Yards Brewing Company Extra Special Ale (ESA)

Extra Special Ale (ESA)

 

Yards Brewing Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States 🇺🇸

  Bitter - ESB / Strong Bitter Regular
Score
6.53
ABV: 6.0% IBU: 44 Ticks: 38
Our first ever and most beloved brew, ESA helped establish a following for cask-conditioned beer in the United States back in the ‘90s. East Kent Golding hops give this English style ale a subtle spiciness, which compliments its strong malt backbone. Hints of chocolate and caramel round out this deep chestnut colored ale. Floral, earthy, smooth.
 

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6.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Tap at the brewery in Philadelphia. A clear deep amber coloured pour with a small halo of beige head. Aroma is semi sweet, burnt toffee, grass, burnt grass, butterscotch. Flavour is composed of semi sweet, jammy, layered nutty malts, sweet bread, toffee, butterscotch, grassy hop. Palate is medium sweet, sticky sugars, light tang, mellow carbonation.

Tried from Draft on 17 Apr 2023 at 22:41



6.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

On tap at the brewery. Pours copper. Raisin, grain, sulfur, biscuit. Medium body. Fine.

Tried from Draft on 04 Feb 2023 at 17:35


5.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4.5

Draft at the source. Clear gold, white head. Light malt, floral notes, hay. Not my favorite.

Tried from Draft on 07 Apr 2022 at 00:33


6.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Tap at Strangelove in cask. Hazy brown pour. Nose is cardboard, floral, and pine. Taste sof florals, caramel, toast. Ok

Tried from Draft on 24 Oct 2018 at 02:18


7.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

12 ounce bottle. CLear copper color. Large rocky beige head. Spicy toasted malt nose. Soft, silky toasted malt flavor. Notes of caramel and herbal hops. Easy drinking and very "English". Earthy malt and spicy hops in finish round this ale out nicely.

Tried from Bottle on 02 Dec 2017 at 21:46


6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

On tap at the brewery. Pours a clear copper brown with medium off white head leaving sticky lacing. The aroma is bread and floral. Medium mouth, cocoa, toffee, grain, bitter finish.

Tried from Draft on 28 May 2016 at 17:42


6.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Citrus and a touch of nut in this. Malt has a big profile. Some light sourness. Pours amber with good head and great lacing. Tap at brewpub.

Tried from Draft on 05 Oct 2014 at 09:54


6.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle at brother Charlie’s bachelor camp-out - CT, October 2013. Pours red-brown with a creamy topping. Tasty, bready, simple. Touches of sugary malts. Light to medium bodied with fine to average carbonation. More basic bready malts on the finish, low bitterness, faint leaves and fruit. Basic but tasty and easy-drinking.

Tried from Bottle on 04 Oct 2014 at 01:17


6.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Cask offering at O’Neal’s Pub. The cask variety adds an element of sourness to the normally bitter nature of this beer. Nice woody, dried fruit aroma, more dried fruit in the taste. This is more of a sipper, bringing to mind dubbels and sours. Nice!

Tried from Cask on 29 May 2014 at 16:38