The Grainne in Grainne's Special Bitter is a friend of Parched
Eagle proprietor Jim Goronson. Both of them have a fondness for the ur-ESB, Fuller's,
and the beer was named after her. There is a bit more to this story and, in an
act of blatant synergizing, I will direct you to the episode of the podcast I
do with my pal Old Man Schuck, Time Enough At Last, which features Goronson as
our guest where you can hear the man himself give you all of the details.
When I bought my bottle of GSB, it was the last one they
had, tucked away in the back of the cooler forcing the bartender to move bottles
around and really dig for it. If it's not on tap, you may have to wait for the next batch to
be brewed in order to taste it. But do so. I really enjoy the Parched Eagle taproom.
It's got koselig, hygge, and coziness in spades. There's no brewing equipment visible
so it lacks that sterile industrial chic that is prevalent today and is all the
better for it. The room is fairly small and has a warm, welcoming feel to it
that many taprooms lack.
The ESB is a bigger, stronger bitter beer. The strength of a
bitter seems to vary widely – from 3.X% to 5.0% A.B.V. The ESB is naturally a headier
brew but nothing outrageous – think 5.5% - 6.5% A.B.V. With Grainne's Special
Bitter at 6.6%, it's on the upper end of the scale.
I was surprised at the beer's smell which was kind of
meager. Maybe it was my nose but I could only smell a berry-like fruitiness and
a little floral hoppiness. While I loved both scents, I simply expected more
smells to be smelled.
On the first sip, my fizz detector discerned just a hint of
the stuff and GSB lacked the astringent quality of Working Draft's ESB,
Elbow Patches. There was some leather flavor, a bit of honeyed malt sweetness,
and a touch of that berry from the nose. Everything was nicely balanced.
That leather taste remained after I swallowed and was joined
by a nice woody flavor and moderate herbal hoppy bitterness.
Exactly how closely Grainne's Special Bitter adheres to the
Fuller's ESB template remains to be tasted and awaits a trip to London for
confirmation. But I found GSB to be excellent. Having had Working Draft's ESB
recently, I cannot help but compare and contrast.
Going easy on the fizz gave Parched Eagle's take on the
style a gentle mellowness that Elbow Patched lacked. They have similar flavors in
their respective mixes, though Elbow Patches is a bit nuttier, while GSB is more
balanced. Both beers finished with a tasty herbal hop bitterness. GSB is boozier
but it doesn't taste like a big, strong brew. Instead, it is a gentle giant.
Personally, I prefer Grainne's Special Bitter but I hold out
hope that Working Draft can forego some fizz in the next batch of Elbow Patches.
The more ESBs, the merrier.
Junk food pairing: Pair your Grainne's Special Bitter with a
fine English cheddar like Extra Cheesy Cheez-Its.
While I am on the subject of English beer styles, WorkingDraft recently brewed a British style lager – no idea what that entails – and there may still be some on shelves around town. Also, Karben4's mild, ChampagneTortoise, is listed as a spring seasonal on their website so it will theoretically be available soon.
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