Looking for a decent mild, special, ESB

While not necessarily true to these styles, 21st Century Bitter American is a damn good American beer that's pretty similar. Not sure if it's available in IN, though.

There's also Goose Island Honker's Ale, a good American interpretation of the bitter.

 

Have you had Harvest Ales from GI or Southern Tier? I also recommend Left Hand Saw Tooth Ale.

 

Southern tier harvest is fantastic

 

Have you tried Fuller's ESB on cask? Vastly better than in the bottle.I've plenty of suggestions for milds and bitters but you would need to cross the pond to find them ! You should be able to find Coniston Bluebird , Taylor's Landlord and Brakspear's Bitter over there plus Moorhouse's Black Cat but they really cry out for cask dispense , good enough in bottle but only a shadow of what they can be.

 

Sawtooth is where it's at! Also, for a mild, I would try and find Moorhouse Black Cat. Bitters are a bit tough to find unless on draft, but Coniston Bluebird Bitter is an amazing beer when fresh. If you can find it, Daleside Old Leg Over is a pretty good bitter as well.

 

Try to find Young's Special London Ale
Goose Island's Harvest Ale is probably the best common beer they make IMHO.

I don't know what part of Indiana you are from but if you get a chance to try Lord Admiral Nelson from Three Floyd's (I haven't personally) but its rated quite highly.

 

Yards brawler is a good dark mild

 

Does ska brewing make it out there? If so check out as well as brekenridge brewings BA ESB. Both are fantastic.

 

Upland just put a new ESB on tap, it's pretty good.

 

ST Harvest
Heavy Seas Imperial ESB (Catagory 5)

 

Although it's technically an "American" version of an English Mild, you should check out...

 

Just had a bottle of Badger Hill's Minnesota Special Bitter and it was fantastical.

 

Cain's English Mild is available in Chicago and probably Indiana, Goose Island Mild Winter, Revolution Working Man Mild....the problem is most will not in canned/bottled, but on tap.

 

If you can get anything from Harviestoun that would be a good place to start

 

or adnams

 

Old Golden Hen is a delicious bitter.

 

Revolution's Cross of Gold is labeled as a "Blonde Ale" here at BA, but it tasted like a fresh, very good Best Bitter to me. Not sure you can find it in Indiana, but it's not far away.

 

Welsh ESB is a good one. It was my first ESB and it's probably still my favorite