Dry Dock HMS Victory ESB

Brewed by Dry Dock Brewing Co.
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Aurora, Colorado USA

Serve in English pint

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This is truly a great ESB, and one of the better that I have trie din my career as a beer drinker. A very fragrant fruity aroma, with a modest amount of hoppiness, that does not follow through in the flavor. Richly malty, with the perfect amount of maltiness, and a bit of clean bitterness in the background. Lots of fruitiness, more hop bitterness on top of dark caramel maltiness. Very well done!

Tap. Pours clear copper with average, fizzy beige head; short retention and spare lacing. Aroma is apples, pears, caramel malt, faint floral hops, and light bread notes. Flavor is sweet malt dominate with faint fruit esters and hops; sweet finish. Light body with low carbonation and warmth.

on tap-pours a light tan head with trailing lace and amber color. Aroma is light/medium malt-caramel. Taste is light/medium malt-caramel/bready, some fruit/earthy hops.

Aroma - heavy malt, faint caramel and toffee notes; Appearance - deep copper, thick fluffy head, very nice lacing; Taste - caramel malt front, mildly bitter hop back, finish is malty yet balanced; Palate - extremely smooth, great body; Overall - in a style typically filled with poorly built beers, this brew proves to be a fine model for others.

(draft at CO state fair Foamfest, 8/28/10). Clear amber color. Medium off white head. Light bready malt aroma. Moderate bready malt flavor, with light grass hop. Avg duration. Light bitter finish. Slick texture. Moderate carbonation. Fair lacing.

Draught at Dry Dock in Tokyo. Pretty reddish-bronze color. Caramel malt nose, a bit earthy. Rich malt flavor, great caramel and grains, a bit of fruit, with a dirty, English hop finish. Nice show of malt. Tasty.

Sample at the brewpub. The beer pours a hazy orange color with a medium thin off-white head head that recedes steadily. Rings of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of tasted malt, fruit and hops. Medium body with a roasted malt and caramel flavor along with some hops and fruit. The finish is sweet and malty with a mild hops aftertaste. Decent overall.

Tap at Dry Dock - more along the lines of an actual British bitter than these malty pale ales that american brewers try to pass off as esb - fairly malt-forward, with a lot of toasted grain and nutty flavor - earthy hop flavor is moderate, but bitterness is low - clean and lightly Biscuity finish - pretty tasty.

Pours dark orange with white head, aroma has notes of sweet biscuit, grain, some caramel, with notes of spicy and earthy hops. Taste is pretty sweet with notes of caramel, biscuit, some slight pine, leading into spice, finishing fairly bitter.

UPDATED: APR 15, 2011 On tap @ the brewery taproom on 11/12/10. The chalkboard claimed this beer had a 5.8% ABV with 49 IBU. Clear copper brown in color, off white small head. All I can smell on the nose is crisp malts, nothing much more. But the taste is refreshing. Bright and clean, suberbly balanced, nutty and sweet, not too bitter.

UPDATED: FEB 23, 2012 Tap @ brewpub. Red orange appearance with a light cream colored head. Amber malty nose with a touch of nuttiness though the hops are hardly discernable. Toasted caramel malty flavor with some nutty hints and a touch of bittering hops that appear on the finish.