Fuller's ESB - Fuller Smith & Turner PLC

endovelico

Portugal

4.25/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured cold. Off a can. Taken from notes.

Appearance: Full nitrogenic like creme head on a clear garnet juice with little perceived effervescence. The beer is visually stunning; I had to wait a few minutes for it to settle.

Aroma: The aromatics are of medium intensity. On the front theres a sharp metallic / irony smell - A byproduct of the revered but vulnerable British yeast, perhaps? - set on a canvas of stale vegetable and caramel.

As it warms up, however, the smell ends up acquiring a broader stand in the caramel - nut spectrum of aroma. The aromatics are more representative of what you'd expect from a traditional EKG/Fuggles blend.

Taste: In equilibrium honey-vegetable play with flowery undertones. Absolutely seamless with the palate to the point that it becomes difficult to discern the impact of both on the tongue.

Palate: Medium to medium full bodied. Minerally, slightly spritzy with sweet-ish finish. Slightly soapy, slightly creamy. Alcohol barely noticeable.

Overall: Extremely sessionable, highly balanced and complex. This is one beer you can really feel the "terroir": The finicky British yeast, the soft water, the traditional hops aswell as the contribution of the different caramel malts and maize used.

It's traditional with a twist. It's both unique and THE archetype of ESBs. At any rate, pay particular attention to the serving temperature as this beer really opens up at slightly cold - ambient temperatures.

Serving type: can

05-05-2013 14:13:27 | More by endovelico

ghisty

New Brunswick (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

appearance: slow cambered pour into a general issue pint.a ridge of clearness forms just where the head meets the rim as I poured it, and to finish it cut off when i angled the cup leaving a little ripple, through the creamy top inch of perfect foam.

smell: reminds me of orange peels slightly, has an earthiness, something familiar,
very rooty and sweet, almost like unsmoked tobacco.

taste:..dynamic. hops are playing games in there.has me thinking about beef stew. or fresh bread. i feel like they must use something burnt to make this beer., because it has a smoked kind of quality along with everything else, but it is also so smooth, and in some ways still watery enough to be easily drinkable.

mouthfeel:starts as a bit slick past the foam, ends up in an awesome cascade of hops and woodsmoke and all that i just described. then it levels out. clean finish.

overall: id suggest it to everyone considering getting a couple.or even if you arnt thinking about it. its got character for days. i wouldn't call this session beer. unless the session involved beef stew. :) ..but if you want something of a great style. and tastes awesome. this fits the bill . everytime.

Serving type: can

01-15-2013 02:44:16 | More by ghisty

NForr

Quebec (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Aromas of Caramel, sweet malts, and little bit of hops.

Taste has much of the sane as the nose, with minimal sweetness - Caramel, some hop spices. Nice smooth bitter finish. This seems to be normal with English ales, they give off warm caramel smells, but without any sugar tastes. This is delicious, I have had it before, but not in sometime, and this is really hitting the spot right now. Mouthfeel is robust and slightly creamy.

Fullers have continued to impress me more and more. I'm nit sure if they are classified as a macrobrewery, microbrewery or somewhere in between, but whether it's a English bitter, and ESB, and IPA, or a 10% vintage ale, they do it right every time.

You can get several of their products in Quebec. The ESB, London pride, London Porter and the honey ale are all available at the SAQ. In Ontario they sell them in cans and are much more reasonably priced, which is where I got this one.

Serving type: can

03-04-2012 04:41:12 | More by NForr

prosper

Alberta (Canada)

4.58/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Canned, this is VERY different than bottled! It's noticeably fresher - more yeastiness, more like a home-brewed beer. Some lightly roasty malts in the flavour that I haven't noticed before. More yeast, though - bubblegummy fruity pear-like ripe fruits, with a trace of butttery diacetyl distinctly noticeable.

Doesn't seem as hoppy, though. It's not particularly bitter, nor citrussy. Some citrus, along with the sweet crystal malt with the IBU's makes for an almost marmalade-like character to it, but none of the fresh dry-hop sort of flavour that I remember in the bottled version.

Serving type: can

11-26-2011 00:54:37 | More by prosper

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500 mL can from the LCBO; best before June 2012. I have been a fan of several other Fuller's brews for quite a while, but the ESB is one I have never gotten around to trying until now. Served a little warmer than the recommended range.

Pours a bright, clear brassy-orange colour, with almost two fingers of silky off-white head on top. Retention is ok; the head lasts more than a few minutes before it finally vanishes, leaving behind a thin, even creamy cap on the surface. Webs of lacing stick to the sides of the glass. Lovely aroma; toasted nuts, toffee and leafy, English hops are very prominent, alongside fruity prune, plum and pear notes.

Nice flavour; good balance but leaning on the malts, which are of a toasted, biscuit-y, nutty nature. Fruity esters reminiscent of buttery pear and apricot, in addition to tea leaf, toffee and butterscotch notes. More leafy, earthy English hops that provide a pleasant bitterness in the finish that lingers briefly. Medium-bodied, with very mild, almost flat carbonation. A little slippery in the mouth, but exceptionally smooth and easy to drink.

Not my favourite offering from this brewery, but still a solid ESB. Very enjoyable, and a good, 'heavier' sessionable alternative to their London Pride. I'll get this again at some point I'm sure, and would certainly recommend to anyone looking for a good bitter.

Serving type: can

11-18-2011 07:29:12 | More by thehyperduck

evlu1441

Alberta (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is one of my favourite beers, yet I haven't managed to review it yet. 500ml Can poured into a pint glass.

This beer has a lovely copper colour and a thick frothy toffee-coloured head that forms after a nice cascade of carbonation.

The aroma is a nice balance of crisp hops and toffee.

The flavour is light toasty malt with some almost herbal hops accenting the biscuity aspects. Some slight sweetness comes in towards the end, followed by a quick flourish of hoppy bitterness and a nice toasty malt finish.

Overall, this is THE classic ESB in my opinion. An easy drinking hoppy ale with great flavour. It's a winner every time for me!

Serving type: can

11-07-2011 03:02:02 | More by evlu1441

3.93/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - clear copper with a finger of white head that dissipates to a sticky cap.

Smell - Caramel, buttered bread, and earthy British hops with undertone of stone fruit.

Taste - Caramel, butterscotch, plum, sharp hops near the end, and a bitter/sweet caramel hops finish.

Serving type: can

07-20-2011 21:23:14 | More by

Roke87

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 mL can, chilled and poured into a pint glass

Appearance- Pours a clear dark amber colour with two fingers of fluffy off white head that takes a little while to reside down to bubbly head that never really goes away till finish, leaving minimal spots of lacing throughout the glass.

Smell- I’m getting lots of sweet fruity aromas coming from this one right away, also lots of caramel/toffee malt with a very mild hop presence in there as well, very bready with a touch of yeast.

Taste- Very similar to the smells although the bitter hops come through a lot more on the palate, nice sweet fruity flavours as well paired with the caramel/toffee bready malt; finishes a little bitter with a mild yeast touch in there as well.

Mouthfeel- Light to medium bodied this one has minimal carbonation that somehow forms a lasting bubbly head right till the end, very smooth and crisp going down.

Overall- Pleasantly surprised again by this one, not as bitter as I thought it would be but it is well balanced, I actually liked this one although the smell was a little better than the taste overall it was still a very quality brew, again thanks Fuller’s you have shown me that you really do actually make very good beers.

Serving type: can

06-27-2011 05:01:53 | More by Roke87

paxkey

Ontario (Canada)

3.2/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

pours amber with no lasting head. lots of bubbles throughout the body of the beer.

smells pungent vinegary , mellow alchol malt. not sure if its from the hops but more of that pungent almost fermenting apple cidery smell.

the fermented character comes through in the taste. interesting but not great.

Serving type: can

05-08-2011 00:51:54 | More by paxkey

Kartoffeln

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Bright, clear copper with a creamy, moderately-sized head. Dissipates to a ring with minimal lacing.

S: Sweet malts, a floral, slightly fruity hop aroma, and a bit of yeast.

T: Bursting with sweet malts and fruity overtones from the esters balanced by earthy, slightly peppery hops.

M: Mild carbonation and medium, slightly chewy body combine to make a very smooth and drinkable beer. There's plenty of hoppy, nutty bitterness in the lingering finish.

D: It might be a bit strong to session, but it's very well-balanced and the lasting finish almost begs a follow-up pint.

Serving type: can

03-12-2011 23:31:50 | More by Kartoffeln

heebes

Ontario (Canada)

3.15/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

500 ml can.

Pours a clear reddish amber, produces a one finger off white head when poured aggressively. Nose is decently hoppy with notes of floral, spices, grassy and some malt. Taste is almost like an Amber Pale...grain, slight maltiness, mild bitterness with some fruity characteristics. Kind of bland. Light carbonation, lighter mouthfeel and bodied. It has some appeal to it, but not one i am likely going to return to. Medium drinkability, sure you can drink a couple but the desire to, for me, isnt there. Underwhelmed.

Serving type: can

01-20-2011 22:56:24 | More by heebes

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500ml Can

Appearance - The beer pours a clear copper colour with a large creamy and fizzy off-white coloured head. There is a low amount of carbonation visible and there is some average lacing. The head lasted for over five minutes before it began to dissipate.

Smell - malts, cereal, toffee, tea, apples, pears

Taste & Mouth - The beer doesn't have a lot of carbonation and it comes across as slightly watery. It does however feel very creamy on the tongue and most of the flavour consists of malts, tea, and toffee. There are also notes of pear, and it also tastes slightly metallic. The alcohol is extremely well hidden and the beer is extremely sessionable. It finishes with a malty/fruity slightly bitter aftertaste.

Drink - Probably one of the best session beers I've had, I'll be buying much more of this to get me through the holidays. Worth seeking out.

Serving type: can

12-14-2010 14:58:03 | More by spinrsx

BBP

Ontario (Canada)

4.4/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A- A deep clear amber color with great carbonation and one of the most consistent heads I've ever seen. It was like a white blanket over the beer. The beer left some decent lacing as well.

S- Malts and a light biscuit aroma. Weak but good.

T- It starts off with a caramel, fruity, and roasted malt sweetness. It has an extremely good balance, and always stayed right where I wanted between the sweet/bitter spectrum. It also manages to bring the best out of an apple without the acidity coming along.

I'm finding that Fullers is quite good at making me enjoy the sweetness in beer, especially considering that I'm more of a fan of bitter.

M- A little bit more than medium body. Carbonation is just right, and this beer feels remarkably smooth.

D- Extremely drinkable. It certainly disappears pretty quickly, as I want a drink soon after I've finished my last one. The 5.9% seems nowhere to be found. I'm quite impressed with this brew, and would love to try it again.

Serving type: can

09-23-2010 21:35:40 | More by BBP

grac1970

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Fuller's ESB poured from a can into a pint glass.
A = Off-white foamy head with decent lacing. A medium copper brown in colour. Little carbonation noticed.
S = nice malty smell; otherwise it didn't seem to have a strong scent.
T = initially I tasted the malt with a hint of citrus but also a mix of something like caramel
M = not too watery; a good dryness with a bit of bitterness left over
D = quite refreshing actually; not an over-powering malt.

As an English "strong bitter" that seems to be quite respected in the beer world I didn't know what to expect from it. I found it quite enjoyable and will definitely be having this one again.

Serving type: can

09-23-2010 19:30:02 | More by grac1970

cratez

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

500ml can from the LCBO. Identical in colour to the Abbot Ale I just finished. A deep copper hue with amber edges and a thin ring of cream white head. Spots of lacing on the shaker. Smell and taste are peaches, sweet and doughy pale malts, floral hops, toffee, English-style biscuits, and a citrus, orange peel bitterness to end. Mouthfeel is soft, lush, thickish medium, caramel-like, a little juicy and resinous, mildly bitter aftertaste. One of my favourite fall back beers when there's nothing decent available at my local liquor store. In my mind, Fuller's is synonymous with reliable, high quality session beers. Thank God they export to Ontario!

Serving type: can

04-27-2010 05:07:15 | More by cratez

MattyV

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a deep copper with an off-white head that quickly dies down to a thin cap

Very pleasant aroma, a slighlty dominant bready/biscuity malt with hints of fruity and floral hops

Tastes of the same buttery biscuit malt, caramel, nice toasted character, balanced out smoothly a bitterness that lingers around for just long enough

Pleasant soft carbonation that is typical of English brews, makes this all the more drinkable, is a nicely balanced choice to put back in quanitity, except for the slightly high ABV (for a session beer)

Serving type: can

03-29-2010 18:56:39 | More by MattyV

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a copper colour with a small amount of thick white head. Some lacing. Smells of biscuit and floral hop bitterness. The taste is of bread and caramel with a mild amount of hops. Some bitterness. Very smooth and drinkable.

I've had this on cask in London and preferred it, but it is still nice in the can.

Serving type: can

03-15-2010 01:46:50 | More by kwjd

decimator

Ontario (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml can poured in a pint glass.

A - Pours a clear amber colour with a 1cm head that quickly reduces to a thin bubbly cap. Some decent lacing as the brew goes down.

S - Caramel and hops. I'm also picking up a hint of herbs or spices in the background. Overall it's a bit mild.

T - Light caramel toffee sweetness upfront with a bitter bite in the finish. Balanced and inoffensive but it doesn't stand out for me.

M - Creamy and smooth. It really feels good in the mouth and on the way down.

D - It's good mouthfeel and inoffensive flavour make this one easy to drink.

Serving type: can

01-31-2010 01:25:01 | More by decimator

mwrseeley

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Excellent all-around stuff from what is quickly becoming my favourite British brewery. I like to pour a pint and slowly savour the benefits. Like a good scotch, ESB should be consumed slowly so the drinker can enjoy the complexities.

Available at the LCBO in Ontario.

Serving type: can

12-18-2009 01:45:57 | More by mwrseeley

ericj551

British Columbia (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Fuller's ESB pours a crisp copper with a nice head. The aroma is fruity, caramel and some toffee, with a bit of earthy hops. The flavor is well balanced, sweet and malty up front with some metallic hops, followed by caramel and finished with a nice moderate bitterness. There is a bit of metallic nice earthy hop flavor that really rounds out the sweetness. Living in Northern Ontario, I am glad to see a good beer like this at the local LCBO.

Serving type: can

11-14-2009 01:45:40 | More by ericj551

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a deep red, white head encircles the glass. Visible carbonation.

Smells of malts and caramel, maybe a bit of berry.

The taste is very crisp, loads of lightly-roasted maltiness. A bit of fruits and spices to the finish, which is surprisingly sweet. Not finding any hop flavour here.

Mouthfeel is thick, full-bodied. Not overly carbonated.

A superb brew, one of my favourite bitters. Definitely worth a go.

Serving type: can

11-02-2009 00:38:39 | More by JohnnyBarman

ecoastman

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer is quite drinkable and fits the style very well. ESBs are not my personal favourite style (flat carbonation as it is suppose to be low) but this is a very good beer.

Pours a clear dark copper with a thin dense head to start the recedes away with no lacing.

The smell is nice with more sweet malt than I expected. Hops don't seem to be dominant which is what I expected for an ESB. That's a testament to the great balance that an ESB should have.

Smooth and creamy with no courseness and low carbonation. Starts caramel malty and is very well balanced with nice herbal hops that are not overly bitter in the semi-dry finish. This is a good representation of the style - well balanced. Good aftertaste with a little mineral and then diactyl.

Serving type: can

10-23-2009 00:54:15 | More by ecoastman

uno99

Ontario (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Sampled from can purchased at cooper street LCBO.

A: not much head. I think i poured it too slow. nice deep amber. looks almost like a heavy IPA.

S: Hops definitely come through. nice fruity malts. quite nice

T: hops go from beginning to end. its got a kind of mellow bitterness that really sucks you in. what wonderful stuff this is.

M: thick and juicy. just enough carbonation to make it come alive. very clean and refreshing.

D: this is the quintessential pub beer.

Serving type: can

10-10-2009 21:03:29 | More by uno99

mintjellie

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Clear amber/orange body with a finger of white head that fades to almost nothing in almost no time. No lace. Beautiful colour.

Caramel and fruit aroma. Some leafy hops in the background.

Mildly sweet caramel and fruit on the palate. Leafy & tea-like hop flavour in balance with the malt and esters. Moderate bitterness continues in the aftertaste. Really balanced and easy to enjoy. I think I love this beer.

Medium bodied with low carbonation. Smooth and creamy. So easy to put this one away, and with a big smile doing so. I'm going to buy this often, I want the LCBO to keep carrying it.

Serving type: can

07-27-2009 04:43:41 | More by mintjellie

DoctorStrangiato

Alberta (Canada)

4.58/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a 500-ml can into a large pub ale glass.

Appearance - beautiful copper-gold colour with a thin 1/4-inch beige sustained head. Foamy up along the sides and just a modest amount of visible carbonation.

Smell -strong, dominant aroma of toffee. Noticable roasted barley. Further along I detect some fresh floral hops waiting underneath.

Taste - Oh, WOW! What a great overall impression. Smooth and malty, aroma flavourful and a wicked clean finish. This is possibly one of the best tasting beers I've had in a while! Aftertaste is light with a nice subtlety remeniscent of cut fruit.

Mouthfeel - velvety-smooth with a super-clean finish. Just a little too noticeable waxiness on the teeth and palate.

Drinkability - this is definitely a special beer and one that should be reserved for limited enjoyment. In that sense, it ain't fit for a session beer in my books. On the other hand, a real pleasure to consume and I would definitely seek it out again.

Serving type: can

07-09-2009 01:02:19 | More by DoctorStrangiato