Black Country Special
Holdens Brewery in Dudley, West Midlands, England 🏴
Bitter - ESB / Strong Bitter Regular|
Score
6.25
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A Dark amber premium beer with robust malty overtones and a bitter sweet full bodied taste. Brewed using the Finest English Maris Otter Malt and Goldings hops this big, beautiful malty monster is an industrial strength beer at it’s best.
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7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
A day working from home after 4 days in the City and I needed this beer. In honour of this I opened up The Fat Lads' Arms - the pub at the bottom of my garden. Great pour and a real yeastiness to the nose. A really rich taste and mouthfeel and you can taste the alcohol. Really good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Mar 2025
at 18:04
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
Tried
on 31 Dec 2024
at 02:13
01/12/2017. GREAT WESTERN, Sun Street, WOLVERHAMPTON, West Midlands, England (HOLDENS)
Tried
on 13 Dec 2022
at 09:10
6.2/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Spotty beige head on a clear copper coloured body. Fruity, English hops & caramel aroma. Medium bodied, soft on the tongue with a sharp back. Malt, toffee, sweet, English hops & stone fruit tastes with a bitter tangy finish. Such a English tasting Bitter.
Tried
on 10 Sep 2022
at 18:48
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle. Appearance is amber and clear, with a small fizzy head. Aroma is hedgerow, fruity hops, raisiny hints, malty. Taste is malty bread, biscuit, fruitcake, peppery hops, understated fruity notes, bitter malty finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Sep 2022
at 05:44
6.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
500ml bottle, from Gloucester Services. Pours clear amber with a white head. Aroma: light roasted malts, caramel, grain. Taste: light to moderate sweet & bitter, light rich, earthy, caramel, hedgerow berries. Medium body with soft carbonation. A palatable ESB.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Nov 2021
at 22:01
5.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle from Asda in Stafford (not stocked at local branch). Has a slight aroma of traditional hops combined with toffee. Pours a golden brown with minimal white head. Has a sharp metallic taste in the mouth – reminiscent of strong lagers ! Behind that there is some caramel, malts and toffee. Finish is bitter and metallic. It’s OK, but by no means my favourite Holdens beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 May 2021
at 21:06
6.6/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
500ml bottle, BBE had rubbed off. Amber pour, small white fizzy head which doesn't leave much lacing. Aroma of lightly roasted malts, caramel, grain. Sweet but earthy with some fuggles hops, mild bitterness. Medium carbonation at first but reduced to low quite quickly which is ok due to the medium but quite smooth body. Some flaws but overall a good brew which grows on you and has a moorish sessionable quality at the end; although at 5.1% its pushing that to the limit.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Jul 2020
at 22:09
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Cask @ Park Inn, Dudley. Pours clear golden amber, pure white froth atop. Light sweet aroma. Light palate, gentle caramel shades, distant light fruity notes. Decent bitter overall.
Tried
from Cask
on 07 Aug 2019
at 20:40
5/10
Tried
from Cask
on 30 Aug 2018
at 16:38