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River Horse Special Ale ESB

Percentile
31
overall

bottled
common

on tap
available

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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
2052.84/5.02.84/5.04.5%10.3English pint
Commercial Description:
Special Ale is our flagship ESB. It’s been with us from the start and hasn’t changed since that first brew way back in 1996. Ample quantities of caramel malt give this English ale a soft copper hue and the colorful addition of carapils malt adds a slight sweetness you might mistake for honey.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 omhper (12236), Stockholm, Sweden
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/517/20
Feb 25, 2002  
Orange coloured. Light bodied, full flavoured and well balanced. I wish my notes were better on this one...


 kp (8396), Woodstock, Georgia, USA
2.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
4/102/55/103/510/20
Sep 1, 2007    Updated: Jan 17, 2009

Date: February 08, 2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Appearance: golden brown, whispy head
Aroma: lightly sweet carmal malt aroma with light floral hops
Flavor: light malt flavor with a vegitable quality, light bitterness

Date: October 28, 2006
Mode: bottle
Score: i to ii
Aroma: light earthy hop aroma on a dry caramel malt base
Flavor: dry caramel malt flavor, light bitterness
Overall: boring but not infected

Aroma: 4/10; Appearance: 4/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.4/5.0
Drinkability: 5/10
Score: *4


 argo0 (6907), Washington DC, USA
2.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/103/55/103/510/20
Oct 13, 2003  
Clear light copper body with minimal head. Aroma is medium sweet, caramel and earthy, light butterscotch. Taste starts medium sweet caramel, turns and finishes earthy bitter. Medium body.


 hopdog (5600), Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA
3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/103/55/103/514/20
Aug 29, 2004  
On tap at the Porterhouse Brew Pub. Poured a medium amber/copper color with an averaged sized off white head. Earthy malty aroma and taste. Creamy body.


 CaptainCougar (5494), Rockville, Maryland, USA
2.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/55/103/511/20
Jan 9, 2004  
Light hazy copper color with a medium off-white head. Musty, grainy aroma with a hint of caramely sweetness. Body is mild, and uneventful with a dry musty bitterness toward the finish. Not really an ESB, nor is it all that special. Finishes off-balance with a touch of sugar and English hops.


 hopscotch (5493), Vero Beach, Florida, USA
2.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/103/56/102/59/20
Jun 26, 2005  
Draft at Old Dominion Beer Festival 2005... Crystal clear amber ale with a small, fizzy, white head. The nose is just a touch skunky (which is odd, considering my glass was pulled from a keg) and grapefruity. Lightly sweet and malty up front, but perfectly balanced by the hops. Other than being just a touch malty and perfectly balanced there’s not much to the flavor at all... maybe a touch of clover. Light-bodied and creamy with lively carbonation. Short, crisp, clean finish. Disappointing overall.


 jcwattsrugger (5451), Florida and, New Jersey, USA
3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/56/103/511/20
Jan 14, 2006  
on tap-pours a rich, light tan head. Copper color. Aroma malt, hops, sweet. Taste is quite mild with the hops and malt being about equally present. Less hops than the ESB category usually has, but a nice beer. Mild effervescence and medium body.


 Cletus (5057), Connecticut, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/57/103/512/20
May 31, 2005  
Pours gold with a small head and thin lacing. Smells of grass, caramel, brown sugar and honey. Taste is slightly bitter with a nice nutty finish and some mild hints of coffee and roasted malts. Not a typical ESB, closer to a brown ale.



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