ESB
Fuller's

ESBESB
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From:
Fuller's
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
Ranked #4
ABV:
5.9%
Score:
91
Ranked #7,766
Avg:
4.06 | pDev: 10.84%
Reviews:
1,431
Ratings:
3,156
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 02, 2024
Added:
Jul 08, 2001
Wants:
  184
Gots:
  449
Twice named World Champion Beer, Fuller’s ESB is one of the most decorated ales of its time. A winner born and brewed, it’s a strong, full-bodied ale that has delighted drinkers for decades with its smooth, mellow bitterness and superbly satisfying finish.

The ESB that started it all - multi-award winning Fuller’s ESB is acknowledged as one of the world’s finest beers. The unique blend of Northdown, Target, Challenger and Goldings hops balances the rich, malty notes for a smooth, full-bodied beer bursting with marmalade fruitiness throughout.
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Ratings by jokelahoma:
Photo of jokelahoma
Reviewed by jokelahoma from Missouri

4.7/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Simply put... amazing. I tried this beer a few years ago, based on Michael Jackson's recommendation. Then distributorship issues made it where I couldn't get my hands on any. Recently, my favorite beer drinking establishment (Barley's Brewhouse in Overland Park, Kansas... check Beer Fly) got it in on tap. As a certain commercial says... time to fall in love all over again.

The beer pours a lovely reddish copper (or is it copperish red?). The head is not enormous, but you don't expect a huge head from an English ale. As it is, it looks like it tastes, and it's hard to get any better than that, isn't it?

The smell is a tad deceptive. It smells a bit of earthy English hops, but that's the last you'll hear of the hoppiness of this brew. Bear in mind that a true ESB (Extra Special Bitter) is actually going to be a bit less bitter than its weaker cousins Ordinary and Special. That's because (to steal a bit of Ray Daniel's verbiage) the bitterness to gravity (hoppiness to alcohol) ratio is lower in ESBs than in most other English ales. Trust me, you won't miss it. It's well balanced. Just enough hops to counter the malt, and malty enough to balance the hops.

The taste is extraordinary, and unique. To my untrained palate, it tastes of caramel green apples. Granny Smith, to be exact. You definitely taste the caramel. The crystal malt shines through in this beer more than any other I've tried.The apple is, as far as I know, a byproduct of the yeast. No matter where it comes from, the combination makes for a truly unique taste, and a beer sensation I've yet to find anywhere else.

It has a medium bodied mouthfeel, which is to say it feels like beer when you drink it. It isn't heavy and oily, it isn't light and watery, it's just is what it is... a good English ale.

As for drinkability, it is deceptively strong. It is very easy to down three or four of these in a setting without getting out of your chair. Once that happens, getting out of your chair can be an adventure. As is typical of a truly well made English ale, it sneaks up on you.This is NOT, repeat NOT, a session beer. If you want session from Fuller's, go to Chiswick, or London Pride, not the ESB. Three or four of these had best last you a night's drinking.

Overall, this is one fantastic beer. As my profile states, I love English ales, especially bitters. This is the king of the category, in my opinion. If you want to taste what an ESB should be (e.g. not Redhook), then start, and end, here. Great beer.
Dec 12, 2004
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.53 by BurtonRed from England

Feb 02, 2024
 
Rated: 5 by SRV from Oklahoma

Jan 19, 2024
 
Rated: 3.09 by Can_if_you_can from Minnesota

Jan 15, 2024
 
Rated: 4 by dymott from England

Nov 29, 2023
Photo of KleinSchwein
Reviewed by KleinSchwein

4.27/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 500ml bottle.

Pours a clear deep reddish brown with a caramel head . The malt hits you in the nose as you pour and the then the aroma of rich biscuit and banana . It tastes sweet , caramelly , biscuity malt with banana and light bitter orange . Dialectal for days . The mouthfeel is buttery and full, spot on .
Overall, tasty , rich, a great winter beer , warming .
Nov 17, 2023
 
Rated: 4.19 by Brob245 from Missouri

Nov 09, 2023
 
Rated: 3.88 by TheIPAHunter from California

Oct 13, 2023
 
Rated: 4.89 by tamasdanieltk from Scotland

Aug 21, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by jroof1 from Massachusetts

Jul 30, 2023
Photo of erickc
Rated by erickc from Washington

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had on tap at Columbia City Ale House.
Jun 04, 2023
Photo of LanceBiggums
Reviewed by LanceBiggums from Canada (AB)

4.48/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Orange amber with an orange-tinged tan head. Unmistakably British-looking. Caramel and toast on the nose, but not strong. Immense flavour though. Orange marmalade, caramel, licorice, black pepper. A gentle hint of ethanol warming. Not super bitter or hoppy, could be a little spicier in fact, but the marmelade flavour just about makes up for that. Typically English understated carbonation. Delicious beer.
May 08, 2023
 
 
Rated: 4.3 by rpmello81 from California

Mar 18, 2023
Photo of Explorer_Bill
Reviewed by Explorer_Bill from Kentucky

4.24/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Very interesting beer. Draft into paint glass. Malty toast and herbal scents. Taste very similar to smell plus notes of peach and dried fruits. Medium bodied. Hops come through with a clean and slightly bitter finish.
Jan 23, 2023
 
Rated: 3.93 by Eychung from New York

Dec 08, 2022
 
Rated: 4.24 by meanmutt from Ohio

Nov 01, 2022
 
Rated: 3.25 by mpenske from California

Oct 02, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by Ushouldbeworkinh from England

Sep 18, 2022
ESB from Fuller's
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 3156 ratings