Postiljon
Jämtlands Bryggeri AB

PostiljonPostiljon
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From:
Jämtlands Bryggeri AB
 
Sweden
Style:
Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
Ranked #63
ABV:
5.8%
Score:
85
Ranked #20,177
Avg:
3.74 | pDev: 12.83%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
17
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 15, 2023
Added:
Jan 07, 2003
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by bark:
Photo of bark
Reviewed by bark from Sweden

4.65/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
The colour is not very “pale”, but deep copper red. The medium-sized foam with medium-sized bubbles builds a little crater. The liquid is clear.

The generous smell is loaded with lots of somewhat burned malt and a somewhat sourish flavour of hops. Challenger? Probably.

The carbonation is mild and pleasant. I like!

There is an almost sour taste in the start, but a potent sweet malty aroma soon replaces it. The growing and very balanced bitterness fades quickly, making this beer surprisingly easy to drink.

This is most defiantly a Strong Pale Ale in taste, but it is also a very typical brew from Jämtlands Bryggeri with their trademark blend of hops (Challenger and Bramling Cross).

Indeed a great pale ale!
Oct 07, 2004
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
August 2009: 500 ml bottle, bought at Systembolaget. ABV is 5.8%. Called a "strong pale ale" by the brewery. Dark copper to chestnut colour, moderate beige head. Pleasant aroma of lightly roasted malts, caramel, burnt toast and fruity hops, hints of bakery. In the flavour the fruity hops are well balanced against the malts and moderate roastiness, with a moderately bitter and slightly nutty finish. Good stuff!
Oct 15, 2023
 
Rated: 3.26 by Wer34truh from Minnesota

Jun 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by Mattias from Sweden

Feb 22, 2015
 
Rated: 2.75 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Nov 27, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by the_danish_swede from Sweden

Jan 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by JamFuel from Sweden

Sep 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by aztraz from Sweden

Apr 05, 2012
Photo of rarbring
Reviewed by rarbring from Sweden

3.63/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
The beer is clear dark amber, with hints of ruby, a pale tan high head that settles slowly, leaving loads of lacing.

Th smell starts as Swedish "julmust", a dark sweet malt soda, then some bitter oranges.

Starts sweet, brown bread, bitter oranges, orange zest.

Low carbonation, soft and sticky, slightly dry finish.

Honestly a bit too sweet for me, but a good handiwork anyway.
Jun 25, 2011
Photo of Evil_Pidde
Reviewed by Evil_Pidde from Sweden

4.23/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: This beer is a bit darker than I expected - brown. The head is creamy-white.

S: The first thing that strikes me is that this smells a bit like toothpaste - the mint is rather prominent. Then there is also a substantial smell of malt and floral hops. Some fruit is also noticable.

T: A complex ESB with lots of fruit. There is a strong malt-taste - almost like ryebread. A sweet beer with bitterhops. The aftertaste lingers for quite some time with a nice blend between malt and hops.

M: This is powerful, rich and creamy.

D: Well, ESB from Sweden may not have been my first choice but after tasting this beer I must reconsider. The "Jämtlands Postiljon" is a great ESB that I will drink again and agian.
Jul 03, 2009
Photo of JustinBathurst
Reviewed by JustinBathurst from Canada (ON)

3.73/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured a molasses red-brown with dark tan crown of 2 cm.

Smells malty and nicely floral, some celery, red licorice, and grain.

The mouthfeel is crisp and well carbonated.

The taste is malty sweet like dark bread and honey, nicely sour citrus, a bit chalky and dry in the excellent bitter finish.

Decent beer.
Sep 09, 2008
Photo of Asgeirr
Reviewed by Asgeirr from Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands

4.42/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
Appearance: Jämtlands Postiljon pours a clear vermillion-to-brown colour along with a very rich and persistent white crown.

Smell: Very similar to finnish sour dough rye bread.

Taste: A sourness (resemblant to the smell) comes first along with some bitter hops. The sourness, however, is quickly replaced by the longlasting savors of mildly roasted malt, as a smale sense of sweetness lurks in the background.

Mouthfeel: Thick and smooth in every sense of the words -- a very pleasant experience indeed!

Drinkability: Holds a grand character-resonance in both smell and taste therefore Postiljon is greatly recommended.
Dec 07, 2007
Photo of SkeeterHawk
Reviewed by SkeeterHawk from Texas

3.51/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
This beer was brought back for me by a friend and client that was visiting Sweden. I have had it for a couple months, and figured that there was no time like the present to review it. Here we go...

Appearance: Pours a clear red color with a small 1/8" head of tan bubbles that fell within about 30 seconds. After the head receded, there was still a lasting layer of bubbles that stayed for some time on top of the beer. There are some bubbles rising to meet the top, and they are doing so slowly showing the beers viscosity. There is a pretty large amount of lacing left on the sides of the glass after drinking.

Aroma: Initially I got a good bit of toasty sweet malt with a defined dark caramel presence as well as some fruity cherry notes. There is a mild hop presence in the nose, and I pick it up as much as an earthy aromatic as anything. The aroma gets a bit soapy as the beer warms up some.

Taste: The flavor is really dry and malt driven, but there is definitely some balance from the hops in the finish. I can certainly taste the water with this beer, but this isn't out of style for an ESB. I get sweetness in the beginning of the profile with a hint of oxidation (I believe) which accentuate the cherry and sherry notes. In the middle of the profile, the minerals from the water, the hops, and the attenuation give the beer a very dry finish that borders on astringency. After a couple sips, and the beer warms up some, there is a mild alcoholic warming noticeable on the back of the throat.

Opinion: This is a pretty decent beer, and I really appreciate my friend giving me this opportunity to try it. My review is a bit jaded in that the ESB style of beer is not my favorite. I wouldn't have thought that it was an ESB by the label on the bottle, but the flavor certainly fits that category. This being the case, it is a pretty good example. The finish is a bit dry for my taste, but that is often characteristic for this style. Again, I really appreciate my friend bringing this back for me, but this won't be a beer that I use a lot of resources to try again in the future.
Aug 19, 2007
Photo of lagomswedish
Reviewed by lagomswedish from Sweden

4.45/5  rDev +19%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Being English and living in Sweden, this is the perfect hybrid beer for me - the best of both worlds!

Appearance: pours a clear chestnut amber with a thick vanilla off-white head.

Smell: Here's where it gets funky. Fresh citrus fruits (particularly grapefuit) and grass.

Taste: Fantastic balance between spritzy hops and a malty mouthfeel (knäckerbröd - crispbread). A soft bitterness and orchards full of fruit.

Mouthfeel: Oh I love this - smoother than a Barry White love song.

Drinkability: Hides its alcoholic colours very well and has all the merits of an ESB without any obvious roasted malt but rather a clean fruity knockout punch.
Nov 08, 2006
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Complements of Madsberg. Expirey end of this month. Pours a medium reddish brown, with lots of off-white head and thick lace. Significant malt and citrus aroma. Very easy drinking, with good hopped dryness, dried fruit, nuts and spice. A very good ESB.
Oct 24, 2006
Photo of GreenCard
Reviewed by GreenCard from Maryland

3.6/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
According to BJCP guidelines...

Aroma: some raisin and pineapple esters, slight floral hoppiness, a twinge of iron smell (perhaps from the cap... noticed a bit of rust around the outer rim of the mouth of the bottle).
Score: 8 of 12

Appearance: BEAUTIFUL! Mahogany brown, brilliant clarity, and velvety tan head which lasted beyond expectation.
Score: 3 of 3

Flavor: toasty upfront malt with a nice hop bitterness creeping in midway through the taste and riding out to the finish, nice transition, pleasant hoppiness in the aftertaste, well-balanced.
Score: 16 of 20

Mouthfeel: medium bodied, accurate carbonation (just tickling the palate a bit), palatable creaminess, some warmth
Score: 4 of 5

Overall impression: pleasantly surprised with this one, a very inviting brew ("more-ish"), the aroma and appearance were backed up by a well-matched flavor profile.
Score: 10 of 10

Total score: 41 out of 50
Feb 28, 2003
Photo of rastaman
Reviewed by rastaman from England

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A very nice ESB, good combination of malt and hops and nice satisfying hop finish, and zesty, citrusy, spicy, fresh and just plain tasty. Taste a lot better than a lot of other Bitters i've sampled out of the bottle, it would be great to try it on cask (if thats at all possible, i don't know if its available on cask), supremely tasty ESB from a fave brewer of mine.
Feb 15, 2003
Postiljon from Jämtlands Bryggeri AB
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 17 ratings