Fullers ESB (Bottle/Keg)

Brewed by Fullers
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
London, England

After another marathon day of travel thru the hills of upstate NY, I was tired, not dog tired or exhausted but tired of just being about a bijillion people, and maybe a bit tired of being inside a moving vehicle. I needed a bit of alone time with a beer. .5L Bottle at the rip and run. Pours a lovely amber with a moderate off white head that settled to a ring rather fast. The beer sat upon the counter and was viewed with some interest by my cat Fuzzy who has developed a taste for a range of beer styles. I returned from picking tomatoes and beans from the garden to witness the 22 pound cat on the counter next to my beer with a wet paw. Fuzzy was busy licking his paw clean as I was finally able to quaff my first taste. A bit of cat fur aside this was just what I needed last night. A bold yet reserved beer. Sure the hops are there in abundance but they still don’t smack you in the face twice and then ask if you want some more zestiness. This beer stoicly looks at you and says "Yes? Oh, righty -oh Sir, More reserved hops with an expertly balanced body?????" Straight away" Oh, and by the by...could you dispatch those 10,000 Zulus at Rourke’s drift?? Certainly sir..if only I could have a few pints of this for fortitude. I slept well.

Flaske. Ravfarvet øl. Overraskende maltdomineret øl, især i smagen. Duften er let blomstret og humlen kan også anes i bitterheden der rammer til sidst. Alt i alt er det dog ikke en synderligt ophidsende øl.

Beautiful. A mouthful of malt. Toffee and biscuit. No foamy wishy washy ale, but a real mouth filler. Well balanced with english hops (no aggressive citrusy piny stuff here). Low carbonation as is ideal for this style. Despite it’s strength a beer you can really get stuck into.

Bottle. Average size creamy white head with a clear orange body. Nice malt aroma and citrus aroma from the hop. Good balanced flavor and a nice bitter finish.

On tap at the incredibly hard to find English Pub in Naples, FL. Orange/amber body and a fingernail of off-white head. Good-looking lacing and a very fruity aroma of cherries. Flavors are almost candy-like with strawberry, subtle hops, grains, and biscuits. Medium body, and very, very low carbonation, the bartender (who’s from England) explained that the British love beer with low carbonation. Explains how they can drink ten pints in an hour.

35.5 cl bottle. Pours a deep copper with basically no head. Looks thick and hop oily. Aroma is very sweet; first with caramelled malts and toffee, then citrus. It’s well balanced and only slightly bitter. Very smooth and low carbonation. I only really note the bitterness in the very pleasantly drawn out finish. My first special bitter makes me want to try more.

I’ve had this many times on cask but have decided to rate this after a pint of it on keg at a wonderfully dingy bar in Wellington on the other side of the world to its home. Looks pretty good in the glass, perhaps a slight chill haze but it was served at about -2 degrees….not much nose to speak of but I think my memory was fitting in the blanks, oranges and biscuity malt yum! Flavours are all about oranges and peppery hops with a huge blast of malt, just a slight boiled vege flavour from the long journey but it tastes pretty damn good over here!

caramel matl aroma, with a hint of golden syrup. Amber with a lingering head. Delicate malt and caramel flavour, with a gentle bitterness, and alcohol note, and touch of honey to finish. Wonderful smooth mouthfeel with gentel carbonation.