East End Session #06 - The Bitter End

Brewed by East End Brewing Company
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in English pint

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i hope he brings this back again next year... i didnt like it much at first but it really grew on me. once you get used to the bitterness, a unique hop flavor comes out to produce a really refresing and enjoyable ale.

2011 version is darker than the other descriptions read from years past, more of a brown-red with a beige head. The aroma is woody, some subtle malt character, toast. Taste is earthy, woody, more toffee, toast, caramel malt. Tasty stuff.

Pours a very light golden color with a really fantastic fluffy head and excellent lacing. Active carbonation. Smells of fruity and piney hops with a slighty funky background. Tastes fairly crisp, not as bitter as the name would have you believe. Only hints of the hops from the scent. Very pleasant, easy drinker. Mouth is thin to medium with high carbonation. Overall another good beer, a solid session ale from East En

Sampled on draft at the Maproom in Pittsburgh this beer poured a dark amber color with a large yellow-white head. The aroma was light, tart fruity hops. The flavor was very bitter, tangy and tart with crisp fruity hops. Very one dimensional as the thin malt base really accentuated the hops. The finish was long tart and fruity. Quite interesting. I do not believe that I have ever encountered a small beer before.

Pours a cloudy orange color. Smells of a lot of hops, tastes of really bitter hops. The beer really lives up to its name, the hop flavor (the bitter end) stays on your palate for a long time.

Growler from East End. Hazy orange gold, off white head. Aroma is hops, malt, citrus, floral, and has the East End distinctive earthiness. Flavor is super hoppy bitter, citrus, malt, slight caramel and nuttiness. The bitterness is very strong and lingers but I really like it. I’m glad I have 2 growlers of it in my fridge. :)

Two growlers for $10 from the brewery is tough to pass up. Pours a clear orange with a big foamy white head. Aroma is nice and citrusy with a sweet character in the background... grapefruit, orange and caramel sweetness. Flavor is not too complex... intensely bitter with a touch of caramel malt. Starts off with some grapefruit but gets overpowered by some piney hops I did not get in the aroma. The pine really takes over and coats the mouth at the finish. Body is a little thin and leaves a sticky feeling in the mouth. Definitely a steal at $1.25 a pint.

UPDATED: OCT 21, 2008 East ends bitter end. On tap at the Bocktown Bar & Grill at the Robinson Twp shopping complex. Nice pour, it is orangish yellow and on the lighter side. Foamy with lots of large and fine bubbles mixed together. In the glass it has only the larger bubbles rising from the brew. The barmaid told me to start puckering even before I taste it. Has a starting flavor that is hoppy and nothing really offensive, initially not as bitter as I would have expected. But that is just the beginning, as it settles onto your palate the gentleman like nature goes awry. As time goes on, it gets more and more bitter until you cannot believe what has happened. Very interesting, never had such a brew with this impact. I think this is where the name comes from - bitter end. Not bitter at first but the end leaves you wanting a chaser of water. Very complex. The finish is a bitter astringent end that will just not go away. This is a must try if you are an IPA or imp stout lover. East end really has some beers with personality.

Draught at the brewery. A very nice piney hoppy nose with a little bit of grapefruit, with a bit of bitterish nutty malt aroma coming through. Resiny. Slightly hazy, medium amber clear, with a nice foamy off-white lacing head. Medium watery body with medium to light carbonation. Starts out rather bitter with a pretty good grainy taste - it’s the runoff from the Gratitude barley wine. Very, very bitter end, leaving a chalky bitter residue on your tongue when it’s done. Good flavors in there, with some grapefruit and resiny hops, just not a lot of sweet malts to balance out.