Extra Special Bitter
Portsmouth Brewery

Extra Special BitterExtra Special Bitter
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From:
Portsmouth Brewery
 
New Hampshire, United States
Style:
Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
ABV:
6%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.71 | pDev: 12.4%
Reviews:
25
Ratings:
54
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 02, 2015
Added:
Dec 31, 2002
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
Our ESB is a bolder, hoppier pale ale.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Kinsman:
Photo of Kinsman
Reviewed by Kinsman from Nevada

3.77/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Had myself a good time for a couple of hours when I stopped by Portsmouth this afternoon and had the chance to try a few new beers while I was there.

Dark copper colored body with some ligher orange hues. Was poured from the tap with a nice foamy and slighty sticky off-white colored head that initially was just shy of 2 fingers thick.

Aroma was simple and straight-forward but enjoyable with a nice caramel and toasted malts profile and some floral and grassy hops to balance this out.

Not as hoppy as some ESB's I've tasted, but then again many authentic English ESBs are incredbily well-balanced and this seems to fit in well with those. Caremel like sweetness with slight hint of toasted and bready grains for the malts and plenty of grassy and herbal or floral flavors to balance this out with hops.

Mouthfeel is light bodied, a bit lively, and rather crisp. Overall, nothing mind-blowing here but still a very tasty brew.
Apr 01, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.6 by Danielr26 from Michigan

May 02, 2015
 
Rated: 3.78 by slasich from Pennsylvania

Apr 17, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by Hoggo from Massachusetts

Apr 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by Fettpopps from Massachusetts

Mar 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by ajcormier from New Hampshire

Oct 31, 2013
Photo of Boto
Reviewed by Boto from Connecticut

3.69/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Draught @ Brewpub: this one pours a slightly hazy, amber color. There was a small off white head that left a little lacing. The nose is a little lighter. It has mainly pine and citrus notes to it. Some sweet malts too. The taste is good. It is just a bit bitter. Pine and citrus notes. A decent malt body behind it. A nice, easy drinking ESB.
Jul 31, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by johnnnniee from New Hampshire

Jul 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by JuliusCaesar from New Hampshire

Jul 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by BPudd from Massachusetts

Jul 27, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by JeffDam from New Hampshire

Jul 25, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by jwps214 from Massachusetts

Jul 22, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by robwestcott from Indiana

Jul 22, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Archemedies from Massachusetts

Jul 21, 2013
Photo of Maxwell
Reviewed by Maxwell from Massachusetts

3.57/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
The beer pours the color of honey and sits in the glass similarly, somewhere between red, orange, and yellow in color. The beer pours with a light, half a finger’s width head of medium sized, yellowing bubbles that fade down to a scrim. The head leaves a lacing of slick clouds that swiftly slide down the side of the glass. In body, the beer is clean and translucent with a slight haze and lots of carbonation bubbles racing up throughout the glass. On the nose, the beer smells pleasantly hoppy with a good, minty herbal touch and a strong backbone of biscuity, caramel bread from the malt. On the tongue, the beer tastes lightly bitter yet caramel sweet with the faintest touch of acid on the sides of the mouth. In flavor, the beer begins as herbal caramel bread, moving slowly towards a more toffee flavor before the bitters overwhelm the caramel flavor with hints of English Tea and grass. This gives way to a strong, lightly tannic, bitter ending and finish to the beer that mingles grassy and herbal hops with just a faint touch of bread sugar from the malt. The finish is light, shorter, and quite reminiscent of a black tea. The aftertaste mimics the finish’s flavor in a lesser way, appearing light and bitter tannic on the tongue. In the mouth, the beer feel slightly slick and on the light side of medium in body. Carbonation is of a middling amount, providing a light scrub on the tongue, while not providing any fluffiness and only a touch of crispness. Overall, this is a fairly good interpretation of an ESB. Honestly, it’s a little too bitter for an ESB by my standards, but I’ve really only ever had American interpretations of the style, so my judgment might be flawed. Still, it’s a nice sipper with some good characteristics. As the beer heats up, the malt plays a bigger role on the tongue, and the bread characteristics start to unfurl and become more nuanced, which is great. A solid beer to knock back at the pub, and an excellent beer to pair alongside stronger pub food, like a burger or buffalo wings.
Jul 19, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by mklisz from New Hampshire

Jun 27, 2013
 
Rated: 2.75 by thegerm87 from Massachusetts

May 27, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Kelp from New Hampshire

Apr 23, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by erlenmeyer from Maine

Apr 19, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by Celtics76 from Rhode Island

Apr 03, 2013
Extra Special Bitter from Portsmouth Brewery
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 54 ratings