Turk's Head ESB
Alameda Brewhouse

 

Appearance – The head on this ESB came up nicely off the tap. It was a cool-looking tan, showed a lot of good retention, and sat on top of the brown, nicely carbonated liquid.

Smell – The dark, almost burnt aroma opened up immediately. This is like toast that’s borderline burnt. The bitter character came out cleanly as well.

Taste – The big, burnt, malty, bready, toasty flavors fell in line with the nose.

Mouthfeel – This medium-bodied ale is dry, dry, dry. Plan on going through a pint of water for every pint of this beer.

Drinkability – This ESB was rather heavy-handed, which I enjoyed. There’s not a lot of subtlety to this one, so make sure you want a stiff slap in the face before ordering a round of Turk’s Head.

Comments – I think skyhand took a big sip out of my glass when I got up to use the restroom. Regardless, it was great sharing this fine brew with a fellow BA.

Turk’s Head starts with a dense frothy head of light honey-brown suds. The beer is caramel brown, slightly clouded with a head that soon dissipates leaving no lace left on the glass. The aroma is very modest, at first hoppy, but this too faded until the fragrance was imperceptible. The taste emphasizes an edgy hop bitterness that gets particularly biting towards the end before finally turning downright sour in the finish. The mouthfeel is slightly gritty.

At 4.1% ABV Turk’s Head sits in the common range of a special bitter but is lower than a typical ESB. Conversely, the 48 IBU is too strong for a special bitter and is more consistent with classic ESB dimensions. I have no problem with fudging these technical boundaries though a smoother body and crisper finish would spark greater inspiration for this otherwise decent session beer.