Phoenixx Double ESB
Real Ale Brewing Company

Phoenixx Double ESBPhoenixx Double ESB
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Real Ale Brewing Company
 
Texas, United States
Style:
Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
ABV:
7.2%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.76 | pDev: 11.97%
Reviews:
129
Ratings:
320
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 21, 2019
Added:
Dec 31, 2005
Wants:
  7
Gots:
  47
"Double ESB", Rotating/Seasonal
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by alleykatking:
Photo of alleykatking
Reviewed by alleykatking from Indiana

3.78/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from 12oz bottle. Many thanks go out to gratefulbeerhead...Eric you rocked with this one.

A- Pours a amberish orange color. One and a half finger white head that dies down almost as soon as it rises. No lacing left behind on the glass.

S- The aroma is kind of muted. Light citrus hops in the nose but seemed kind of faded. Light bready caramel bready malts in the backend of this as well. Nothing really wows me in the aroma at all.

T- Light grapefruit hops in the front end of this. Follows the nose pretty well in my opinion. Light caramel malts in the middle to end. Unexpected wood flavors coming through in the back of this beer. Aroma made this seem a little less complex but flavor brings big changes.

M- Medium mouthfeel. Carbonation is good for the style. Light hops in the palate with some woody flavors and malts in the aftertaste. Nothing really else going on in the mouthfeel.

D- The drinkability of this is amazing. It went down very smooth and the alcohol was very well hidden drinking like a 4% beer. I would recommend this to everyone to try...as I will be looking for this one again.
Apr 03, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of LarryTXVeteran
Reviewed by LarryTXVeteran from Texas

4.44/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
First off, this ESB is NOT retired, but it is only available seasonally. It is currently for sale at Kroger in Texas. I bought some yesterday. With that said, this is an excellent tasting brew for those who appreciate English Strong Bitter brews. The look is a deep amber and the taste is a very earthy bitter beer, It also has a slightly toasted biscuit aroma

I am not sure what the IBU is but at least 50, it is up there, with a great mouthfeel. Not overly carbonated, which is how I like my brews. Nice looking creamy head floating on a deep amber beer. Some nice red highlights to the beer when held to the light. Poured initially with a thick head, as the head disappeared it left a pretty hefty amount of lacing on the glass.

I am going to the brewery this weekend in the hill country to find out more about this wonderful ESB. One thing I noticed is that at least to me, it is best served at around 55° F. YMMV. If you live in Texas, Kroger currently is selling 6-packs of it for under $10 USD. Worth a try.
Mar 21, 2019
 
Rated: 3.91 by GarbageMan10 from Texas

Apr 20, 2018
 
Rated: 3.87 by BrentMcQuirk from Texas

May 30, 2017
 
Rated: 3.83 by Pro_Magnon from Texas

May 09, 2017
 
Rated: 3.18 by Trentt2 from Alaska

May 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.76 by Magery from Kentucky

Mar 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by DavidST from Texas

Feb 15, 2016
 
Rated: 3.99 by dannycohen62 from Illinois

Jan 30, 2016
Photo of mjurney
Reviewed by mjurney from Texas

4.48/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Appearance:
Deep copper color, a little chill haze. Good amount of carbonation. Thick off-white head.

Aroma:
Caramel, toffee, semi-dark roasted, spicy hops.

Taste/Finish/Body:
Caramel, toffee, semi-dark roast, hint of nutty. Hop bitterness is medium, spicy/piney, maybe a little citrusy. Finish is bitter-crisp. Medium bodied, crisp, easy drinking.

Overall:
It's an outstanding ESB!
Jan 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.52 by Nick4444 from Texas

Jan 09, 2016
Photo of Myotus
Reviewed by Myotus from Texas

4.08/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4.25
Poured at 47°F from a 12oz bottle (best before date 07Jun16) into a pint glass. Consumed on 29Dec15).
LOOK: Pours with two fingers worth of thick, off-white foam that dissipates into a half fingers worth after 2 minutes. A large amount of thick lacing is left behind from the head dissipation. Copper in color. Medium and small sized rising bubbles are present in moderate quantities. Lacing is large in quantity and both thick and very thick in various areas.
SMELL: Strong aromas of toffee are backed my mild aromas of plums, figs, black cherries, buttered toast, caramel, floral hops, earthy hops, and hints of bitter hops.
TASTE: Strong toffee and floral hop flavors enter first and are immediately followed by mild flavors of buttered toast and subtle flavors of earthy hops. Mild flavors of caramel, plums, figs, and black cherries enter next as all floral hop and butter (just the butter) flavors grow slightly stronger. Finally, mild bitter hop flavors make their debut as all previous flavors push on.
FEEL: Light-bodied and highly carbonated (this was going so well until now). Goes down somewhat rough due to the carbonation. Finishes with a moderate dryness.
NOTE: This blew me away. I like this brewery, but I was honestly expecting a slightly above average beer, but this shattered my expectations. Everything about this beer was on point for the style. There was an excellent balance between hops and malt and even the hop bitterness didn't bother me much. I had no idea that something can be so sweet, yet so tantalizingly hoppy. A huge kudos to Real Ale.
Dec 29, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by Tuck_leepulin from Texas

May 11, 2015
Photo of TBoneJones
Reviewed by TBoneJones from Texas

3.79/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Pours a deep, mostly clear copper color, barely a head, some spotted lacing.
Smells like some wheat and sweet malts, and some hints of tropical hops.
Tastes the same, with some pine, honey- like at times, and pleasantly bitter.
Smooth and medium. Creamy feel. Some bitterness.
Nice.
Apr 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by Matt141 from Texas

Apr 21, 2015
 
Photo of ZiegMeister
Reviewed by ZiegMeister from Texas

4.71/5  rDev +25.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
I was going to present a very detailed review, but I decided just to say that this is a very tasty beer and I would highly recommend it to any beer lover.
Apr 03, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by zelig from Texas

Mar 28, 2015
Photo of AtrumAnimus
Reviewed by AtrumAnimus from Texas

4.41/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
This one pours a slightly opaque reddish gold color that has a nice off-white head that is moderate, settles slow and leaves a faint lacing down the glass.

The nose is earthy in nature with bread, hops, pine, grass and camphor as the dominant traits with some moderate floral notes underneath.

The taste is pleasantly crisp, sharp and rich. There is a nice exceptionally dominant hoppiness that is buttery pine with some grass, bread and nutmeg in the mix with a mild medicine like finish that is well balanced on the bed of sweet to dry malt underneath.

The mouthfeel is surprising rich for such a style and really does a great job of delivering the complexity of the flavors to your entire palate.

Overall this is one of the better offerings from Real Ale, which is saying a lot. Real Ale is an accomplished brewery with some great offerings. I would put this in their top 3.
Mar 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.89 by batt6343 from Texas

Mar 23, 2015
Phoenixx Double ESB from Real Ale Brewing Company
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 320 ratings