Middle Ages Beast Bitter

Brewed by Middle Ages Brewing
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Syracuse, New York USA

Serve in English pint

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12oz. bottle: This one pours with a huge head on it. The color is a slightly hazt, slightly darker golden color. The aroma is a bit floral with some sweetness in the background. The taste is a bit of a mish-mash of flavors. They all seems to collide and don’t balance well at all. Definitely bitter and dry at the end. OK, but I probably won’t be coming back to this one.

UPDATED: MAY 30, 2012 Aroma is a mix of fruit and malts. The flavor is citrus/grapefruit, berries, tropical fruit, malts and a tinge of hops in the finish.

Poured from 12 oz. bottle. Hazy light amber with creamy average+ head. Grapefruit, pine and caramel on the nose. Moderately bitter taste. Medium mouthfeel. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

My wife brought this one down from a trip to Rochester. +++ Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a hazy apricot-caramel color with a large sudsy orange-white head that left a bit of lacing. The aroma was faintly tart orange, lemon, dishsoap, chalk and Pez candies. The flavor was tart orange, lemon and Pez candies. Dry and dusty finish. Very heavily carbonated. Eh.

Bottle. Poured orange with a fizzy off-white head that settles to a ring. Aroma of floral, honey, and apricots. The flavor found toasted malt, floral, and an orange background. Light to medium body, tingly carbonation, and an apricot aftertaste.

Vibrant brassy color with strong upward carbonation feeding a poofy head. Fruity, apricot notes, floral and flowery with a hint of soap.Floral and perfumed body with apricot flavor for good measure.

Very balanced. Malty base with a touch of hops through the finish. Smooth and drinkable.

Bottle- Pours a light amber color with a good head and some lacing. Aroma of citrus, fresh grain and a fruity sweetness. Mild flavor of caramel, fruit and grain with a subtle bitterness. has a nice dry finish. Medium body, crisp, smooth, creamy and clean. Breat bitter, not sure why it is called the Beast, but it beats out most other of this style. Highly recommended.

I poured a 12oz bottle into an English pint glass.

Appearance: Very hazy complexion with shade of dark orange/light brown. Forms a huge white foamy head even with a gentle pour. Fantastic lacing and retention.

Smell: Mostly malty, especially cereal and toast with light floral bouquet and hint of citrus.

Taste: Very similar to a traditional English ESB with the cereal maltiness throughout the palate. Begins with a slightly sharp, almost tangy, dry bitterness which gives way to slight fruit sensation and significant toffee flavor. Seems a little more hop forward than your average ESB, then again this is an American beer so it’s intended for a different audience. Hops impart a slight citrusy flavor on the finish, but are mostly overshadowed by the cereal and toast flavors that dominate the palate.

Mouthfeel: Medium thickness and slightly lighter body presence. Some carbonation noticeable. Refreshing while in the mouth.

Drinkability: At 5.3% ABV this is certainly a sessionable brew, as it drinks like the traditional British pub ales that no doubt inspired it. Very smooth finish and a slightly dry aftertaste with a hint of tang, but nothing cloying (which is immediately quenched by the next swig, anyway).

Overall, a decent American take on the English style. Nothing amazing, but certainly satisfying.

Bottle from Half Time. Pours amber gold with a creamy off-white head. Aromas of floral hop over mild roast malt. The flavor is intense and mild at the same time. Strong floral, but not very bitter; strong caramel but not very sweet. Somewhat spicy. I’m fairly certain the style is nailed here. Unless the flavor is too intense for our brethern over the pond. Oh to be in England.

Got this bottle on beer tour east with Dan. Light to medium golden amber color. Relatively true to style, closer to most English ESBs than American ones. Lightly carbonated. Floral aromas and a full on hop bitterness dominate. That’s why I don’t drink many of the bitters.