Deliciousness was afoot last night, you stupid piece of er rather dear beer reader… and the culprit behind this flagrant act of deliciousness was Ale Smith’s Anvil ESB. Bitters are not all that common stateside, but the Brits love ‘em. And they’re onto something (they uh… also created the style of brew so… yeah). Basically, a bitter is similar to a pale ale, but with less aroma and taste of hops, and a bit more sweetness. They are often lower in alcohol than pale ales or IPAs, ranging from bitter, best bitter and ESB (extra special–the hoppiest but still not TOO hoppy… just happy).

The maltiness of this ESB is wonderfully balanced with its mild hop bouquet and taste. The hugeness of the bottle was also a nice touch. Like many bitters, it is mildly sweet and nicely mellow. The amber liquid keeps a nice thick head of froth on it and overall, the Captain says: “All hands drink this beer!” Meaning both of my two hands, drink this beer.