Ship Inn ESB

Brewed by The Ship Inn Restaurant & Brewery
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Milford, New Jersey USA

Copper amber with a white bubbly head. Herbal and earth y with a light drying hop character and some sweeter caramel notes. Some light dried fruit with a chewy but drying finish. Good.

From a cask. Mild aroma of bread. Dark amber pour with a small head. Flavor is mostly bitter with a touch of sweet malt. Nice dry finish. Pretty good.

Gravity cask at Rattle N Hum. It’s from the end of a cask, but it’s still in pretty good shape. Deep amber-red beer with a thin lace of foam. Aroma is quite lovely. Soft toasted Maris Otter malts along with a light UK crystal malt sweetness. Aroma shows a kiss of orange marmalade, light herbal/grassy/UK hops as well. There is a touch of sweet caramel and maybe even a bit of coconut as well. Fairly strong herbal/spicy hoppiness with some lingering woody/chewy resinousness. The flavour is quite orangey as well. The yeast shows a nice spiciness and a bit of light estery fruit. It’s seems quite high in alcohol but it’s got all of the right components. Very authentic.

Couldn’t get much of an aroma out of it, but the coloring was a traditional copper color and quite inviting. Not much to speak of in the way of head or lacing, but that’s probably because the carbonation is rather low. Flavor and drinkability was very true to style, yet a slightly sour overtone (possibly brewed with extract?) seemed to prevail over the standard bitter taste of an ESB. If my friend brewed this in his basement, I’d be amazed. For a brew pub offering, it’s nothing outstanding. Very average.

Light copper in color with an ample off-white head, the Ship Inn’s ESB is fuller in flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel than their Best Bitter. Not from cask, this brew had soft carbonation, but still retained the creaminess of its little brother. More fruity and floral in aroma, and with a hint of alchohol aroma, the ESB had a shorter, but less bitter and more refined finish than the best bitter. A smooth increase in hop character from the beginning to the end of the swallow made each sip interesting. A slight tartness to the flavor made me order 2.

on tap-pours a tan head and copper color. Aroma is medium malt-sweet, musty. Taste is medium malt-sweet, musty, secondary hops bitterness.

Growler from draft, a made to style english bitter that you’ll enjoy as a solid offering if not outstanding. Good mouthfeel, a good bit of malt sweetness, not overcarbonated, appropriate bitterness.

1.23.06 This was probably their best beer next to the Dark Charger which I guess we will have to add after we find out what the heck it was. AdamSkillin gets it right by saying this is a pretty good beer yet has some kind of unclean flavor lurking around. There is potential here.