Written By: The Gnarly Gnome
Photography By: The Gnarly Gnome<\/p>\n
3\/7\/2025<\/p>\n It\u2019s Bock season here in Cincinnati, and I respect the heck out of bock beer. (I\u2019ll be consuming more than my fair share all weekend, just to show my respect). That doesn\u2019t mean that I\u2019m not a sucker for a great English style (as I\u2019ve written about before<\/a>). In fact, I think it\u2019s pretty fitting that the last English style that I wrote about happened to be Fuller\u2019s ESB.<\/p>\n When I heard that HighGrain was tapping an ESB, I had to get my gnarly butt out to their Brentwood taproom for some lunch, and some incredible English-style beer.<\/p>\n Extra Special Bitter (that\u2019s what ESB stands for) was a style created by Fuller\u2019s. They have so much ownership over what this style is (because they made it) that if you\u2019re a brewer in the UK, you can\u2019t really make it because it\u2019s THEIRS; they copyrighted it.<\/p>\n Not so much here in the United States. In fact, our craft breweries have been making their own versions of an ESB for as long as I can remember. Sometimes they call them \u201camber ales\u201d, or \u201cEnglish ambers\u201d or something else, but they\u2019re around. Oftentimes, only as a shadow of the beer that made me fall in love with the style, though.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not true with HighGrain\u2019s new ESB, called Innit. It\u2019s incredible.<\/p>\n I always approach a new ESB with a bit of hesitation. I have a theory that many of the things that I have come to expect (and even love) from beer aren\u2019t really supposed to be there. What I have come to expect is a mixture of the true beer character and some other stuff that comes from being a little beat up from a long journey across the ocean.<\/p>\n What does that mean for this beer from HighGrain?<\/p>\n They\u2019ve made an ESB that tastes what I expect Fuller\u2019s SHOULD taste like. If I was able to belly up to the bar at Fuller\u2019s (do they have a tasting bar on site? I don\u2019t know\u2026) I would taste a beer that tastes exactly like this \u2018Innit\u2019 does. It satisfies something profound inside my soul like no \u201cAmerican ESB\u201d ever has before \u2013 and I don\u2019t take that statement lightly.<\/p>\n The glass of ESB hits the bar in front of me, and the perfectly diffused sunlight from a cloudy day lights it up. I\u2019m blessed with a slightly hazy, caramel-colored beer with a thin, very light tan head on top. In my notes, I described the beer as looking like an almond split open; it is a great description of the colors next to each other, if I do say so myself.<\/p>\n The aromas immediately caught my attention. Tons of light fruit aromas dance around floral notes and an underlying earthiness. This only takes on a bolder, stronger personality when you take your first sip.<\/p>\n This beer perfectly balances earthy hops, caramel and roasty malt, with a delicate floral overtone that softens everything up.<\/p>\n I\u2019m in love.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t skip this one. I can\u2019t promise that it\u2019ll be around for very long (I also can\u2019t promise that it won\u2019t) \u2013 I haven\u2019t heard any details about the possibilities of it hitting packaging, either. What I can tell you is that right NOW, it\u2019s on tap at both Brentwood and Silverton.<\/p>\n Go to the nearest taproom as soon as possible and start drinking glasses of beer until you are cut off. Rinse and repeat.<\/p>\n If you want to know more about HighGrain, you can find out more by visiting their website<\/a>, or following them on Facebook<\/a> or Instagram<\/a>. Really, though\u2026 I wouldn\u2019t waste any time. Go there, now.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thegnarlygnome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ESB-Cover.jpg)
What You Might Have Missed<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s Not Fuller\u2019s\u2026 But Maybe That\u2019s A Fuller\u2019s Problem<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s It Like?<\/h2>\n
Get It<\/h2>\n
Related<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n