Full disclosure- I am not a big ESB fan. That said, this ESB was a big meh. Light in flavor, mostly detecting bitterness w/o Hop character. Light yellow color

A pretty forgettabe ESB, definitely mediocre and inoffensive. I’m not crazy about ESB’s in general, so I downed it pretty quick and moved on to the rest of my tasting flight.

UPDATED: SEP 14, 2008 Date: 11/08/1997
Mode: Firkin
Source: Brewfest, Real Ale Festival

Appearance: amber,
Aroma: sweet malty hop aroma,
Flavor: light malt flavor, low hop bitterness

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 2/10; Flavor: 2/10; Palate: 2/10; Overall: 5/20
Rating: 1.4/5.0
Score: 4
-------- /> The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

One of the special brews at the brew house in cupertino. Pours very nicely with a decent head on it. It has a fair hoppy aroma. Flavor is strong, which was expected. Strength of the hops could have been better. Overall this was a good beer and one of the betters i have had at BJs.

sample in boulder. This one did have a nice taste to it, but that is comparing to the other samples I had.

Draught at the brewpub, Plano TX, as Dock ESB, brewed on Fuller’s premises
Hazy red-amber color. Malty brew (most of all the flavor), medium bitterness; far away from the original ESB, but enjoyable.

Draught at BJ’s, Burbank (CA). Clear nut brown. Neutral aroma. Dry with clean mouthfeel and light body. There’s some cardboardy malt flavour and mustard-like hop notes. Spicy, medium intense bitterness dominate the finish. Not a convincing ESB.

Tap. Had a good hop aroma to it. Copper colored body small head. Had a good citrus flavor that wasn’t too bitter for me so that was nice. Good beer.

Draught. Red amber with a smallish head and lacing. Hops and citrus aroma and flavor like a good IPA. Fruity, hops finish.

It says "Seasonal: Winter" but they were serving it this week in July. Good-looking orange-gold beer with no head. Citrus and hop taste with a dry finish. Decent beer.