XB (Cask)
(Batch of XB (Bottle))

Theakston in Masham, North Yorkshire, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Bitter - ESB / Strong Bitter Regular

Score

6.07

ABV: 4.5%

IBU: -

Ticks: 98

XB is a rare delight, a real ale connoisseur’s masterpiece. A strong full-bodied ale with a subtle but superb blend of two types of bitter and three fruit hop varieties giving a most thirst quenching and satisfying ale. XB was first brewed in 1982 to celebrate the purchase of the Carlisle Brewery by Theakstons a few years before. Brewed always and ever in Masham, XB was designed as a tribute to the classic ‘border’ style of beer, strong in gravity, low but complex hop. It was an instant sucess and has remained so, winning over real ale devotees all over the UK. Always in the shadow of its more famous stable–mate, Old Peculier, XB has quietly established itself as favourite among serious cask ale enthusiasts. Its name came not from some clever marketing expert but rather based on the more prosaic features of the Masham brewery. In the days when the only way to distinguish the contents from one cask to the next was by use of one of only two wooden stamps dipped in white wash and applied to each cask, the only letters available were either an X or a B. We could have called in BX but we preferred XB!

The full-bodied nature of XB makes it the perfect accompaniment to big, full, flavoured dishes such as sausages, meat or game pies, stews etc.

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6.6

beerhunter111 (50581) reviewed XB (Cask) from Theakston 4 months ago

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

A clear deep amber beer with a beige head. Aroma of reddish malt, caramel, raisins. Taste of dry caramelized red malt, pine, long bitter finish.

Tried from Cask on 21 Sep 2025 at 10:50

3.6

Koelschtrinker (42542) reviewed XB (Cask) from Theakston 4 months ago

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 3 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 3 | Overall - 3

Muffig herber Beginn. Hellmalzig, keine Karbonisierung, moderat herb, dumpf. Meh. 12/6/5/5//5

Tried from Cask on 20 Sep 2025 at 13:40

6.3

jerseyislandbeer (5899) reviewed XB (Cask) from Theakston 8 months ago

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

Pint from the cask at The Lamplighter in St Helier, Jersey. Pours a brown/red with a white head. Aromas & tastes of caramel, toffee & malt. Medium body. Slightly sweet light bitter finish.

Tried from Cask on 25 May 2025 at 10:22

6.6

Hanoi (1998) reviewed XB (Cask) from Theakston 1 year ago

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

Taste is toffee, malt red berry, very very fruity, slight honey in the smooth finish. From notes

Tried on 25 Jan 2025 at 16:53

7.1

Vignale (8386) reviewed XB (Cask) from Theakston 1 year ago

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Drucken på fat på Bishop Gustaf Malmö. Låg kolsyra, mjuk och len, främst maltiga smaker av bröd och nötter och en lätt honungssötma. Subtil och elegant. Gott

Tried on 14 Oct 2024 at 20:43

5.8

thejackpacker (3417) reviewed XB (Cask) from Theakston 1 year ago

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

Cask at Captain Cooks, Östersund. Aroma, pretty non existent. Ruby colour with reasonable liveliness in the foam when pulled. Would explain why it is advertised as a ruby ale. It is comforting as bitters go but it has a slight metallic note.

Tried from Cask on 14 Sep 2024 at 05:16

6.5

IpaPils (12224) reviewed XB (Cask) from Theakston 1 year ago

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

Lys brun noe tåkete ned beige skum. Lukter lys karamell og noe anis. Lett. Maltig, uten bitterhet. Smaker anis og mørk sirup. Kort.

Tried on 04 Jul 2024 at 11:30

7.4

BlackHaddock (17284) reviewed XB (Cask) from Theakston 3 years ago

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Third of a pint, hand-pulled in my local Spoon's on 6th April 2022. Really enjoyed this no nonsense Bitter (can't believe I've never rated it before), it's a proper throw back to the old days when pubs only sold cask Bitter and Mild. Looked good, aroma was good and so was the taste, lovely simple blend that works a treat, great British hop bill too!

Tried from Can on 07 Apr 2022 at 09:37

Deanso (15673) ticked XB (Cask) from Theakston 3 years ago

Sample at the Gate House. Medium creamy white head. Clear golden pour. Light bitterness

Tried on 05 Apr 2022 at 16:16

6.2

Martinsh (3610) reviewed XB (Cask) from Theakston 3 years ago

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

Amazingly I have never drunk this beer (in any format) before, despite seeing it frequently in supermarkets. Anyway, cask at Richard John Blackler, Liverpool. Pours “bitter brown” with a small foamy white head. There are autumn fruits in the aroma – but not much else. Sweetness to the fore in the mouth, with beery fruits and apples providing the flavour. It’s a bit watery though. Finish is slightly fruity. Enjoyable, but somehat bland.

Tried from Cask on 04 Apr 2022 at 21:59

XB (Cask) (Batch of XB (Bottle))