A Tale of Two ESB's

5 out of 5 Hops...just because



What better excuse to drink two beers than with two interpretations of the same style? Redhook ESB was an early favorite of mine when I began drinking craft beers. It's also one of my go-to beers in a pinch that is readily available here in Washington. Fuller's produces amazing English Beers that are available in the U.S. On to the comparison! ESB stands for Extra Special Bitter, which is a descendant of English Bitter/Pale Ale. The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) has guidelines that break down the elements of each beer style. I basically see ESB as an ale with more hop, malt, and alcohol than a Pale Ale. There are more breweries doing ESB's now, but these two have always served as gauges for my comparisons.

First off, my old friend, Redhook ESB. This is a 5.8%, 28 IBU brew. It has a toasted malt nose with light hints of hop. The taste is malty but the moderate bitterness takes over right away. Hops used are "Alchemy Hops"(proprietary blend:Warrior and Millenium?) and Willamette for bittering, Centennial and Crystal for flavor/aroma. Clean finish, malty aftertaste with some hop.

Next is the Fullers ESB from England. This would be the more "original" style, but to each their own. The aroma is more noticeable and has a toffee/candy/fruity smell. Uniquely Yummy. The other Fullers "London Pride" has a similar aroma; yeast, I presume, combined with the grains. The taste is malty delicious and a slight oily finish. The beer has a very full bodied mouthfeel to it..if that makes sense..not watery in texture;thick and chewy. English Hops used are Target (bittering), Challenger(flavor/aroma), Northdown(flavor/aroma), and Goldings(flavor/aroma/dryhop)..same blend as their Bitters but add the Goldings. ABV is 5.9% and IBU is a rumored 35; which is remarkable since the Fullers tastes less hoppy. Definitely an English beer. Carbonation and aroma may seem very foreign at first, but give it a chance.
I won't go so far as to say one is better than the other. Like any style, each brewery interprets. I say try em both and see what you think. Redhook is very common in the West, and Fullers has a large distribution in the US. Let me know what you think!

Full Sail LTD Lager Recipe No 04

4 out of 5 Hops



Full Sail is one of those amazing Oregon Brewers that most of my casual drinking friends are not familiar with. Admittedly I was not familiar with them until 2007 when I brewed my first beer; a Full Sail Amber clone. Located on the Hood River, brewing commenced in 1987 and no sign of slowing down now. There are currently 3 LTD Lagers released at different times of the year; 02-March to June, 03-June to September, and 04-December to March. The 04 is a single malt, single hop lager masterpiece. Most beers consist of a blend of malted barley grains for color, flavor, and a base malt for alcohol. Additionally, beers commonly have 2 or more hops for bittering, flavor, and aroma. The LTD 04 allows the drinker to single out the malt and hop flavor independently which is unusual in commercial beer. This lager has a light floral and honey aroma courtesy of Willamette hops and Pale malt barley. Pale malt and lager yeast give this beer a crisp, clean, flavor that makes it suitable for any occasion. I grew up as most of us in the US on watery, tasteless light lagers. It is time for the delicious full body lagers to take a stand change my old expectations of that "lager flavor". Full Sail is amazing. Try the Amber, Pale, Wassail, and the original Session lagers in the shorty bottles. "Stoked to Brew, Brewed to stoke"

Redhook Late Harvest Autumn Ale

4 out of 5 Hops

Redhook is a local Seattle icon in Beer History. What began in Ballard in 1982 has continued to be a staple brewery. Redhook ESB is a definite grocery store "go-to" beer in my book. This is a moderately hopped ale at 32 IBU, great dark amber color, and a nose of malt and subtle Chinook hops. This is brew is made with 4 different grains and 3 hops: Willamette, Saaz, and Chinook. At 5.9%, its a decent ABV beer to toss a few back while tossing the football or raking the fall leaves. The aftertaste is clean and not oily or thick in the mouth. Great beer in Autumn to get ready for hopped up stronger Winter Ales. Cheers! www.redhook.com

Scuttlebutt Brewing Amber Ale

3 out of 5 Hop Cones


This is a local beer from north of Seattle in Everett. It has a well balanced taste that leans to the bitter side. I don't detect any malty taste or sweetness that I normally think of with an amber. Of course for my taste I would enjoy more aroma from the finishing hops. This ale is a 5.1% A.B.V and is hopped with Mt Hood and Willamette hops. Although this is not a standout flavor for me, I find very good and enjoyable...just not remarkable. I am an avid supporter of local brews so I would highly recommend all to try this one and let me know your thoughts. I look forward to finding some of their seasonals shown on the website! scuttlebuttbrewing.com