Hope Street ESB
The Peoples Pint in Greenfield, Massachusetts, United States 🇺🇸
Bitter - ESB / Strong Bitter Regular|
Score
6.01
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4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 4
Flavor 5
Texture 2
Overall 3
22oz bottle. Admittedly, my family said this was likely a year or two old. Gushes then pours a murky sepia with tons of off white head. Nose isn't great, raisins and caramel. Flavor is caramel and butterscotch, lots of sweetness. Finishes cloying. Woof.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Jul 2019
at 00:31
4.8/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4
Slightly hazy burnt copper and brownish body with a very thin tan head that fades very fast - almost no head/carbonation at all. Very nutty, earthy, caramel and a slight hoppiness, but a very strong scent - nice. Medium-bodied; Flat taste, almost no carbonation; Strong nutty and caramel flavours dominate with a light hoppy touch of pine and herbs and a mellow earthiness at the end. Aftertaste shows some burnt caramel and a little hop bitterness. Overall, an okay beer, but the lack of carbonation and sheer complexity make this hard to say it’s a good beer. I sampled this 65 cL bottle purchased from Colonial Spirits in Acton, Massachusetts on 23-September-2010, sampled at home in Washington on 11-October-2010.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Oct 2010
at 22:18
5.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
on tap-pours an off white head and copper color. Aroma is medium malt-peat, herbal hops. Taste is medium malt-peat, herbal hops. Semi-dry finish. Some Irish red character.
Tried
from Draft
on 21 May 2009
at 11:23
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bomber - cloudy bronze pour, with a frothy eggshell white head - doughy/bready aroma, with notes of yeast, vanilla, apricot, orange and bread pudding - soft, low carbonation, with a slightly oily mouthfeel - the doughy hints from the aroma come through first, followed by touches of butterscotch and caramel sweetness - the hops abruptly intervene, balancing the beer out - cherry, vanilla and light citrus fruits arrive late - the body thins out a little in the finish, but the grassy, earthy, herbal, almost spicy hops add enough character to make up for this - quite a solid ESB, and one I’d love to try on cask.
Tried
from Cask
on 16 Mar 2007
at 19:16
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
late 2006 or early 2007 bomber drunk on 2/16/07
Wow is Muzzlehatch’s review spot-on for this one. I could pretty much say the same thing, word-for-word. The texture is most certainlly easygoing, comforting, but with a little yeast slickness (despite decanting very carefully). Definitely sweet all the way through and exactly as Barry says, a bit underfermented. That’s ok, most of the unpleasant notes I associate with wortiness are not too present here. Just seems like a bit of simple sweetness, slightly tacky. But the hops are wonderful. Dry, earthy, lightly spicy at times, giving a peppery balance to the sweetness. Low, natural carbonation is somehow a bit too loose, though a touch of wateriness comes through on the end (which is appropriate for the style). Apricots, tangerines and nectarines are sweet and fruity, mixing with the creamy pale malts to produce very soft, flavorful notes. Dry hopping is always much appreciated and it shows here. Close to greatness, a bit more attenuation and less yeast in the bottle would do the trick. Alternatively, I’ll buy another bottle and see if this will dry up with another couple months of conditioning. Very possible. I got the cherry-vanilla that Barry noted too, what the hell is that? Probably a sign that the beer isnt fully conditioned/fermented. Some type of unwanted bi-product.
Wow is Muzzlehatch’s review spot-on for this one. I could pretty much say the same thing, word-for-word. The texture is most certainlly easygoing, comforting, but with a little yeast slickness (despite decanting very carefully). Definitely sweet all the way through and exactly as Barry says, a bit underfermented. That’s ok, most of the unpleasant notes I associate with wortiness are not too present here. Just seems like a bit of simple sweetness, slightly tacky. But the hops are wonderful. Dry, earthy, lightly spicy at times, giving a peppery balance to the sweetness. Low, natural carbonation is somehow a bit too loose, though a touch of wateriness comes through on the end (which is appropriate for the style). Apricots, tangerines and nectarines are sweet and fruity, mixing with the creamy pale malts to produce very soft, flavorful notes. Dry hopping is always much appreciated and it shows here. Close to greatness, a bit more attenuation and less yeast in the bottle would do the trick. Alternatively, I’ll buy another bottle and see if this will dry up with another couple months of conditioning. Very possible. I got the cherry-vanilla that Barry noted too, what the hell is that? Probably a sign that the beer isnt fully conditioned/fermented. Some type of unwanted bi-product.
Tried
from Can
on 23 Feb 2007
at 20:40