An extra special bitter is an English style pale ale, trying to do the classic balancing act between malt sweet and hoppy bitterness. Here at COMDB we have quaffed a few ESB, and the genre in general has not been all that special in our eyes, or glasses. * The exception was exceptional, when Sawdust and Second Wedge included some sweet potatoes in their Harvest. But I yam a fan of Silversmith and maybe, just maybe, they made this extra special extra special.
The classic copper coloured pour of an ESB, with a thin white line of a heading on down the highway head. An aroma that’s a nutty caramel fusion, I think I can actually smell the bitters. The taste follows suit, nutty, caramel, bitters, in that order with an extra bitter aftertaste. Unfortunately the scales tip heavily toward more nut and less caramel, with some off the chart bitters. Occasionally it attains equilibrium and when in balance it’s a nice combo. When the nuts and bitters take over, not so much.
This brew had super suds potential but missed out on the balance part of the equation. It had its moments, just not enough of them.
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