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Score
8997
OVERALLStyle
Brewed by Fuller’s
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
London, England
Serve in English pint

bottling
unknown

on tap
common

Broad Distribution

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RATINGS: 199   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.4   EST. CALORIES: 165   ABV: 5.5%
COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Cask: Regular.
First brewed in 1969 as Winter Bitter - renamed Extra Special Bitter in 1971.
Ingredients: Pale Ale and Crystal malts; Target, Challenger, Northdown and Goldings hops. Dry hopped in the brewery.
CAMRA Supreme Champion 1978, 1981 and 1985.
Brewed at 5.5% ABV in cask and 5.9% ABV in bottle, ESB is a true liquid legend, and should be savoured as such.
ESB has a wonderful rich mahogany appearance. Taking in the nose, the beer is bursting with cherry and orange, balanced by soft malty toffee and caramel notes. The flavour delivers everything you would expect from such a full-bodied ale. The unique blend of Northdown, Target, Challenger and Goldings hops imparts grassy, peppery notes on the tongue along with intense citrus fruit characters of grapefruits, oranges and lemons. The blend of Pale Ale and Crystal malts in the brew give a biscuity, toffee element to the beer. A smooth, mellow bitterness lingers on the palate to give a superbly satisfying finish.

NOTE: Most Fuller’s beer in the US is served by handpump kegs and not a cask. Ask your server.

2.8
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 10/20
skortila (4035) - Baarn, NETHERLANDS - SEP 5, 2008
Cask @ Jan Primus. Aroma has malts some citric hoppiness. Amber-orange coloured ber with an off-white, creamy head. Good lookin. Taste is a bit soapy, has caramel malts, some hops. Light bodied. Slightly sweet, slightly bitter.

3.3
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 13/20
changeup45 (1314) - Mount Dora, Florida, USA - AUG 9, 2008
Hand pulled at The Frosty Mug. Maybe my palate has changed but this isn’t as great as I remembered. Nice creamy head and lacing. More malty than hoppy, caramel, a bit bready with light bitterness but a bit thin.

3.1
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 13/20
KimJohansen (10337) - Copenhagen V, DENMARK - AUG 4, 2008
Clear amber with tiny white head. Sweet fruity aroma with mild hoppy notes. Sweet fruity flavor with caramel and hoppy notes. Bitter finish.

3.7
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
fullers (237) - Toronto, Ontario, CANADA - JUL 13, 2008
Darker in color - coppery amber - and fuller in taste than London Pride. London water. Thin head, aroma not forceful. Again, a very drinkable beer, quickly downed. The Dove is a classic London pub on a stretch of the Thames used for the Oxford/Cambridge boat race. On the day I’m there, lot’s of sculling activity on the river. My inevitable choice for tasting Fuller’s beers once again

1.6
   AROMA 2/10   APPEARANCE 2/5   TASTE 3/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 7/20
bobinlondon (1147) - Harrow, Greater London, ENGLAND - JUN 26, 2008
Handpulled cask at Castle Harrow. I can remember when this really was an extra special bitter! Nowdays its an also ran. Just like its sister beer London Pride,it tastes like a mass produced factory beer now. The only distinctive flavour I detect is the recent Fullers house characture of vomit.

3.6
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
Pyobon (518) - Sydney, AUSTRALIA - JUN 21, 2008
Dark brown with some beige head. Aroma not pronounced but rich. Medium body with light carbonation. Rich, fairly conplex flavour with sweetish dark malt, some fruitiness and moderate bitterness. A very good stronger ale.

3
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 12/20
sayravai (4526) - Helsinki, FINLAND - JUN 13, 2008
(Cask@St.Urhos) Slightly hazy amber with a small, bubbly head. Caramely-malty aroma with some dark fruit. Caramely-fruity flavor with low bitterness, some gluey-soapy feel, and tiny hints of alcohol. Light to medium body with low carbonation. I wonder why this is so popular as a real ale, as it was quite boring, IMO.

3.5
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
EHSRanders (1607) - Tjele, DENMARK - JUN 10, 2008
Cask at Mason Arms. Hazy amber colour with medium creamy white mostly lasting head. Malty aroma. Sweet fruity flavor.


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Rating Notecard:
Beer: Fuller’s ESB (Cask) Rating Avg: 3.4 No. of Ratings: 199
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