Session Ale #06: The Bitter End 2006
East End Brewing Company

poured into a large flaired tulip glass from a growler purchased the day before at The Map Room brought it up to Phatz's Pliny project II. Had to move this review originally have it under Bitter End instead of Session Ale #6 as told to me by jasonm and Scott from EE. Original review was on 2-6-07.

Mirky,copper color with a creamy 1" off-white head,good retention with some spotty lacing.

Moderate aromas nutty,carmell has an English style feel to it. Citrus/pine hop aromas with grapefruit really coming through as the beer starts to warm.

Lots of grapefruit tastes,not over extreme the maltiness is buried by the hoppiness. some nuttiness comes through with clean wateryness. Enjoyable.

Light,creamy mouthfeel,prickley and juicy at the same time. Goes down easy craving more and more with every taste. Give it a try,especially if you like sharp,hoppy beers.

Thanks go to jcdiflorio for bringing a growler of this beer across the state. I think Scott from East End is doing a great job. I loved the Gratitude '05 I sampled at the Gen Laff. and The Snowmelt I kept serving myself more out of the growler. I had a Growler of both the Big Hop and the Black Strap to divide among only 3 people. Plenty to know they are good beers. So far The Bitter End is not my favorite from this talented brewer. It is very young and raw. It is very bitter. A bit too over the top bitter for me. I think with some age on it the rough sharp abrasiveness will mellow out, and the sugars will show some more presence. Understandably this beer is the younger sibling of my favorite East End beer Gratitude. I just think it needs some more age to be drinkable.
Hop-heads in seek of intense bitter, will find it here.

Hope this is helpful.
Cheers!

Poured from a growler into a pint glass.

Appearance - Deep straw color with a fluffy white head and more lace than expected.

Smell - The smell was a fantastic hoppy-citrus smell with a touch of malty sweetness somewhere in the background.

Taste - The taste starts balanced and moves quickly to flavorful hop bitterness and then to a dry bitter finish. The bitterness lasts well after the beer goes down with an oily bitter aftertaste. Have I mentioned the bitterness? Fantastic.

Mouthfeel - Light and moderately carbonated - more so than many bitters.

Drinkability - This is a fantastic bitter. If you don't like a big dose of hops, this is not for you. Fortunately for me, I love hops and this is an incredible hop delivery vehicle. Very drinkable - shame it's not on the full time East End rotation.

Gotta love Scott Smith's creativity and passion for brewing in the Burgh...a one off beer. Let's see the last small beer I remember falling in love with was Black Ocean from you guessed it Tom Baker's Perkuno's Hammer. I don't know who rubbed off on who but these cats have collaborated with beautiful results, and when you make a barleywine turn into the hoppiest session ale ever than your doing something right. It's not an English Bitter, it's just the Bitter End let me explain. Appears with a copper orange semi cloudy body and is topped with a large white head leaving thick chunks of uneven lacing around my pint. Aroma has semi sweet biscuit and very mild caramel malt sweetness...but namingly what stands out is a floral perfumey hop explosion with mild grassiness and citrus peels. Flavor is balls out bitterness lgith biscuit malts and citrus peel grapefruit mostly with raw, raucously extreme hop profile that just coats the palate with bitterness, wow. Definitely bitter to the end and the mouthfeel is lighter bodied with moderate even carbonation levels and textured with a layer of lubicrant in this case hop oils. Drinkability is awesome albeit it will wreck your palate for most other styles of beer, I will definitely have this beer before supplies dry up go and try some great two for one Bitter End deals at Scott's growler hours, drink up.

Poured from my growler a clear goldish/orange color with a big fluffy head that leaves lots of lace around the glass. The smell is fantastic with a floral and citrusy aroma. Taste slightly sweet upfront with a somewhat dry, grassy and very bitter finish. (guess thats why its called the Bitter End) It has a light crisp mouthfeel and is easy to drink. It seem long after I finish this one the hops are still causing havoc to my buds which in turn gives me the craving for more of this delicious brew.

Growler picked up by a co-worker last night and traded for an empty one this afternoon.

Pour is nice golden, straw color, quite clear. White foamy head falls to a thin cap, only slight lacing.

Smell is very hoppy, kind of floral, kind of herbal, kind of fruity.

Taste is much more unclear, at least as far as the type of hops. There
s a nice sweetness at first, as well as an almost grapefruitlike character. Its very bitter, mind you, but not at all in a medicinal sense, its a nice _fresh_ bitterness. Reminds me a lot of fresh Hop Wallop in a sessionable form. Very good!

Mouthfeel is rather light bodied, but substantial. Nice light carbonation, drying crispness.

Drinkability is very good, the bitterness on this one is huge but its tasty and well brewed so much that its still a hell of a session beer.

Poured from a freshly filled growler into an East End pint glass. Thick head, good retention, sticky, sticky lacing. Light amber to pale brown color and clear as glass. Pretty beer to look at.

Mild, floral aroma with hint of sourness. Interesting.

Floral theme continues in flavor, with a light sweetness to support the bitter, bitter finish. Like the fellow before me said, it's hard to pin down any particular hop flavor.It's bitter, though. In a good way, of course.

Light on the palate, somewhat crisp. Pleasant drinking. Beware, though. The alcohol hides in here. It may not be a high ABV (I don't know what it is, it could be on the low side), but something about this brew hit me hard and fast.

Bottom line: Damnit Scott, you've done it again. Someday you'll brew something I don't like, but this isn't it. Looks like I'll be fighting traffic on thursday to get more.

Time for my customary first review....

Fresh from the growler picked up this afternoon, served in an imperial pint glass.

A - Honey-colored with a slight haze. Topped with a thick, meringue-like head that clutches for life along the sides of the glass.

S - Light, floral aroma with a touch of roasted malt.

T - Yeah, its bitter alright. The bitterness is not of an easily identifiable hop or malt characteristic, but an amalgam of bitter essence. The finish does bring forth a more roasted coffee-like bitterness. As it warms I start to pick out more malt characteristics, some powdery chocolate primarily.

M - Solid, medium mouthfeel. Moderate carbonation.

D - Finishing the entire growler may be a challenge for anyone who isnt a bitterness fanatic, but due take the time to seek out some of the other flavors. As Scott recommends, share this one with a Good Friend