Fullers ESB hits the Sweet Spot

Living in Yorkshire I tend to find only Fullers London Pride ready available in supermarkets; the reasons why could be due to a number of factors, probably the main is the prominence of local Yorkshire breweries that the shops want stock, plus distribution network tends to be stronger in the south of the country.

Anyway, that said, if you keep your eye open, you can find Fullers ESB (Extra Strong Bitter) 5.9% ABV in larger stores of Tesco and Sainsbury's; I picked this one up from a large Tescos in Scotland of all places!

The Beers Packaging

A nice standard shaped 500ml brown bottle with GRIFFIN (the brewery name) embossed in the neck.

It has a very straightforward label, "ESB" emblazoned on the front of it, slightly oversized "S" for emphasise of the 'Special' element of the beer.

Does the word "LEGENDARY" give me a clue as to what I should expect I wonder!

Overall with the colours and fonts, Fullers beer heritage shines through.

The Beers Appearance

For someone like me who was brought on on bitter, Fullers ESB is very visually appealing; just one look of it gets you ready for the rich flavour inside.

It's a super clear beer with a beautiful rich mahogany colour, it just looks like warm and welcoming beer and it invites you in.

The Beers Aroma

I guess I expected the aroma to be fairly simple, and it is. There is a sweet toffee in there that mellows to become more caramelly, it also has a mildly fruity nose, overall it has a very pleasant aroma, well, I suppose it's pleasant if you like bitters like I do!

The Beers Flavour

This is a British classic, so I was expecting something pretty special, and I wasn't disappointed.

My tastebuds were hit by a sweet toffee that, like the nose, melted into a soft caramel; this quickly gave way to a dark and intense (but mild) bonfire toffee flavour which lingered. There is a little breadiness and earthiness in there too.

Also in this mix is the fruit, I got a little citrus from this beer which provided a little tangy bitterness.

Overall Impression

I would normally expect an ESB to have a solid bitterness with it, and it's the use of the hops that slightly lets this down in my humble opinion.

I would like a little more hoppiness .

That said, it was an enjoyable pint, and it reminded me of my early drinking days; it had a good depth of flavour and was satisfying and very easy drinking.

My Rating

I would definately buy this again and make it one of my go-to beers. 9 out of 10.

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