Try?
Extra Special Bitter (ESB) is a
sort of big brother to pale ale. It will be maltier and hoppier, and have a
slightly higher alcohol content. This is a great sipping beer, sort of a halfway
point between pale ale (often called bitter on tap in England) and India Pale
Ale.
The Full Sail brewery in Hood River, Oregon produces several bigger, bolder beer styles (their phone number is 1-888-BIG BEER), and this ESB fits nicely into their product line. It's a spring seasonal, released from March to May. The brewery itself is a remarkable success story, having changed hands several times and now being owned by it's employees. The brewery produces about 70,000 barrels per year.
The beer itself is cloudy amber in color with light head formation and a rich, fruity nose. The palate is just as an ESB should be, a rich malty mouthfeel is provided by the crystal malts and slowly yields to a fruity, increasingly bitter hop finish that lingers on your tongue for some time. This beer is quite a bit hoppier than most of the English import ESB's I've tried, but English hops are used: imported Targets and East Kent Goldings. Alcohol weighs in at about 5.5% by volume. This particular ESB probably leans a little more towards the IPA side of the dial, but then Pacific Northwest beers are known for their hoppiness.
My fondness for hoppy beers paired with spicy foods would lean me in the direction of a curry with this beer, or perhaps Mexican or Szechuan. I'm quite happy sipping it all by itself as well.
The Full Sail brewery in Hood River, Oregon produces several bigger, bolder beer styles (their phone number is 1-888-BIG BEER), and this ESB fits nicely into their product line. It's a spring seasonal, released from March to May. The brewery itself is a remarkable success story, having changed hands several times and now being owned by it's employees. The brewery produces about 70,000 barrels per year.
The beer itself is cloudy amber in color with light head formation and a rich, fruity nose. The palate is just as an ESB should be, a rich malty mouthfeel is provided by the crystal malts and slowly yields to a fruity, increasingly bitter hop finish that lingers on your tongue for some time. This beer is quite a bit hoppier than most of the English import ESB's I've tried, but English hops are used: imported Targets and East Kent Goldings. Alcohol weighs in at about 5.5% by volume. This particular ESB probably leans a little more towards the IPA side of the dial, but then Pacific Northwest beers are known for their hoppiness.
My fondness for hoppy beers paired with spicy foods would lean me in the direction of a curry with this beer, or perhaps Mexican or Szechuan. I'm quite happy sipping it all by itself as well.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
