RateBeer
Sign Up or Login : Advanced Search
Score
8997
OVERALLStyle
Brewed by Fuller’s
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
London, England
Serve in English pint

bottling
unknown

on tap
common

Broad Distribution

Add Distribution Data
send corrections | shelftag | edit barcodes |
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.

3.4
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
PJClarke (1408) - Portland, Oregon, USA - MAR 19, 2009
Hearty brown with a cheeky white lacing. Light fruity hops with caramelly malts. Orange blossom and honey. Lovely tingly hops give it a resiny start with a small bitter kick that begins to dry you out but brings it all back with sweet caramel and biscuits. It’s a little cloying but the texture matches well otherwise. Quite a good session with a few interesting characters built in.

3.8
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
garthicus (2006) - Toronto, Ontario, CANADA - JAN 11, 2009
On cask @ rhino Toronto. Pours a light orange with a very fine haze. Small white head. Aroma: hops and candy, almost like an ipa. Flavour: hops again with a lovely bitter mouthfeel, simply lovely. Long bitter finish.

3.2
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 12/20
austone (1062) - Turku; Pori, FINLAND - JAN 11, 2009
Cask at Beer Hunter’s, Pori. Hazy light amber, firm pale head. Mild fruity aroma, some hops and maltiness, pretty generic. Flavor has toffee malts, fruitiness, little hops and round yeastiness. Harmless and loose, even a bit too round.

3.5
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
motelpogo (4543) - Plzen, CZECH REPUBLIC - DEC 28, 2008
on cask at a couple of pubs in london. amber with a quick off-white head, plenty of red berry and caramel in the aroma, slightly floral with a good hit of rasping red berry bitterness

3.3
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
JK54B (1202) - Helsinki, FINLAND - DEC 27, 2008
Cask at Punavuoren Ahven 0.25L glass. Thin pale head. Mild nose. Pale goldenbrown colour. Toffeish and buttery taste. At the end hoppy bite. Good malty nose at end.

3.2
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 5/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
foosnbrews (103) - Parker, Colorado, USA - DEC 2, 2008
Beer was hand pulled. Aroma has mild hop and malt aromas. Flavor is very mild with a bitterness that is well balanced with the malt presence. Beer presence quickly fades. Good session beer.

3.6
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 15/20
PaulHegedus (505) - Ontario, CANADA - OCT 19, 2008
UPDATED: APR 7, 2009 Cask at Volo cask days, October 2008. Rerate from a year ago. This pint seemed more flat than before. Hard to find any carbonation at all this time. Poured light amber with no head. The aroma is wonderful as always: grassy, medicinal with some pine. Tastes herbal: I also taste caramel, wood, honey.

3
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 12/20
begbie100 (181) - Oulu, FINLAND - OCT 6, 2008
Beautiful amber color, small white head. Low acids, smooth palate. Aroma is weak, some malts.. plums. First reaction on flavor: Way less bitter than bottled. Flavors of fruits and soap, some malts. I prefer bottled.


We Want To Hear From You



Join us! RateBeer is made by beer enthusiasts for the craft beer community. Your basic membership is free and allows you to read all beer ratings. Click here to create your account... and give your opinion!

Join Us »



View Page
1 « 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 » 20
Tick this beer
  • Currently 0/5 Stars.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5



Rating Notecard:
Beer: Fuller’s ESB (Cask) Rating Avg: 3.4 No. of Ratings: 199
Copyright © 2000-2012,
RateBeer LLC. All rights
reserved.
about us
About RateBeer
FAQ
Feedback?
New Beers
 add
Advanced Search
Add A Beer
Add A Brewer
Add A Place
membership
Log In
Edit Personal Info
Premium Membership
Your Messages
 the best
100 Beer Club
The Top 50