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Score
8897
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: 206   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.39   EST. CALORIES: 165   ABV: 5.5%
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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.


3.2
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 13/20
kook (2033) - Perth, Western Australia, AUSTRALIA - MAY 15, 2005
Cask @ Duke of Kent, W5: Amber in colour with a beige head. Aroma of nutty malts mixed with fresh fruits. Sweet toffee flavours, mild fruits and a hoppy yet not overly bitter finish. Medium bodied. Nice, but I prefer Chiswick.

3.2
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 13/20
joergen (14992) - Frederiksberg, DENMARK - MAY 5, 2005
Cask at Charlie’s Bar. Orange colour with a white head. Malty aroma with notes of apricots. Malty flavour with notes of apricots.

3.3
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 13/20
madsberg (7570) - Søborg, DENMARK - MAY 5, 2005
Cask @ Charlies Pub, Cph.: Reddish/amber coloured. Unclear. Small white head. Malty and light hopped aroma. Notes of caramel and fruit. Flavour is hoppy and light herbal. Quite smooth and drinkable, but a little thin in the body. Ends on a medium bitter note.

3.1
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 13/20
Kinnaj15 (275) - Copenhagen, DENMARK - APR 30, 2005
Cask@Charlies. Dark amber with small white head. Good balance between the sweetness and bitternes. Notes of fruits in the aroma.

2.8
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 5/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 12/20
TomSpears (65) - Norfolk, ENGLAND - APR 29, 2005
The Bush at Friars ford over the sweet river - boring pub. Boring beer. Nothing stands out. Cloggy, dull and blurred. I fail to see how this stuff got so many awards and is so acclaimed around the world. I’ll keep trying it when I’m in the vicinity, but if I’m in the smoke I prefer Youngs.

3.7
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 16/20
DeepBlack (386) - Derby, Derbyshire, ENGLAND - APR 24, 2005
Cask conditioned & on handpump at The Alex in Derby on 08/03/05. Mid amber brown colour. Very full rich flavours. Nice after taste. Quite alcoholic taste, feels over the 5.5% it is.

3.8
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
Oakes (10196) - Gibsons, British Columbia, CANADA - MAR 20, 2005
Cask at the Star of Belgravia

Having been expecting a world classic and been thoroughly disappointed, I spent my second night in London seeking out some serious Fuller’s ESB. The cask version has a fuller, more complex flavour than either keg or bottle. The yeast is especially dominant, but also the malts come through with much more clarity. On cask, you can see where the reputation comes from, even if you don’t entirely agree with it.

3.3
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 13/20
Ungstrup (23983) - Oamaru, NEW ZEALAND - MAR 16, 2005
[Cask at Charlie’s Bar, Copenhagen] The new recipe. A hazy amber beer with a small off-white head. The aroma is faint, but of malt and hops. The flavor is quite sweet with notes of caramel and malt. Not as powerful as the old version - I liked the old one better.

3.4
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 16/20
asheft (2072) - Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA - MAR 16, 2005
[cask in London’s Hung Drawn and Quartered] Orangy-brown and almost clear with wispy, medium-sized bubbles and nice ring. Sweet, toasty caramel aroma with Goldings in the aroma. Surprisingly, a lot more hops appear in the taste, combining with a tingly, sweet malt. Only a little bittering but still well balanced with the sweetness. Raisin notes. Medium body and clean with very low carbonation.

2.9
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 2/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 13/20
Sickboy282 (1109) - San Diego, California, USA - MAR 8, 2005
The same old boring brittish bitters....I am so unhappy that I spent 4 days there and only 3 in belgium!!!!!


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