Beast Bitter
Middle Ages Brewing Co., Ltd.

Beast BitterBeast Bitter
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From:
Middle Ages Brewing Co., Ltd.
 
New York, United States
Style:
Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
ABV:
5.3%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.91 | pDev: 11.51%
Reviews:
167
Ratings:
243
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 30, 2018
Added:
Sep 24, 2001
Wants:
  24
Gots:
  11
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by foxmul924:
Photo of foxmul924
Reviewed by foxmul924 from New York

4.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
(Bottle into Room-Temp Pint Glass)

Appearance: Nice, Frothy Off-White/Light-Brown Head. Dark Orange Body with a Fair Amount of Lace.

Smell: Fresh Hop Aroma Overrides Everything.

Taste: Plain Hop Flavor Followed by a Smooth, but Subtle Malt Finish. Very Well-Balanced and Complex for its Simplicity. No Real Distinguishable Flavors other than the Bursting Freshness of the Hops. Nothing Short of Outstanding!

Mouthfeel: Medium-Bodied with Perfect Carbonation and Smoothness. I Love Hoppy Beers, but Have Always Looked for One that Finished Clean without Unappealing Buildup: THIS IS IT.

Drinkability: EXCELLENT, Could Enjoy Multiple Brews as it Finishes Clean and Maintains its Increadible Hop Flavor.

Other: VERY IMPRESSED. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?
Jan 10, 2008
More User Ratings:
Photo of HorseheadsHophead
Reviewed by HorseheadsHophead from Colorado

3.8/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Comes in a hazy golden color with a creamy white head. Good retention. Wispy lacing is left.
Smells of grapefruit and orange zest, honey, white bread, cracked cereal grains, and some grass and pine.
The taste of honey and white bread malt, with some grapefruit and orange peel, and a hint of pine. Lightly sweet with some lingering bitterness.
Feels medium-bodied, well carbonated, smooth and creamy.
Overall, a really nice beer. Too hoppy for the ESB style, but it's very tasty regardless.
Oct 30, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by kuhndog from New York

Apr 01, 2016
Photo of utopiajane
Reviewed by utopiajane from New York

4.5/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Nose is vivacious with malt. Biscuity and caramel. Firm dry caramel , none of that soft sweet stuff. The hops twinkle like fuggles do and show you soft earthy, woody spice. There is good citric backnote to them that makes them smell fresh and tangy and even a bit like zest. They also use cascade I think. Toasty malt is so crisp it's almost crunchy in there. I love it! As you drink the beer it simply takes over your mouth and your will to fight. It's abundant with malt. The hops are forward and keep forward until the very last moment in the swallow when you smile because it's the malt that finishes this beer medium dry.

Taste is like toast! Lightly buttered and bitter. So delicious. The finish and the balance is what kept this beer in my glass until literally there was no more beer. Hops give an expert bitterness that never gains speed or strength. Steadfast, although it's not really too gentle either. As all the flavor from malt fades, even the hop fruitiness fades off to tangerine pith but the bitter remains.

Outrageously good. I'll take a few big mugs of that! I also hear that this brewer is using the ever elusive strain of yeast in this beer called ringwood. I would love to know if that yeast is in any way responsible for the flavor that this beer has. You just can't stop drinking it.
Feb 21, 2016
 
Rated: 4.05 by Russell321 from New York

Dec 26, 2015
 
Rated: 4.3 by bdaggett from New York

Dec 18, 2015
 
Rated: 3.94 by entenduintransit from Tennessee

Aug 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by maxifunk777 from California

Aug 13, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by paulish from New York

Jul 27, 2015
Photo of logicalparadox
Reviewed by logicalparadox from New York

4.18/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A classic bitter. An underrepresented style, in my opinion, and this is a beast of an example.

Pours a somewhere between a dark orange to a very light mahogany. Dark enough to let you know there's some big malts in there. Nice head that fades slow. Feels very medieval in some way!

Aromas are malty, buttery, and some light fruit. Picking up on the yeast, it gets the appetite going.

The flavors are bitter, but not biting. Pleasant bitterness with a long finish, that dances back and forth between that and a mellow sweetness from the malts. A light roast character. The cumulative effect is like bitter buttered toast. MMmm.

Mouthfeel is exceptionally smooth and a bit creamy. Every pub in the world should have this on tap as the quintessential answer to a generic "give me a pint".

Why do more people not make this kind of brew? Is it difficult to do well? Is it perhaps too simple? Does it just not carry the hero-worship that a flagship IPA brings with it? This is a great beer and an argument for more brewers to take on this style as one worth brewing.
Jul 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4.4 by ElijahRivera from New York

Jun 10, 2015
Photo of Hop_Lover
Rated by Hop_Lover from New York

4.66/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
Nice bitter with clean finish!
Jun 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4.04 by T-34-85 from New York

May 11, 2015
 
Rated: 4.01 by Zraly from Virginia

May 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4.03 by tubeman from New York

Mar 27, 2015
 
Rated: 4.65 by Seanpatrickhaley from South Carolina

Feb 03, 2015
Photo of timfelix
Rated by timfelix from New York

4.5/5  rDev +15.1%
an excellent bitter, surpassed only by their "Old MArcus". If you like beer with flavor, you'll like this one.
Nov 27, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

Nov 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by vonnegut21 from New York

Nov 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.6 by Tra from Virginia

Oct 05, 2014
Beast Bitter from Middle Ages Brewing Co., Ltd.
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 243 ratings