Breckenridge 471 Small Batch Extra ESB

Brewed by Breckenridge Brewery
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Denver, Colorado USA

A vigorous pour produces a scant, one-finger thick, tan colored head that sits on top of a brilliantly clear, cherry red colored brew. The aroma has quite a bit of malt character to it with a nice toasted grain note noticeable up front. This is quickly followed by a mellow, herbal, hop character and some bright, berry like hop notes. The herbal and berry hop components combine to make this beer smell a little weird, maybe a bit like rhubarb or something as there is a slightly tart edge to this.

Chewy, though not overly sweet, this beer has a definite heft to it with a full body to it. A bitterness and a lingering herbal note contribute to the finish along with a browned, toasted malt note that has a touch of roast character to it. Citrus hop notes of grapefruit and tangerine combine with a touch of berry notes and a caramelized malt sweetness (though a complex, chewy sweet note) to provide a bit of a counterpoint to the herbal / astringent hop notes and sharp, darker grain notes.

Sharp, with an herbal hop character at times and at other the thick, chewy, deeply caramelized, but not sweet malt takes over. I can’t quite decide if this beer is very well balanced or not quite balanced. The malt and hop character are about equal, but some how they do not mesh together quite as smoothly as they should. Still this is a tasty beer worth trying.

This bottled brew from a bottle shop poured a small sized head of foamy tan colored bubbles that were mostly lasting and left behind a transparent softly carbonated brown colored body and a fair lacing. The mild aroma was malty and contained a mild dirty sock slightly bitter note to it. The tingly crisp mouth feel was tingly at the start and at the finish with a biting bitter aftertaste. The nice flavor contained notes of mild biting malts and hops. A decent one that I would consider buying again.

12 oz. bottle from Plaza Liquor - Pours a deep amber color with a 3/4 finger thick off white head. Very light spotty lacing. Aroma is earthy/herbal hops and light caramel malt. Flavor is a nice balance of hops and caramel malt. Palate is slightly bitter. Light to medium body. A decent beer.

Bottle from West Point Market in Akron. This beer pours a clear deep amber color with a medium thick and fluffy off-white head that has decent retention. Thin sheet of lacing on the glass. Earthy malt and sweet caramel along with a bit of floral hops in the nose. Medium, smooth body with rich and sweet malt and toffee flavors backed up by floral hops and spices. Hops bitterness begins to assert itself a bit more as it warms, as does the alcohol. The finish retains the sweet malt and caramel base, and leaves a lingering hops aftertaste. Overall this is a fairly sound ESB across the board.

Courtesy Santa. Pours a mostly clear amber color with a thin broken white head. Light toasty malts and mild earthy hop character on the aroma. A mild sweetness also creeps in. The taste is a slightly sweet maltiness with the hops coming in on the finish, and being a tad soapy. Doesn’t taste like a 7% brew. A decent ESB that’s sessionable.

From a 12 oz. bottle purchased at Corral Liquors in Granite City, IL. A thick, light kahki head tops a deep amber colored body. The aroma is sweet cherry with some vanilla and toffee. The taste is light iced tea with some bread crust and a little bit of toffee. The body is fairly thick and chewy with very light carbonation. A nice brew, but nothing special.

Bottle. Dark amber color with big off white head. Dirty earth aroma with floral notes. The taste was the same with bitterness and earthiness in the finish.

I bought one of these to sample and wish I had a sixer now. The beer pours out of the bottle a creme soda color, somewhat clear. When it settles in the glass the color changes to dark cherry, with a tint of red. The aroma is heavenly and reminds me of sasparilla. The first sip is delicious with a stong hop flavor that is smooth and doesn’t bite. As you drink it, the bitterness comes out more and more. That’s why they call it an ESB though, right?