Hammer & Nail Extra Special Bitter

Formerly brewed at Hammer & Nail Brewers
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Watertown, Connecticut USA

Diminishing white head covers the caramel coloured ale. Faint bready and caramel scents emanate from the mostly malty nose. Irregular flavors peak up here and there, disturbing the global balance, the peak of which being those awful plastic notes that kick in just before the soapy hops confirm your lack of desire for another sip. Not very hoppy at all and for that matter, not very tasty either. Light bodied, fair carbonation, rather astringent. Too old obviously.

The Lure:
Some shy fruitiness amidst the caramel. Hops have left the aroma, but it’s overall unpleasant.

The Festivities:
Flowery hop bitterness rises behind the fatigued maltiness. Big bubbles do not affect the flavor display, but the subdued nature of it all recalls amber ales more than ESBs.

Transcendence:
Time is a quirky concept.

Please note that on my older reviews I used a 100 point scale. To make up for any scoring discrepancies, all palate and apearance scored are assigned a neutralized 3/5.

09/01/02: This beer looks great in the glass. The bubbles cascade up and down the side revealing a nice clear body. The flavor on this is on the bitter side but has some nice sweetness underneath it all. This smells like a fresh stream that has some wildflowers growing near by. I definitely need to buy more of this.

Mildly fruity caramel aroma is somewhat stale. Clear copper coloured body is topped by a low white head that recedes to partial cover and ring. Fruity caramel flavour has mild finishing bitterness with some floral and lavender hops still apparent in the aftertaste. Medium light body with somewhat low carbonation. Seems like we got here too late. Bottle sampled at the Country Inn with beerbuzzmontreal, MartinT, Rastacouere and Yowie.

Why don’t we see more ’ESB’S’? It’s a great style, not to mild, not to strong (OK for Weenies}. This style is well balanced (malts vs. hops), not a high ABV, clean and refreshing. H&N’s ESB, is a nice dark copper color, with a generous beige head and fine lace, and many ’Tiny Bubbles’ to denote a well brewed beer. Malt sweet at the start, friendly carbonation, and a decent hop dry spicy finish that leaves you saying AAAAHHHHHH! I found it a great thirst quencher after a day of shopping with my daughters in this 108F dry Arizona heat and the bazillion idiots that populate the wide straight streets, that are most always baracaded due to water main breaks and or just general idosy of the City Street Department, all graduates of the Mickey Mouse School of Highway Engineering! Not the least of my complaints as I think my VISA Gold Card sustained some serious dents!

A decent ESB. The malt was great while the hops were only OK. I wouldn’t have guessed this was 6.7% that was a surprise. Thanks VENOM!

Nice complex and fruity British influenced ale. Excellent herbal hop notes complement the soft fruitiness. Very smooth - memorable. Excellent dark amber color and large rocky head.

Sunset orange; Medium dense head; The aroma is whacked- spearmint!. Mint and chocolate on the first sip- f-ed up man, but not offensive, just very, very strange. Became cloying at 1/2 mark. Nice bit of malt across the tongue.