Friday, June 2nd, 2023

Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: ESB

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In England, ESBs fall into a category known generically as “bitters” as ESB stands for “extra special bitter.” The English bitter workaday session brew, which is also knows as an English pale ale, has been brewed and enjoyed in the UK for centuries as an alternative to milds and IPAs. English pale ales are richly flavored, medium bodied with residual malt and defining sweetness, earthy, herbal English-variety hop character, and medium to high hop bitterness. The yeast strains used in these beers lend a fruitiness to their aromatics and flavor, referred to as esters. Today, there are three kinds that fall under the designation, differentiated by strength and bitterness (measured in IBUs, or International Bitter Units). Standard or ordinary bitters come in around 3-4% ABV with a range of about 20-35 IBUs, special or “best” bitters land around 4% with 25-40 IBUs and the strongest of the bunch, the extra-special are typically 5-6% ABV with somewhere between 30-45 IBUs. Compared to many American ales these days, bitters, ESBs included, may not strike you as all that, well, bitter, though some can reach up to 50 IBUs (about the equivalent of a Lagunitas IPA). Most, however, are easy drinking, light on the alcohol and, with their warm flavors, light on the palate, too. It’s the perfect beer to spend quality time with on a cold and rainy day at any old pub. Peaks & Pints currently has four ESBs in the house — one on tap and four in the cooler — ready for our in-house beer flight, which we call, Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: ESB.

Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: ESB

Machine House 10th Anniversary Special Bitter

4.8% ABV, bottle

For their 10th anniversary, Machine House Brewery brewed this Special Bitter, an English-style extra special bitter brewed with classic ingredients: Maris Otter, Crystal malt, Fuggles, and Goldings hops. Open fermented with traditional Yorkshire ale yeast, this ultra-smooth ESB has floral notes, muted citrus, and subtle sweetness.

Away Days Nitro English Ale

5% ABV, can

Away Days is a well-known term in English football (soccer) culture, referring to the day you go and watch your team play in another city. The day is all about travelling with your community, celebrating (or commiserating) your team, and building experiences around your passion for football, travel, and beer. Opened in 2019 by former Toffee Club owners and British transplants Niki Diamond and Pete Hoppins, Away Days Brewing is inspired by a love of the beautiful game and favorite memories of European travels. The Southeast Portland, Oregon, brewery’s Nitro English Ale is a crisp and creamy ESB with notes of toffee and mild grainy malt, slightest touch of chocolate, lovely earthy and floral bitterness, and sweetness for balance.

Varietal Mindsphere

5% ABV, can

This Varietal Beer extra special bitter collaboration with Steeplejack Brewing messes with tradition by using Washington-grown Baronesse malt and Gazelle rye for a rich spiced flavor that receives a sprinkling of floral hop character from an experimental variety out of the Hopsteiner breeding program. Steeplejack’s British yeast strain adds a fruity compote flavor, striking a balance with the dryness of the beer and earthy malts.

Block 15 That’s The Badger

5.4% ABV, draft – can in the cooler

In England, “That’s the badger” expression means “that’s exactly it.” In the Pacific Northwest, That’s The Badger is an extra special bitter brewed by Block 15 Brewing in Corvallis. True to the tradition of English pub beers, this classic style balances complex malt notes of toasted nuts and caramel with a mellow hop bitterness and a gentle, spicy hop flavor. The carbonation, body, sweetness, and bitterness are on the lighter side.

LINK: Peaks & Pints cooler inventory