Strong bitters, also known as ESBs (extra-special bitter), are the strongest of the English pale ales. Despite the name, to the American palate, they’re actually not that bitter. Strong for an English ale, they are balanced, drinkable ales meant to be quaffed by the pint. Our ESB is a classic recipe, with heirloom Maris Otter malt and medium crystal malt providing a bready, cookie-like malt character. The addition of Briess Victory malt amps up the dry, toasty character of the malts. The hop character is the floral, spicy, and slightly citrusy character of East Kent Golding, the hop of the British Isles. Finally, the kit uses a classic English ale strain that provides wonderful dark fruit esters and drops clear without any effort from the brewer.
Our kits provide a tried-and-true recipe, ingredients, and brief directions for making 5 gallons of great beer. No mashing is required with our specialty grain extract kits.
