Gale's HSB
Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick, Greater London, England 🏴
Bitter - ESB / Strong Bitter Regular|
Score
6.54
|
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Horndean Special Bitter (HSB) was first brewed in 1959 to meet a growing demand for a higher strength bitter. Sales growth was slow throughout the sixties when BBB and the cask milds were the predominant Gales beers. However, following the creation of CAMRA and the greater public interest in cask conditioned beer, HSB sales grew throughout the seventies and eighties and became Gales major brand. Production moved to Fullers in early 2006.
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6.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 6.5
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
dark chestnut colour, large, dense beige-ish ecru head; aroma of toffee, milk chocolate, dairy cream, rye bready, roasted sunflower seeds and maybe some dried fruity notes; taste of toasted rye bready, roasted nutty, some burnt sugary and dairy cream notes; correct bitter
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Dec 2025
at 21:21
6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle. Pours a dark brown colour with a thin white head, light caramel aroma, the taste is medium bitterness with a dry bitter finish.
Tried
from Bottle
at
Fuller’s Brewery
on 06 Dec 2025
at 17:42
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7
Bottle from Waitrose. Clear amber body with a beige head. Low carbonation. Faint lacing. Aroma of earth and dried leaves. Flavour of toffee and a rich, malty finish. Thin to medium body with a slick texture. Soft fizz. Rich and well balanced.
Tried
from Bottle
from
Waitrose Supermarket (Various locations)
on 25 Nov 2025
at 22:22
6/10
Fruity, figs, malty
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Nov 2025
at 19:33
6/10
Magus, mõru, karamelline, linnaseline, nats happeline. Ok.
Tried
from Cask
on 08 Aug 2025
at 15:12
5/10
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Appearance 5
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 5
Overall 5
Old rating - On draft at the Lamplighter, St Helier, Jersey. Pours a brown colour with minimal head. Aromas of nuts. Taste is on the warm side for my liking and is again nutty.
Tried
from Cask
on 31 May 2025
at 13:58
7/10
Tried
on 12 Apr 2025
at 21:26
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 7
Cask at Nags Head, Shrewsbury. Pours “bitter brown” with a medium sized foamy off-white head and good lacing. Not much of an aroma – just hints of malts and biscuits. In the mouth it is quite sweet with malts, nuts and hints of oranges. Some traces of ginger and parkin after a while. Some bitterness in the finish. This is decent but not outstanding.
Tried
from Cask
at
Nag's Head
on 28 Feb 2025
at 00:00
6.5/10
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Jan 2025
at 09:01
7/10
Tried
from Cask
on 17 Nov 2023
at 13:20