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Extra Special Ale (ESA)
Yards Brewing Co.
- From:
- Yards Brewing Co.
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Style:
- Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
Ranked #72 - ABV:
- 6%
- Score:
- 84
Ranked #22,674 - Avg:
- 3.72 | pDev: 12.1%
- Reviews:
- 276
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Mar 10, 2024
- Added:
- Dec 01, 2001
- Wants:
- 15
- Gots:
- 101
Our first ever and most beloved brew, ESA helped establish a following for cask-conditioned beer in the United States back in the ‘90s. East Kent Golding hops give this English style ale a subtle spiciness, which compliments its strong malt backbone. Hints of chocolate and caramel round out this deep chestnut colored ale. Floral, earthy, smooth.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by dwaz:
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Wattie83 from Pennsylvania
4.17/5 rDev +12.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.17/5 rDev +12.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12oz can poured into a nonic pint glass. Look is clear deep amber color with a nice tan head that leaves you with some lacing as you drink. Smell is bready malt, earthy hops, caramel candy. Taste starts sweet and malty, toffee, caramel, dark bread in the middle. The finish is short with earthy, spicy hops rounding things out. A bit of bitterness in the end too. Feel is the lighter side of medium bodied. Light carbonation keeps it moving. Overall, this is the first beer I tried from Yards many, many years ago. I really enjoyed it then, and I'm still liking it now. Wish I had had a chance to try this from a cask back when.
Mar 10, 2024Reviewed by Spade from Pennsylvania
4.29/5 rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.29/5 rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
12 oz. can. Wonderful malt base with a hint of caramel and minimal hop presence. Tons of foam which lingered. This is a modern classic and I was glad to see it packaged again.
Nov 18, 2023Reviewed by HattedClassic from Virginia
4.18/5 rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.18/5 rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Beer pours a nice head. Beer is a nice brown color. Good strong malty note in the smell. Caramel with a light toffee roast comes upfront. Hops are florals but dominated by the malt. Taste is a bit more balanced but still malt heavy. Caramel notes upfront and a floral yet earthy hop note to keep it from being too sweet. Good medium body with nice thickness to it and a biting carbonation. Delicious and a great ESB.
Aug 17, 2019Reviewed by JA_26 from Pennsylvania
4.06/5 rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.06/5 rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
One of the first local craft brews I had starting many years ago, so it holds a fond spot in my heart, but I've noticed some batch inconsistency with ESA. When it's on, it's really on - superb balance of malt and hops. But sometimes I've gotten an off batch - not just a bottle or two, but the entire six pack or case. Fortunately that's only happened twice so far in many years of drinking ESA. But when it happened it was really disappointing.
Feb 08, 2019Reviewed by mynie from Maryland
4.27/5 rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.27/5 rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This is basically an older-school ESB only slightly Americanized. That is extremely something I enjoy.
Pour is brown and medium hazy with a nice head. They give you full imperial pints at the Yard's brewery.
Aroma is malt-heavy: toasty and nicely ashen. Not biscuity to toffee-sweet, like most English ESB's, although that works here because it compliments the dry, spicy goldings hops.
Tastes like it smells: malt-forward but with a lovely hop balance. It's a milder ale, and not particularly bitter even by the standards of the late 1990s when it was introduced, but it's still a fantastically brewed beer that's a delight to drink.
Jan 14, 2019Pour is brown and medium hazy with a nice head. They give you full imperial pints at the Yard's brewery.
Aroma is malt-heavy: toasty and nicely ashen. Not biscuity to toffee-sweet, like most English ESB's, although that works here because it compliments the dry, spicy goldings hops.
Tastes like it smells: malt-forward but with a lovely hop balance. It's a milder ale, and not particularly bitter even by the standards of the late 1990s when it was introduced, but it's still a fantastically brewed beer that's a delight to drink.
Reviewed by Skywave from Oklahoma
2.82/5 rDev -24.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
2.82/5 rDev -24.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Appearance
Pours to lacey buff head and clear red amber
Aroma
Sweet crystal malts and...bubblegum?
Flavor
Starts sweets ends tangy
Mouthfeel
Somewhat sugary and astringent. CO2 high for style.
Overall
Drinkable but heavily stylized. Not a true ESB.
Oct 24, 2018Pours to lacey buff head and clear red amber
Aroma
Sweet crystal malts and...bubblegum?
Flavor
Starts sweets ends tangy
Mouthfeel
Somewhat sugary and astringent. CO2 high for style.
Overall
Drinkable but heavily stylized. Not a true ESB.
Reviewed by nick_perry from North Carolina
3.15/5 rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.15/5 rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Orange color, rising bubbles, and a lingering ½ finger head. No noticeable aromas. A little bitter at first, transitioning to an interesting dank earthiness.
Dec 31, 2017
Extra Special Ale (ESA) from Yards Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
84 out of
100 with
651 ratings
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