ESB
Fegley's Bethlehem Brew Works

Decanted from a 32 ounce crawler that was filled within a few hours from the brew works in Bethlehem. Of course, with a proper light tan head, it didn't entirely fit into the clear glass liter mug. Room to complete the pour shall be made quickly. The brew is brown-amber, not quite as dark as a brown ale. It's also a little brighter and a little clearer than those. The aroma is mild, bringing only a bit of malt and hop notes, yet what is there is balanced. It tastes much more poignantly than it smells. There's a bitterness from roasted malt that supercedes the malty sweetness. Initially, it's full flavored and in good balance, but the finish gets amazingly bitter. The hops piney and earthy to start, get an additional note of citrus. With the bitterness from the roasted malt, this is surprisingly bitter for a Bitter (irony intended). The alcohol, which seems to generally accent either the sweetness or bitterness of a beer, augments the later here. Overall, this is so much more flavorful than most ESBs and if you like a bitter bite, here's your Bitter. This is more highly carbonated than most of its style and many of those are nitro propelled or hand pumped, both resulting in a super smooth body. Still, there's enough barley malt to provide a solid backbone with some sweetness and decent body. However, that doesn't carry over to any notable glass lacing. Regardless of what style preference, this is a surprisingly good find for a hop head. It drinks more like a bitter English IPA than an Extra Special Bitter. That makes it exceptional.