Full Sail ESB (Extra Special Barney)

From Full Sail’s Barney – The first beer in the Brewer’s Share Aeries is “Extra Special Barney” (ESB) and was developed by our lead brewer, Barney Brennan. According to Barney, his ESB was inspired by two things; a perfect beer moment and the aromatic highlight of the 2007 hop selection in Yakima, a US Challenger hop. As Barney puts it, “I was sitting on the deck at the brewery overlooking the river in the sunshine – drinking a perfectly balanced bitter – already looking forward to the second pint. It was one of those great beer moments. Hopefully, my ESB will make one of those moments for someone else with its five different specialty malts and this one very special hop. We made it entirely with US Challenger hops including a pound per barrel dry hop because we wanted to share the aromatic experience we had at the Hop Rub in Yakima with our customers.”

Full Sail Brewing – Full Sail Brewer’s Share – ESB (Extra Special Barney) – 22 oz. bottle poured into an imperial pint glass. 6.5% abv.

Appearance: Pours a dark clear copper with a tan head that subsides to a lasting creamy layer of froth. Leaves behind a bit lof lace as well.

Aroma:  Sweet toffee like malt, fruity yeast and a fresh herbal hop aroma.

Taste: A mixture of fruity yeast, tuned down Full Sail bitey house character, toffee like malt, red apple skin tannins. Finishes with a little bit of bitterness balances out the fruity profile of the beer. Alcohol well hidden for this 6.5%, fairly clear ale.

Mouthfeel:  On the thin/sessionable side of medium, moderate carbonation, ever so juicy.

Overall:  One of the better ales I’ve had from Full Sail in a few years.  The Full Sail house ale yeast isn’t the first and last thing I taste in this, and that is a positive thing for me. Very sessionable for 6.5% as well.