Leavenworth Ingall’s Extra Special Bitter
Fish Brewing Company / Fishbowl Brewpub

Stopped in at the Moon & Sixpence for an afternoon pint..usually have the Red Seal on cask, but asked the barman what was on the other handpump. I'm really glad I tried this beer. Nothing special in appearance..a nice deep amber color, rather flat head(which is fine for a cask beer) but a nice coating to the glass as it went down. A full pint! At least someone in this town knows how to pour a cask beer! Well, back to the review.

Nice malty rich aroma..nothing earth shattering..very pleasant.

A really beautiful sharp bitter flavor matched by a fairly rich malty quality. Very well blended..could have had more than one of these. I just loved the clean semi dry bite without the usual N.W. hop crazy overkill. Excellent!

Medium mouthfeel..just right for an ESB.

Overall drinkability was top class..hope this is on at the Moon more than for the short term. Really a step above the average run of the mill N.W. ESB's I've sampled lately. A quality pint.

After sampling both the Leavenworth Ingall's ESB and the Fish Tale 50 Fathoms ESB, I settled on an imperial pint of Ingall's to conclude my grilled chicken sandwich at the Fishbowl Brewpub. The merger of Fish Brewing Co. with Leavenworth Beers back in 2000 was mostly a synergistic marriage of English style ales with German style beers. Their mutual production of an ESB was an apparent overlap.

However, (and contrary to my expectations) the Leavenworth Ingall's ESB is the more robust of the two. It is burnt garnet in color, hazy, with a sensuous mouthfeel. The head departs quickly and the lace is frail and infrequent. The aroma is faint and malty though the taste is bitter from start to finish with accents of lemon and (oddly) pencil shavings.

The key descriptive of Ingall's is clean. The taste is concise and inviting with exemplary bittering that commands some authenticity. An ideal session beer with enough zest to stand up to foods.

Had this beer on tap. Pours a thin white head that dissapates quickly. Nice deep amber color but is cloudy. Taste is of cascade hops and that is repeated in aroma. Good beer I can drink quite a few of these. Good example of American Amber Ale. Not that many fish tale ales have decent aroma but this one does, take home a growler.

Found this on cask at the Moon and Sixpence and had to try it. Every Leavenworth brew I've ever had has been magnificent. Also, it seemed the appropriate ale to compliment my pasty.

Served in an imperial pint, it had no trouble sharing its characters. The noble, airy head had just the slightest brown edges to it, and seemed that it was evaporating from the inside out, leaving an unstable cake of foam at the top. The body of the ale was a rich, bloody copper with excellent clarity. Set alone on the table, it stood proud, complimenting the dark woods of the pub.

The aroma was earthy, like a root cellar. The malt, yeast and hops all collaborating to create a very rustic aroma that really felt authentic. Like lunch in a road side in.

The taste was subtle with its richness. Due to its being cask drawn, it worked slowly, with faint tastes of malt. Nothing was excessive, and it drank like pleasure. Aside from the smooth malts was a very balanced hop crispness. The hops added mild spice and floral compliments, though you wouldn't get the idea that it was sitting at 40 IBU.

Sadly, it drank very well, and I was out before I knew it. And I wanted more! The brewer says its a winter seasonal, so I highly recommend you find some, on cask!