Judge’s Review: 92 Rating – Old 121 ESB by Old 121 Brewhouse

Strong Bitter | Year-Round | USA

By David Sapsis

Judges Rating: 92
Aroma: 22
Appearance: 5
Flavor: 38
Mouthfeel: 9
Overall Impression: 18

Old 121 ESB by Old 121 Brewhouse was judged as an Extra Special Bitter, category 11C in the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines.
There was a time early in the craft …ahem!, microbrew era when ESB’s were ubiquitous in pubs, taverns and grocery store shelves across America. They may have been labeled English-Style Pale Ale or sometimes Amber Ale even, but they were roundly based off the Strong Bitter class, where big rich caramel malt was paired with classic U.K. earthy and spicy-herbal hop types like Fuggles, Goldings and Willamette, and often accompanied with deeply fruity notes derived from yeast. These days, beers of this provenance are pretty rare, so I am happy to have this one to review.
The beer is served to me in a half-pint nonic glass after a deep pour to create a foamy head. The beer is medium amber, casts a faint haze, and the off-white fine head dissipates after about 90 seconds. A big, rich, toasty caramel dominates the nose, with lightly spicy and earthy hop notes and some fruity peach-like esters layering into the background. Overall, the nose is malty and faintly sweet, but the toasty note dries it out nicely and invites a taste.
The flavor profile starts with low lovibond honey-caramel notes, transitions to a richer, melanoidin-laden malt structure that is very toasty (possibly from kilned Munich-type malts), which countervails against the mid-palate bitterness; a hop note provides subtle balancing bitterness and herbal hop flavor thought to the dry finish. Some nice dark fruit flavors and mineral notes, along with a light astringency, are present in the mouthfeel and add some fullness, but are in no way obtrusive.
While the nose and flavors presented are not deeply emulative of U.K. versions (lacking in malt depth and complex esters as seen in beers like Fuller’s) this beer is a nice strong bitter with appropriate caramel malt and U.K.-style hop flavors, with an interesting big, toasty melanoidin angle that adds some depth and complexity. It’s nice to see an amber ale of character come around. Seek this out and relive some of the early glory days of the modern craft movement.