Southampton ESB

Brewed by Southampton Publick House
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Southampton, New York USA

On tap at BT. Copper amber with a small head. Aroma is cereal and malt, hardly any hops. Although the aroma would make you this this stuff is sweet, its really not. Flavor is dry and malty with. Nice flour flavor. Toasty.

On tap at BT. Deep copper amber in color with a little off white head. Malty grainy caramel aroma. Nutty notes. Cereal bready malty flavor. Smooth tasting. Sweet. Medium bodied. Nice beer. Very drinkable.

This was one of the few saving graces of the terrible experience that was NYC Beer on the Pier - thankfully I got to try this fine ale before I evacuated what was sure to become a huge frat boy grab ass and vomit party - this reminded me very much of another quality local ESB, Blue Point - much like that beer, this ale struck a perfect balance between its bitter and malt (bread, biscuit) characteristics - it had an almost creamy mouthfeel, and a lot of yeasty notes, especially for the style - I revisited this beer a couple of times before I high-tailed it out of there.

Draught at the brewery. Beer was clear and medium caramel color with an average-sized, creamy/frothy, off-white, mostly lasting head. High arches of lacing left behind on the glass. The aroma was pretty engaging: malty with light notes of toasted grain and trace notes of cookie and caramel; Hoppy with moderate notes of grapefruit and resin/pine; yeasty with a trace note of damp basement; trace notes of banana and pineapple, light note of honey. The flavor was moderately sweet, lightly acidic and moderately-to-heavily bitter with an extra-long, trace acidic, moderately bitter finish. The body was light, the texture was watery and the carbonation was lively.

Draft at the Blind Tiger. Copper color with some head. Slightly sweet and bready malt aroma with some european hops. Flavor is the same, subtle bitterness but balanced with the bready and sweet malt. Nice beer.

Tap at the brewpub. Pours a medium amber iwth a nice lasting thin beige head. Served way too cold, and I had to hold my hands around the glass for a while to allow it to warm up a bit. As it warmed, the aroma had nice fruity esters, and slight herbal and tea-like hops and light caramel malts. Flavor is very clean with light toffee, crystal malts, light crisp hops and a clean bitterness. Mouthfeel is a bit on the lighter side, but still very smooth, flavorful and easy to drink. Nice.

Sampled at Beer On The Pier in NYC. I’ll second what Notalush said about that awful event. Light amber in color with a small white head. Biscuit malt aroma with a nice hop background. Very well balanced flavor. I always seem to forget how good a well made bitter can be. I’m so used to being knocked over the head with hops(not that I mind) that it was refreshing to drink a beer where it’s malty, biscuity flavor wasn’t just hiding in the background. Nice dry bitter finish.

On tap at Zeno’s Pub - State College, PA. Light malt nose. Faint. Pours a deeply hued copper, with fading rim of rocky white. Flavor starts predictably. Fresh bright honey-like malt, with oak background, grasses, and fresh chewy hops. Carbonation on the lower end is appropriate. Signature Southampton yeast profile sneaks through for a brief glimpse. Chewy. Smack is incredible. A rolling glow of real earthy fresh farm tones, heavy Flax seed, minerals, and salt. Almost oily in a omega way. Grassy milk residuals and fish bones. Complex and long lasting. Hop character is completely nuanced. If the sugars lied a little lighter on the tongue and the malt expressed a little more character mid-way, this beer would be astounding.