EXTRA STRONG BEER! (Fullers ESB Export)

Member Name: tange

Product:	Fullers ESB Export
Date:	09/07/02 (125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tasty and Full-bodied, A really nice drink!

Disadvantages: Quite strong, Nothing else really!

We've recently got back from a really nice few days in London; an A-ha concert at The Royal Albert Hall, some sightseeing and a chance to try some excellent Fuller's beers! The latter came about when we turned up early for our train from St. Pancras. We had a couple of hours to kill and didn't want to carry our bags around any longer -what was the obvious solution? We went to the pub! We went to an O'Neil's pub for lunch and ended up having to fork out £2.90 for a pint of Guinness. There was no way we were staying there for another drink, so we toddled off to a pub called The Euston Flyer (a few doors down!). It's really convenient, being located near Euston, St. Pancras and Kings Cross stations...but this isn't a review of the bar, it's supposed to be about the BEER!

From a good selection of Fuller's beers on offer we tried Chiswick Bitter (£2.10 a pint), Summer Ale (I can now reveal it cost £2.10 a pint) and some ESB. ESB is the subject of this opinion!

ESB was brewed for the first time in 1971 - a good vintage! I was BORN in 1971 was it was an appropriate year. It's another beer from the London based brewery of Fuller, Smith and Turner, set up in the Griffin Brewery by the Thames in 1845. It is available in both 500ml bottles and on draught from Fuller's pubs and selected free houses, off-licences and supermarkets around the country (our local Wetherspoons and The Market Hotel have their beers quite regularly as guest ales).

It is brewed using Target, Challenger, Northdown and Goldings hops and from Pale Ale and Crystal Malt. The full recipe is a closely guarded secret, but whatever they do obviously works - ESB has won many awards, including CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain in 1981 and 1985.

ESB weighs in at a creditable 5.5% ABV in draught form (the bottled version is slightly stronger at 5.9% ABV). I haven't tried the bottled version so I can only give my views on t
he lovely pint I was served with. It was delivered lovely and cold (it was a hot day), but not overly cold...this meant that the flavour was not compromised.

Looks wise, I was faced with a pale brown drink with a light cream coloured head; the colour is partly due to the type of Malt used in the brewing process - Pale Ale Malts produce a lighter hued beer! The aroma that you get is vaguely nutty, but with a hint of flowery sweetness coming through. The texture is syrupy and rather full bodied. It coats your mouth and throat in a pleasant and soothing way - a consistency and effect I would expect in a stronger ale, so no disappointment there!

Taste wise, you will experience a complex, but extremely nice, blend of flavours. After the first sip I got the essence of the treacly malt, giving way to the bitter taste of the hops. It's quite rich and also a little fruity; I detected a sweet honey flavour, mingling with an orangey/lemon citrus element. The after-taste you get is hoppy and I tasted a slight peppery flavour in my mouth. The honey and lemon flavours lingered for a while after drinking.

The closest thing I can compare drinking ESB to is the effect that you get when you bite into a Honey & Lemon Locket (soothing and comforting), while sucking a piece of treacle toffee (Syrupy, sweet and treacly)...sounds awful, but it works really well. All the factors combine to produce a well-rounded and exceedingly drinkable ale. The only problem is that at 5.5% ABV, its strength makes it dangerous to drink in the quantities it deserves! In effect, it's TOO TASTY! Be careful and exercise caution.

We paid £2.20 for our pint of ESB and it was well worth every penny (it was cheaper than the Guinness too!). I would recommend Fuller's ESB to anyone who appreciates a good and tasty strong ale. There's an awful lot for your taste buds to take in, so it may not be to everyone's liking...but how do you know if you d
on't try? Go on, give it a go! It certainly made our train journey back to Chesterfield pass pleasantly!

~~~BREWERY INFORMATION:

FULLER, SMITH & TURNER P.L.C.,
Griffin Brewery,
Chiswick Lane South,
Chiswick,
London W4 2QB.

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8996 2000

http://www.fullers.co.uk/frames.phtml

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