had -- the saison, the altbier, and this -- are much more similar than you’d expect. Not getting much of a biscuity flavour here, the only thing setting it apart are the English hops (which I’m loving) which are painted across the typical well-crafted Driftwood canvas. For a moment I thought the finish was hot but that’s pine (EDIT: No there’s definitely warming alcohol here). Mild diacetyl. Good brew.

Aromas of leafy hops, toffee - very pleasant. Medium /full bodied. Medium bitterness, nicely balanced. Finish lingering bitterness and I’m picking up a touch of sourness. Delicious.