XB
T & R Theakston Ltd.

XBXB
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From:
T & R Theakston Ltd.
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
Ranked #64
ABV:
4.6%
Score:
84
Ranked #22,114
Avg:
3.73 | pDev: 9.38%
Reviews:
65
Ratings:
124
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 26, 2023
Added:
Sep 29, 2003
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  11
No description / notes.
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Ratings by mwar:
Photo of mwar
Rated by mwar from Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

Dec 02, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by Dethark from England

Sep 26, 2023
Photo of stcules
Reviewed by stcules from Italy

3.41/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Ruby red color, beige foam, beautiful.
Malty and fruity smell, apple, spicy notes, plum, black tea, rhubarb..
Pleasant and full in the taste, malty / fruity..Average body, average long aftertaste, malt and caramel, and fruit, almost chewable.
Peculiar, but interesting.
Oct 08, 2022
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Cask: Excellent full-flavoured cask bitter. Been a while since I had it (in Northern England), will need a re-rate ASAP.

Bottle: 500 ml bottle, thanks to my beerpal Egil. ABV is 4.5%. Brown to copper colour, moderate but lasting white head. Pleasant aroma, hoppy / fruity with notes of berries, also notes of toffee. The flavour has a nice balance between the malts and hops, notes of berries again, typical Bramling Cross qualities. The pasteurised bottle has not quite the subtle character of the cask version (if well kept), but this is still a very enjoyable beer to drink.
Jun 12, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by Robertas from Lithuania

May 18, 2021
 
Rated: 3.09 by Dentist666 from Russian Federation

May 05, 2021
 
Rated: 3.66 by Beer_Rabbit66 from England

May 17, 2019
 
Rated: 3.33 by Macamah from England

Dec 13, 2016
Photo of Skrumpy
Reviewed by Skrumpy from Oregon

3.54/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Another bottle I received as a gift, not my normal choice for drinking, but new experiences are often surprisingly fun. This beer was poured into a standard pint glass. A foamy head that receded to a nice film, and there was sporadic lacing. The color is deep, dark amber, and the appearance is on the hazy side. The aroma is herbal, earthy and toasted malt. The flavor is similar, caramel malt, nuts, and some crisp fruitiness, apples and cherries perhaps. The finish is smooth, and there is not much to the bitterness. The mouthfeel is kind of watery, but there is an essence of that nutty, sweetness/bitterness that lingers that gives the beer a nice quality.
Apr 22, 2016
Photo of patre_tim
Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand

3.77/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Dark copper to almost deerskin brown. Clear and filtered with a little carbonation and topped with 2 fingers of light beige head.

Hard water, toffee, burnt sugar, apple candy.

Dark toasted malts, hard water finish with only a hint of bitterness and a glassy almost watery refreshing note that splashes in on the tongue at the end.

Medium to light body, little foamy carbonation.

Found at Villa Market in Bangkok. Drank in Chiang Mai Sept. 30th, 2015. Refreshing great beer that seems rare and unfamiliar in these parts but well done.
Sep 30, 2015
Photo of cab4514
Reviewed by cab4514 from South Carolina

3.76/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Was willing to try anything from Theakston since I tried Old Peculiar. One thing to note is that the two are not similar. XB is much more fruity and lighter. I definitely got an apple hint from it, both in smell and taste. Has a light amber look with a good light head to it. Would definitely drink again.
Sep 12, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by 123321123321 from Alabama

Sep 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.36 by der_meister from Ukraine

Jul 29, 2015
 
Rated: 4.41 by Geoffq from California

Mar 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.72 by rulisekmartin from Czech Republic

Feb 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.51 by Ian_B from Massachusetts

Jan 18, 2015
Photo of FLima
Reviewed by FLima from Brazil

3.61/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Amber copper color with a thin head with short retention.
English tangy fruit aroma with hints of toffee, plums, biscuit and mild earth.
Flavor with notes of English hops, fuggle alike, toffee, tea leaves, plums, apples, lemon and fresh grapes. Hints of chocolates, grains, cola and minerals. Dry aftertaste with a rounded bitterness.
Bordering medium body with appropriate carbonation.
Easy to drink fruity ESB, with decent complexity though. Good balance between English hops and fruitiness. Not exceptional or unique, but still pleasant.
Nov 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.52 by JiltedFat

Oct 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by pwdiamond from Connecticut

Oct 08, 2014
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

3.54/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Hazy copper with a decent bubbly head.

Feel: Medium-Light body.

The flavor is similar in quality to the aroma, but much stronger. Fine fruity, malty flavor.
Sep 19, 2014
XB from T & R Theakston Ltd.
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 124 ratings