Working Stiff Ale
Texas Big Beer
- From:
- Texas Big Beer
- Texas, United States
- Style:
- Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
- ABV:
- 6.62%
- Score:
- 80
- Avg:
- 3.39 | pDev: 24.48%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 10
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Aug 14, 2025
- Added:
- Apr 19, 2013
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 4
SCORE
80
Good
80
Good
This is my personal favorite beer as a home brewer. I have brewed more batches of this beer than any other. I kept it on tap at my house continually. This is also my most medal winning beer of all time. I even entered it in the Samuel Adams TM Holiday Homebrew Competition back in about 2005 and it took first place in the category and the beer advanced to the final three. But, it did not get best of show. I was sad at the time, but happy as hell now, because if it had won, it would be Jim Koch's beer!
This beer is an ESB, which was the premium beer of the Working Man (Working Stiff) who frequented the pubs of London after a hard day's work back in the mid 1800's. It may be a 160 years later, but this beer is still the
ULTIMATE TAP BEER!
This beer is an ESB, which was the premium beer of the Working Man (Working Stiff) who frequented the pubs of London after a hard day's work back in the mid 1800's. It may be a 160 years later, but this beer is still the
ULTIMATE TAP BEER!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Rated by ttoadee from Texas
3.33/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.33/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
RB transfer
Aug 14, 2025
Reviewed by HardTarget from Texas
3.95/5 rDev +16.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
3.95/5 rDev +16.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Light amber glass shows moderate chill haze, holds a very thin halo of white bubbles.
Aroma: Caramel malt with a grape ester. Solid yeast note as well, just a hint of sulfur, more of an earthy note.
Taste: Sweet, bit of a Scottish ale profile with the purple grape almost peaty flavor. There's a Belgian something going on as well, almost goes into the Tripple or Saison areas with the grainy sweet finish. A complex and pleasing package. It's either on the edge of under-attenuated or a hydrometer needs calibration, punches well above 6%.
Mouthfeel: Medium heavy body, oily texture, chew, low carbonation makes it almost syrupy in the finish.
Overall: Big bang for a 6% beer, generous malt base overwhelms any hop flavors but manages to find a nod to balance in the sweet finish. Little heavy for a lawn mower, more of an end of day reward.
Mar 17, 2016Aroma: Caramel malt with a grape ester. Solid yeast note as well, just a hint of sulfur, more of an earthy note.
Taste: Sweet, bit of a Scottish ale profile with the purple grape almost peaty flavor. There's a Belgian something going on as well, almost goes into the Tripple or Saison areas with the grainy sweet finish. A complex and pleasing package. It's either on the edge of under-attenuated or a hydrometer needs calibration, punches well above 6%.
Mouthfeel: Medium heavy body, oily texture, chew, low carbonation makes it almost syrupy in the finish.
Overall: Big bang for a 6% beer, generous malt base overwhelms any hop flavors but manages to find a nod to balance in the sweet finish. Little heavy for a lawn mower, more of an end of day reward.
Rated by Graphilthy
4.29/5 rDev +26.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.29/5 rDev +26.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Good flavor and smell. Easy to drink.
May 18, 2015
Reviewed by vickersspitfire from Texas
3.3/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.3/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance:
Light golden/ burnt orange color with some mild haziness to it. The head is about a finger and a half thick and slowly thins out. Good dense lacing.
Smell:
Floral and fruity, much like a sweet wine.
Taste:
Bitter up front but it’s quickly balanced out by the malts. Some earthy spice come through and there’s a slight bready flavor as it hits the back of your mouth.
Mouthfeel:
Medium to light bodied with a semi dry finish.
Overall:
Pretty good and well balanced, this is a nice and smooth ESB.
Apr 01, 2015Light golden/ burnt orange color with some mild haziness to it. The head is about a finger and a half thick and slowly thins out. Good dense lacing.
Smell:
Floral and fruity, much like a sweet wine.
Taste:
Bitter up front but it’s quickly balanced out by the malts. Some earthy spice come through and there’s a slight bready flavor as it hits the back of your mouth.
Mouthfeel:
Medium to light bodied with a semi dry finish.
Overall:
Pretty good and well balanced, this is a nice and smooth ESB.
Reviewed by allengarvin from Texas
3.83/5 rDev +13%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.83/5 rDev +13%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
[Grrr, it picked up my attributes, but my review disappeared--recreating it]
A: 3.75 - Very hazy orange color with an airy, quickly fading head.
S: 3.75 - Lots of pine-resiny hops, little else.
T: 3.75 - Very high bitterness initially, with citrusy, piney hops. Malt is sweet if you look under the hops. Quite dry finish.
M: 4.0 - Good body, not heavy, lots of carbonation.
O: 4 - Decent PA, but not English by any means. Hop varieties and quantities are squarely American.
Oct 04, 2014A: 3.75 - Very hazy orange color with an airy, quickly fading head.
S: 3.75 - Lots of pine-resiny hops, little else.
T: 3.75 - Very high bitterness initially, with citrusy, piney hops. Malt is sweet if you look under the hops. Quite dry finish.
M: 4.0 - Good body, not heavy, lots of carbonation.
O: 4 - Decent PA, but not English by any means. Hop varieties and quantities are squarely American.
Reviewed by utfiero from Texas
4.25/5 rDev +25.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +25.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Color- hazy honey. Full, thick head.
Aroma- honey, mild apricot marmalade, and hint of white pepper.
Taste- An excellent British ESB style ale. Starts malt forward with a full grain bread and butter smoothness, mild hops and earthy grains appear in the mid-body, finishing with a long and mellow hoppiness.
Poured from 650 ml bomber into a Liefmans Goudenband glass (my preferred all purpose beer tasting glass). Tasted on 5/31/14.
May 31, 2014Aroma- honey, mild apricot marmalade, and hint of white pepper.
Taste- An excellent British ESB style ale. Starts malt forward with a full grain bread and butter smoothness, mild hops and earthy grains appear in the mid-body, finishing with a long and mellow hoppiness.
Poured from 650 ml bomber into a Liefmans Goudenband glass (my preferred all purpose beer tasting glass). Tasted on 5/31/14.
Reviewed by kellypodz from Texas
2.11/5 rDev -37.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
2.11/5 rDev -37.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
I'm hoping this was just a bad batch. This is my second bottle with some weird funk going on for an ESB, which should be a well-balanced easy drinker. Pours a hazy golden color with a generous head (was a bit of a bottle bomb). Smells of honey and yeast. I'm having a hard time tasting much beyond the metallic and butterscotch off flavors, but I do detect some earthy hops and caramel malts. Pretty soft on the tongue, higher carbonation than expected. It's disappointing, but I'll give it another shot if I ever come across it again.
Oct 30, 2013
Reviewed by goochpunch from Texas
1.38/5 rDev -59.3%
look: 2.75 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1
1.38/5 rDev -59.3%
look: 2.75 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1
Pours out an amber body with a thin head. Smells strongly of yeast. Kind of like a failed homebrew. Booze in the nose. Tastes of pale malts and toast up front. Dryness in the finish. LOTS of yeast, but not in a good, interesting, or charming way (i.e., like a poorly made homebrew). Weird minty flavor, which is very off-putting when tastes in conjunction with the other missteps. I suppose this is from the hops? Is this oxidized as well? Mouthfeel lacks body and has a carbonation that stings the tongue. I'd rather drink my half-assed attempts at homebrew than this.
Oct 20, 2013
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