May 27, 2009: Fuller's ESB

In England, things are done a lot differently than they are here in the states. We play baseball and basketball, they play football (soccer) and rugby. We use the restroom, they call it the loo. We visit the dentists regularly, and they.... well, let's just say that they've never been known for their dental hygiene. Among the many differences between the yanks and the limeys is brewing tradition. Lagers have long ruled in the court of popular opinion here in the states, but the Brits have always had a penchant for the darker, heavier ales. Tonight's beer is Fuller's ESB and it's a classic example of what our friends across the pond call a bitter.

So what is a bitter, you ask? Basically it's just what they call a pale ale in the U.K. While there is a lot of variation and room for creativity withing the genre of bitter, it's basically brewed by the same process that tradition pale ales are all around the world. The ESB in Fuller's ESB stands for "Extra Special Bitter", but I've been scratching my head trying to figure out what that means exactly. How does a bitter become classified as extra special, and what does being extra special entail? The actual classification states that a beer must be above 4.8% alocohol by volume, but the term ESB is used more loosely in the U.K. than it is here in the states. I may never figure out the criteria for the extra special bitter title, so all I can go with is my own palate, which found Fuller's ESB to be a very smooth, very drinkable dark ale. Fuller's ESB pour a deep, true honey color with an impressively fluffy white head that sticks around for quite a while. Like most bitters, Fuller's ESB is best served cold because the combination of bitterness and flatness that come together when the beer warms up makes it a lot less enjoyable in my opinion.

Cheers,
Ian

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