ESB
Redhook Brewery in Seattle, Washington, United States 🇺🇸
Bitter - ESB / Strong Bitter Regular|
Score
6.08
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Redhook’s flagship beer got its start as a winter seasonal recipe in the mid 80’s. In the early years, Extra Special Bitter earned a reputation as ‘banana beer’ and has been brewed continuously since 1987. ESB’s caramel malt sweetness and subtle spice and fruit hop flavors, quickly defined the style, becoming Seattle’s definitive craft beer and inspiring a new wave of craft beers across the country.
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5.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 8
Overall 5
Draft. Copper color without much aroma. The flavor is very mild and has a bit of a fruit/malt combination. Very little bitterness. Makes for an easy drinking beer, but nothing inspiring.
Tried
from Draft
on 03 Nov 2003
at 12:50
5.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4.5
Slightly hazy orange colour with a slight amber tint. 1 centimetre tall off-white head comprised of small bubbles. Very nice perfumey and slightly subtle american and english hop aroma with a prominent malt backbone and a slight sweet smell. Medium-bodied; Tastes of hops and malt are both present and make up most of the taste. Aftertaste a bit sweet and show a very slight residual hop flavour. Overall, this is not good for the style and really isn't worth trying even though it's available everywhere! I bought this twelve ounce bottle at Total Wine in Chantilly, Virginia and sampled it on 11-September-2003.
Tried
from Can
on 19 Sep 2003
at 22:42
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Update 4/11/04. Had this on tap before a concert in Columbus and the beer was remarkably better than the bottle I previously tried. Caramely, rich flavor led to a nice earthy, slightly bitter hops finish. Nice floral hops aroma. Hard to believe this is the same beer I tried previously.
Previous review: Crisp and refreshing, but by no means a "bitter." ESB is deemed an "amber ale" on the bottle, but has a weak aroma and flavor. Don't drop da dinero if you're 'dinkin bout dryin' da amber!
Rating: 5 3 5 3 12
Previous review: Crisp and refreshing, but by no means a "bitter." ESB is deemed an "amber ale" on the bottle, but has a weak aroma and flavor. Don't drop da dinero if you're 'dinkin bout dryin' da amber!
Rating: 5 3 5 3 12
Tried
from Draft
on 26 Apr 2003
at 23:54
6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
medium amber,lasting dense creamy tan head. Tantalizing nose. Nutty and well balanced with a medium hop finish
Tried
on 25 Nov 2002
at 14:49
5.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
has a refreshing bitterness. reminds me of a mandarin orange. light and colorful. This is a great beer for many occasions. nothing spectacular about it though. Rerate. 2003 draft. yuck, I really hate to admit it, but this is nothing worth drinking. Orange-like sweetness, dry and not very fresh at all. Out of balance, watery.
Tried
from Draft
on 10 Jul 2002
at 07:56
6.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Copper coloured. Malty (crystal malt profile) and spicy.....................
Tried
on 24 Feb 2002
at 15:39
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Not as bitter as I expected it to be, and therefore probably a good lead-in to the more bitter amber ales. Decent color and aroma but overall not as exotic as the label implies.
Tried
on 03 Feb 2002
at 22:51
5.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
As with their IPA I just re-rated, my current tasting notes don't match my older ones...hmmm. Anyway, it is currently a light amber color, with a medium head and pretty heavy lacing. Malty nose but not fruity. Nicely bitter flavor, but again with clean malts. Its not nearly as Britishy tasting as I'd like to find in an ESB.
Tried
on 06 Nov 2001
at 14:53
6.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Typical of the style and region. That's not a bad thing....................
Tried
on 05 Jan 2001
at 13:24
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Oct 1999
at 09:28