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River Horse Special Ale ESB 2.84 207

River Horse Special Ale ESB

Percentile
31
overall

bottled
common

on tap
available

Regional Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
2072.84/5.02.84/5.04.5%10.9English 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?  
Dead Rex99 (19), New Jersey, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/519/20
Jun 29, 2001  
An exceptional product from a small brewery in NJ. If I had to live with one ale, this would be it.


 Admiral (524), Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/518/20
Jul 3, 2002  
Very much like a less hoppy version of the Hop Hazard, with mintier notes.


 omhper (12299), 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...


MikenAnna (1), , Pennsylvania, USA
does not count click to see why this rating of River Horse Special Ale ESB does not count
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/105/58/105/515/20
Aug 16, 2008  
Beer pours an amber color, good aroma, good taste (malty), and pretty smooth. Good Ale


 williamherbert (475), Syracuse, New York, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/58/104/516/20
Nov 8, 2009  
A light cranberry red. Clear but for the fog on the glass. One half finger of foamy off-white head. Lots of bubbles. Diggin’ the look. Strong alcohol aroma, just this side of a barleywine. Some sweetish leathery malt notes. Hints of dark berry. A light barleywine smell. The taste is strong and a bit puckery sour. Some leathery malt, almost like a porder in its darkness, but balanced by some dark berry. Hints of dark caramel. Strong malts. Hops are English and subdued. The feel is thick, almost like a cream ale; full bodied. It’s a drinkable "special ale." They call it an ESB but it’s far stronger. Nice and substantial.


BT (85), Newtown, Connecticut, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/103/516/20
Jul 20, 2005  
12 oz. bottle in a shaker. Poured orange-reddish, aroma of malts some hops; the commerical description is almost spot-on, except the thin body, and a bit too much carbonation, slight malt in the mouth. Easy to down.


 Beerdedone (1888), Croydon, Pennsylvania, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/104/516/20
Apr 21, 2006  
Bottle. Sampled with Stegosaurus, he brought it back from the brewery for me. sampled four different beers, this was my favorite of them. Beautiful pour, good aroma, great flavor.


 raymow (738), Bensalem, Pennsylvania, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/514/20
Mar 12, 2003  
Nice appearance. Slightly sweet flavor, also somewhat malty. Not at all hoppy. Pretty good, but something seems to be missing. Still, I'd buy it again.



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