Bridgeport ESB - BridgePort Brewing Co. / Brewpub

alehopman

Wisconsin

4.68/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've consumed my share of English and English-style bitters and I found this ale to be outstanding, very true to style. It poured w/an orange hue and had a one finger, lingering head. The smell was a powerful combination of crystal malt and Goldings hops. The taste was as the smell promised. The flowery Goldings element particularly good. Smooth with a nice balanced bitter finish. I've been looking for an ale like this for a long, long time. Rip Curl by Full Sail came close but not as good as this.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2008 21:15:56 | More by alehopman

tbone1384

Wyoming

4/5  rDev +1.5%

11-09-2012 04:01:47 | More by tbone1384

beerpadawan

California

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

08-26-2012 23:49:48 | More by beerpadawan

abcramer

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

05-19-2012 03:41:57 | More by abcramer

Falcone

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.5%

04-05-2012 02:12:11 | More by Falcone

Kahlerbock

Kansas

2.5/5  rDev -36.5%

02-01-2012 16:04:11 | More by Kahlerbock

rogerthegill

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

01-24-2012 04:19:40 | More by rogerthegill

Stoffel

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

01-02-2012 13:49:39 | More by Stoffel

cdwil

Texas

4/5  rDev +1.5%

12-29-2011 20:34:27 | More by cdwil

Grebdioz

Texas

4/5  rDev +1.5%

12-27-2011 11:16:20 | More by Grebdioz

CoryR

Oregon

4/5  rDev +1.5%

11-19-2011 04:33:15 | More by CoryR

mixedbrewer

Tennessee

4.1/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

An all around great beer.

Its hard for me to find something I didn't like about this one. It was a nice gold color just as I expected. Its smelled and tasted like a well balanced ESB, slightly sweet and bitter enough to want more. This was very drinkable, and I will have it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2011 17:26:46 | More by mixedbrewer

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A hard pour produces a tall, thick, fluffy, off-white head of dense bubbles of varying sizes. Leaves satisfactory lacing along the sides of the glass. Beer itself is a semi-transparent bronze or copper color.

Scent is of vague sweet malt with amidst a more dominant floral hop backdrop.

The taste is a nicely balanced, smooth affair. Caramel and crystal malt sweetness with spicy and bittering hops that intertwine nicely. Secondary metabolites are interesting, and I pick up some spices like cumin with mild alcohol and esters in the background.

Mouthfeel is medium, with moderate, non-aggressive carbonation. Finish is relatively dry. Satisfying.

Quite a nice beer, very sessionable, and a solid interpretation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 06:42:08 | More by falloutsnow

Rickdiggity

Colorado

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Well balanced like an ESB should be. flavor is

crisp without being all over the place. Finishes

smooth. My Light beer drinking friends can enjoy

more than one!

Can taste the hop hints, but it is not

overpowering. Prefer the tap highly over the

bottle. Great session Beer overall.

Serving type: on-tap

02-16-2011 17:19:04 | More by Rickdiggity

soju6

Missouri

4.33/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a nice copper color with a small head that fades to some lacing.

S: Aroma of fresh grain with citrus and bit of malt sweetness mixed in.

T: Has a mild malt sweetness & citrus taste with a nice bitterness and a quite dry finish.

F: medium body, nice carbonation crisp & clean, very smooth. Very well balanced.

D: Excellant ESB. Good any time any place.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2010 21:55:35 | More by soju6

DCon

Missouri

3.73/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bought Beer from Lukas Liquor in a Mix-A-Six. (2nd Beer of Night)

Appearance:Has a cloudy base with partials throughout? strange.

Smell: I smell the ale, freshness of the beer

Taste: Malt upfront with tons of sweetness. Can taste a banana/nut after taste, and get all the way through. AWESOME!

Mouthfeel: Full Bodied and love the spectrum of tastes

Drinkability: Wonderful if you are trying out beers from a wide variety. I would recommend to this beer to anyone!

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2010 04:06:15 | More by DCon

monkeycaveman

Washington

3.88/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A. Copper/ slightly orange, had about a 3 fingered head this time which dissipated rather quickly, left some lacing though.

S. Grassy with, umm, I guess you would call that lemon and slightly hoppy.

T. Crisp up front, hoppy but not much bite and mellow on the back end. Sweet with malts and slight caramel... if I dig for it.

M. Crisp, clean and not over carbonated.

D. A very session able beer, not too complex though.

Certainly worth the price if your looking for a good beer but don't have the bucks.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2010 02:14:01 | More by monkeycaveman

Offa

California

4.72/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I finally got this cask conditioned at Bridgeport itself.

It is copper with a medium, solid pale tan head shrinking very slowly to a very foamy ring and some nice lace.

Aroma is mellow but very firm, very peppery-spicey and citrusy with firm caramelly toasted grain and bread underneath.

Taste is fairly complex, well-rounded, balanced. It is very leafy-woody with caramelised toastiness and light malty sweetness up front soon joined by more spicey-peppery bitterness, juiciness, and hints of citrus, cherry, and yeastiness, all married nicely together in the finish. It is flavourful but highly drinkable. Fell is firm but lively.

Serving type: cask

08-18-2010 21:07:54 | More by Offa

bfields4

Colorado

3.95/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Copper hazy body topped with a nice off white head.

Smells grassy with sharp citrus and lemon hops.

A spicy crisp hop flavor is mellowed by a nice caramel malt. Very earthy well balanced flavors.

Has a great bready chewy mouthfeel very smooth and an incredibly nice drinker.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2010 01:12:09 | More by bfields4

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Now here's a really good example of an esb to satiate American and English palates.

Good dark orange pour, massively thick off white head, excellent retention, totally looks the part. Aroma was citrusy as if an ipa.

Taste, melds the hops of America with the restrained bitterness of an esb. The caramel of an esb, the hop flavor of an ipa, the bitterness of both (this is not a hop bomb by any means, but well above traditional style, thankfully).

An enjoyable beer, can be obtained at a good price $6-7 frequently.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2010 19:03:59 | More by Beerandraiderfan

udubdawg

Kansas

4.08/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours copper in color, a bit more hazed and dull than I expected. off-white head fades to a thin cap but then shows good staying power and leaves spots of lace in its slow retreat.

very fruity aroma, light caramel and biscuit malts competing with flowery and fruity hops. Seemed to get a little citrus though I think this uses all euro hops. Exactly what I like in the style.

again fruity flavors flex their muscle. There is some citrus but mostly orchard fruits show themselves. There is some caramel but it isn't too heavily done. Biscuit balances with plenty of hop character. sweet up front and the impression is that the bitterness is low, but they show themselves well in the finish. What would seem sticky at first actually finishes reasonably dry.

medium body, soft carbonation, not too sticky sweet, just enough bitterness - it all adds up to an extremely drinkable brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2010 22:21:01 | More by udubdawg

flagmantho

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: nice tawny-orange color with a light haze. One thick finger of ivory foam completes a pretty nice picture.

Smell: thick, rich, almost musty caramel malt aroma. I like it quite a lot. Hops are very light; spicy and floral in nature. The aromas complement each other well.

Taste: big malt flavors; toasty, caramelly, sweet up front and drier at the end. Hops, again, are mild and play a nice complementary role. This is a very tasty beer.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good level of carbonation; there's a very nice, creamy mouthfeel here. It works well with the smooth, balanced malt flavors.

Drinkability: the word for this beer is synergy. Each element complements each other in such a way that you get a great drinkin' beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2010 02:16:01 | More by flagmantho

Zekezilla

Maryland

4.35/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tried this on a recent trip to Portland. Beautiful dark color with some lacing on the side. Taste --hints of some dark fruit and maybe a bit of apricot. Lightly carbonated but still made for an overall smooth feel. Delicious with the "vegan bowl" I had @ the BridgePort Brewpub.

Serving type: on-tap

04-15-2010 16:20:32 | More by Zekezilla

bump8628

Oklahoma

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Big, sticky, fluffy, white head sits on top of a dark golden beer.

Aroma shows off some spicy hops that almost mask a dry, toasted maltiness.

Great balance of flavors showcased on the palate with a toasted graininess fighting off a sharp hop bitterness and spicy and herbal hop flavor. Finishes quite dry and with moderate-high carbonation.

This strikes me as more of a cross between an American Pale Ale (with the dry finish and higher level of carbonation) and an ESB (with the English malt and hop profile). Whatever you want to call it, it's a damn tasty ale, and one that I overlook far too often. It would also be a versatile pairing with food.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2010 01:12:13 | More by bump8628

Thur123

Georgia

3.7/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Ok so...this beer pours a quite hazy brownish orange color with little to no head on a heavy pour. The color and carbonation look good but the head was lacking. The smell is sweet malt notes of caramel and toffee, very English smelling with a thin fruity kind of hop edge over it, which also adds some bitterness to it, but over all this smells sweet.

Glug glug glug

The flavor is very balanced between its caramel malt and the fruitiness from the hops, with much more bitterness coming through in the taste. The overall effect is a little light. I know I have this before and have been more blown away by its almost perfectly balanced flavor, but this specific bottle is lacking. The overall texture is nice and there's still something effervescent about the Bridgeport ESB when I drink it that's amazing. Overall not bad but leaves me wanted to reviews this again with a better batch perhaps.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2010 02:52:51 | More by Thur123