Saltspring Island Ales – Extra Special Bitter

Rating

4.2 out of 5

Appearance

4 out of 5

Aroma

4.2 out of 5

Flavour

3.9 out of 5

Mouthfeel

Total

4.1

4.1 out of 5

Overview

• Brewery: Saltspring Island Ales
• Beer Style: Extra Special Bitter
• Pros:

  Nice, English styled ESB

• Cons:

  Fairly bitter finish

• Conclusion:

  A tranditional yet somehow unique Saltspring Island beer.

Saltspring Island Ales – Extra Special Bitter Review

The Saltspring Island Ales are an elusive bunch. Stepping foot off of Vancouver island these beers are harder to capture than a crisp photo of bigfoot. That said, I did manage to get my hands on the Saltspring Island Extra Special Bitter. This ESB pours with two fingers of head that leave a thick lacing on the glass.  The smell is crisp with citrus hops and a crisp malted flavour. The flavour starts off crisp with a stronger than average carbonation that builds into a malted, lightly hopped middle section with a unique sap-like flavour. This champagne-like ESB is traditional by UK standards but offers a unique experience by BC standards. As the taste progresses the whole-cone hops take over in a fairly bitter- hop forward finish that is joined by an orange peel flavour. The orange and hop bitterness work together making for a stronger than expected dry-bitter end.

Alcohol – 5%
Size – 650ml bottle
Price – $6.50 per bottle
Only available in select Cold Beer and Wine Locations
saltspringislandales.com