RateBeer
Score
8897
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
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.


1.9
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 3/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 5/20
MrAleman (111) - Wiltshire, ENGLAND - MAY 29, 2009
Plenty of flavour but tastes a bit too strong and starts to take like pure alcohol after a while. Not as good as London Pride.

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.

4.3
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 18/20
Vladivostok (103) - Buckinghamshire, ENGLAND - JUN 2, 2010
One of the great ales. Mellow malts with a strong hop aroma on the nose. Deceptively drinkable.

4.2
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 18/20
Tobias10 (99) - London, Bedfordshire, ENGLAND - DEC 14, 2005
Cask : The Star, Belgravia. Really fruity(orange)/malty with an oily mouthfeel. Good long finnish with quite a hop kick. A really good beer!

4
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
Illuminatus (92) - Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA - APR 30, 2008
On tap at Chaucer’s Pub, London, ON. Pours medium amber, medium off-white head. Aroma is of malt and spicy floral hops. Beautifully balanced between the smooth, sweet malt and the lightly bitter blend of hops. A great pint.

4.2
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 18/20
Daredevil (77) - Bern, SWITZERLAND - NOV 26, 2007
had this one to go with a lunch in a City pub .... the food (battered cod and chips) wasn’t worth the mention, however the brew was .... a medium to full bodied strongly flavored ale, with quite strong bitterness ... quite strong in alcohol too, which you will not feel while drinking, perhaps afterwards ...

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.

3.5
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
a_cross (57) - Poole, Dorset, ENGLAND - JUN 1, 2012
Bright, reddish gold, looks rich and enticing; delicate orange perfume; malty, some toasty notes, orange marmalade, juicy stewed fruit, a tinge of alcohol; understated bitter hops in the finish; my only quibble is that I’ve never particularly liked the (in my experience) unique aftertaste - which I can only describe as akin to the aftermath of a beery burp (not that I would ever stoop to emitting such a thing); complex and satisfying overall.

3.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
labologist (55) - Bramhall, ENGLAND - AUG 15, 2006
Dark amber in colour, fruity (orange)/malty/hoppy aroma, wellbalanced malt & hop flavour with some roast bitterness in the finish

3
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 12/20
Blasphemies (45) - Ontario, CANADA - MAY 27, 2008
UPDATED: JUN 14, 2008 Nice beer, need to rate & try again when more awake...Copper brown in colour, some fruit in the aroma. Light body, slightly bitter taste and finishes dry. - a bit malty on second try


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