Hammer & Nail Extra Special Bitter

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

RERATE-- Found probably the last sixer of this great beer I"ll ever find, and I"d have to say it"s probably one of the best bitters brewed in the US, if not the world. Perfection for me. OLD--Not bad at all. The beer poured nicely, with a thick head that generated an awesome smell. The actual taste didn’t quite live up to my expectations, but it was very tasty and drinkable. This one is a little harder to find than the rest of the H&N styles, but I think it’s their second best, after their oatmeal stout. Pretty classic ESB, in all respects. A little rough around the edges, but quite enjoyable.

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.

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!

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.

Another stellar brew. Nice malt sweetness and then bam! with the spicy hoppy bite. Very drinkable and dangerous.

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!

orange hazy color, sweet aroma very well balanced malt and hop flavors. It’s quite good, I would call this an English Pale, rather than an Englsih bitter. I don’t find it very bitter frankly. It’s tasty though.

Wow, never would have guessed the alcohol content at all. Malty, slightly perfumey aroma. Smooth palate. Pleasant slightly bitter finish (very slightly) to a pleasantly fruity beer.