Breckenridge 471 Small Batch Extra ESB

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

Had this from a bottle. Pours a dark amber color. Tasted closer to a IPA than a Bitter. Wasn’t too overly impressed by this one. Taste better when its around 60 degrees,then colder.

Pours a dark copper color with a medium off white head and moderate carbonation. Aroma is mostly malt with a light chocolate malt, a nutty toastedness, caramel and some citrus and floral hops notes. Flavor is malty with lots of caramel, nutty, light raisin fruitiness, some peat and finishes with a modest amount of pine hops notes. The density is great and the alcohol is pretty well hidden. Overall a great beer and once I will pick up again sometime.

Single bottle from greens. Dark red almost brown pour. Mucho malto here and skinny on the hops. Caramel and candy flavors. Purple and red fruit aromas. This seems like it has been sitting around about 1 month too long or else the hops are just really muted here. There is a hint of some grassy hops on the back end and there is a reminder of some earthy yeast and malt in here as well. Unfortunately not a big fan of this esb.

Pours dark copper with a decent tan head. Aroma is light citrusy grapefruit. Flavor is citrusy grapefruit, with a slight bit of bready malt, with a big bitter finish.

Pours a bit hazy and a dark caramel color. Aroma takes on a bit of the noble hops, some malty biscuit tones and you get a good deal of bread in the nose as well. Nice chewy mouthfeel, malty toffee, biscuit, sweet flavor that is nicely accented by a fair amount of hop bitterness. A true to style ESB, english malts and hops. Good stuff!

A dark clear amber ale with a thick lacing light moka head. A pleasant pungeant c-hop aroma with light chocolate and nuts, enticing. In mouth, a crisp malt with nutty notes, c-hops, grapefruits, some fruity esters. Medium bodied and very well balanced. On tap at Ballpark brewpub 24 Jan. 2009.

Ahh...finally a worthwhile beer from Breckenridge. I like this one. Pours a cloudy, murky, slightly reddish brown...not all that pretty, but it looks like it means business and after that disturbing vanilla porter I need a serious beer. Nose is heavier on the alcohol than most bitters, and seems to have the characteristics of a weakened (but not too weak) barley wine. The flavor confirms this "weak barley wine" idea...a nice hoppiness, with strong alcohol flavors. The only real problem I have is that the flavors don’t really dwell too long on the palate and the mouthfeel isn’t as full as I’d like it to be. Still, though, a pretty good beer...though drastically overpriced at $12-13/sixer.

Bottle. Pours a brown color with a small head. Does leave some lacing on the side of the glass. Aroma is sweeter with some notes of malt and caramel. Taste is kind of nutty that leads to a dry finish.