Batemans XXXB
George Bateman & Son / Batemans Brewery

Batemans XXXBBatemans XXXB
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From:
George Bateman & Son / Batemans Brewery
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
Ranked #24
ABV:
4.8%
Score:
87
Ranked #17,286
Avg:
3.86 | pDev: 11.92%
Reviews:
104
Ratings:
148
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 09, 2024
Added:
Jan 18, 2002
Wants:
  16
Gots:
  7
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of JonnoWillsteed
Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England

3.69/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Blind-tasted ex ABV, brewer, name.
L- Deep copper-chestnut, clear, pours with a 2-3mm pale tan super-fine bubble cap; nice!
S- Some hoppy brightness to it.
T- Light, brightish, trad. It has a nice malty lick to it then a hoppy-dry finish.
F- I think it feels lighter than it's ABV%. It feels more like a sessionable summer lunchtime beer. Good CO2 in the mouth too.
O- A well brewed versatile beer, trad but with good hopping and balance. Not sure where I bought it, perhaps a B&M.
500ml bottle, BB: 10/2024
Jan 09, 2024
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.65/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Sept. 2008: 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.8%. Amber to brown colour, decent head. Malty and nutty aroma with notes of caramel and bakery. The flavour is nutty and malty too, but also with a noticeable fruitiness, and decent hops in the finish.
Sep 01, 2022
 
Rated: 4.18 by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

Nov 09, 2021
 
Rated: 3.87 by smi69 from New York

May 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.82 by Wowo64 from New Zealand (Aotearoa)

Aug 30, 2018
Photo of tigg924
Reviewed by tigg924 from Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Served on cask. Pours clear, amber in color with half inch head. Taste is sherry, tea, and caramel. Low carbonation, sweet, smooth, and light bodied. One of the best cask ales I have ever had. Delicious...all day.
Jul 20, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by steverx8 from England

Jan 12, 2018
Photo of danmouer
Reviewed by danmouer from Virginia

4.06/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Take two parts best bitter plus two parts dark mild and add a little extra dash of sugar and you get Batemans xxxb. The label describes it as a strong bitter (abv 5%), but deeper-than-usual color and chocolate nose suggest something a little sweeter and softer. This one pours from the bottle with only minimal liveliness in the head (yay for true English ale!). The nose fills with sweet, very bisquity malt laced with milk chocolate and caramel: candy in a glass.

In the mouth, the sweet promise is delivered, but it is nowhere near cloying. Soft-water sensations, rich malty flavors, and a gentle, but perfectly sufficient balance of bitter makes this a wonderful beer of the sort you would never find in the tasting room of an American craft-beer brewer. My kind of beer, in fact.

Nothing is overdone, but everything is pumped up to just right. The finish is clean, dry and leaves just a pleasant bitter-sweet residue that goes on snd on. What a nice beer! I'm sure my ratng will be higher than average, but that's just because I have not yet wrecked my palate and nose on tongue-wringing American IPAs.
Aug 30, 2017
 
Rated: 3.83 by dbrauneis from North Carolina

Aug 26, 2017
 
Rated: 3.79 by dannycohen62 from Illinois

Jan 20, 2017
 
Rated: 3.63 by Macamah from England

May 22, 2016
 
Rated: 3.57 by BrazilianAussie from Brazil

Mar 20, 2016
Photo of Taybeh
Reviewed by Taybeh from Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
On cask at Town Hall, into a shaker. 1 finger off white head on top of a fairly clear sienna..great lacing. Mild nose of almost burnt toffee, banana...fairly minimal. Not finding the biscuity notes I love in the style. Fuller flavors once i start drinking, but consistent with the nose. The mouthful is pretty good-- smooth, almost creamy, but a little too watery to be ideal.
Mar 15, 2016
Photo of jonb5
Reviewed by jonb5 from England

3.1/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Pint at the JDW in Whitehall.

A: Bronze, thin small head, hazy.

S: Only a very faint aroma, but it was malty.

T: Slightly watery, toffee, malt, cranberry, increased bitterness towards the end.

M: Smooth, watery texture.

O: Middle of the road, a bit too strong to session, not too much depth.
Sep 09, 2015
Photo of patre_tim
Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand

3.81/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Dark brown copper with a moderate amount of carbonation, 2 fingers of beige head. Snow frosted window lacing.

Caramel, a hint of banana, hard water, slightly burnt sugar.

Malt, caramel, dry, creamy, a hint of banana, a solid amount of dull toasted bitterness that lingers on the tongue.

Found in Bangkok, drank in Loei, Thailand on Aug 25th, 2015. Great, solid British bitter.
Aug 25, 2015
Photo of vinicole
Reviewed by vinicole from England

3.92/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Bottle. Clear amber with a dense and creamy light tan head. Lacing present.
Smells of sweet caramel malt with green hop.
A rich flavour of digestive biscuit nicely balanced by the hop. Banana loaf is present with a decent hit of bitter to finish off.
Medium body with a soft carbonation.
An increasingly rare example of a traditional EESB reminiscent of the original Fuller's.
Mar 06, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by woodchip from North Carolina

Nov 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4.2 by vaughtex

Oct 19, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Sellen from Connecticut

Oct 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by BuckeyeSlim from Ohio

Aug 15, 2014
Batemans XXXB from George Bateman & Son / Batemans Brewery
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 148 ratings