Hudsons E.S.B.
Flat Branch Pub & Brewery

 

On draft at the source. The beer is light copper with a quarter inch of white head. The aroma is alarmingly sweet, lacking the biscuit malt character that I find so delectable in this, and other English styles. The flavor is a mess. Too sweet. Unbalanced and out of character for the style. I didn't finish this one.

 

A cask conditioned ale pulled from a beer engine. Brought to the table in a nonic pint glass. Serving temperature around 60 degrees.

A: Amber brown with a little haze. A thick creamy head that was 1 finger tall. The foam coated the glass almost completely as I drained the beer. Never seen a head stick to a glass like this.

S: Sweet malty with some toffee notes. Very mild hop notes.

T: Very mild malt and hop combination.

M: Probably the best part of this beer. Very creamy almost like a nitrogen tapped beer. Very silky

D: It would have been very easy to put away several of these but since I had a 2 hour drive to get back home I just had one.

Hand pulled from the cask. Appeared a hazy light brown. There were some good elements to this beer - at first I got some cocoa bread malt notes. But for the most part this beer tasted like a cherry Jolly Rancher with tobacco and grapefruit hops. The malts were too sweet and candy-like, and that really brought the beer down. Still, it's not too far from being tasty cask ale.

Pours a clear amber/brown. 1/2 inch head of an off-white color. Great retention and great lacing! Smells of hops. sweet malts, yeast, hint of roasted malt, and hint of caramel. Fits the category of an Extra Special / Strong Bitter. Mouth feel is smooth and clean, with a low carbonation level. Tastes of a citrus hops up front, sweet malt, yeast, slight grass,, slight caramel malt, and a hint of sugary sweetness. Overall, great appearance, good feel, blend, and body.

A: Amber, nice head, leaving lacing.

S: Fruity and sweet aromas dominate the smell.

T: The key to an ESB, on like its other bitter counterparts is balance. This ESB achieves a splendid balance of bitterness with its sweet malts.

M: Balanced carbonation, medium bodied.

D: I had a few of these and I brought a growler home so I guess that shows what I though of the brew.

A - Amber color with about a 2-finger head. It left nice lacing.

S - It smelled of malt and hops.

T - Very interesting. I didn't really find it bitter at all. It was very malty and had a slight sweet aftertaste to it. It seemed to become sweeter as it warmed.

M - It has a crisp mouthfeel and is light-bodied.

D - I enjoyed it very much. It doesn't seem to fit as an ESB but I could drink it again on return visits.

Draught: The beer is an orangeish/amber color. The beer was poured with an exceptionally large amout of foam: it looked like a Guinness the way it settled. When it did settle, the beer was over an inch and a half down from the top of the glass. I had to send it back to make it a full one. Small white bubbles in the head. Not very bitter for an ESB, in fact it wasn't bitter at all. It was even a bit sweet. The nose was even sweet. Could have a little more body to it also. A pretty good beer, just not an ESB.

Pours light amber in color, fluffy white head that leaves a nice lasting lace. Sweet malt and hoppy citrus aroma, medium body with a soft and creamy mouthfeel, balanced with a taste of grapefruit and caremel. The hops really stand out in the end. This is a good ESB, very tasty.