ESB (Extra Special Bitter)
82/100
The short takeCaramel malt and a quiet English hop, in the old bitter proportion. Smooth, clean, and the bitterness lingers politely.
Tasted Karl HillHow we score
Serve Cold, in a pint glass.
Who it’s for The beer drinker who wants something English, sessionable, and serious about style.
In the glass
- Nose
- Caramel malt and a gentle English hop note — the ESB signature, subdued rather than loud.
- Palate
- Smooth and balanced; the malt sweetness and hop bitterness in proper ESB proportion, with a clean body.
- Finish
- Malty and clean, the bitterness lingering politely.
Structure Show Hide
Structure
- Sweetness
- Off-dry
- Bitterness
- Modest bitterness
- Finish length
- Short finish
The beer
An ESB lives or dies on a proportion: malt sweetness and hop bitterness in the ratio the style already settled, a clean body, nothing turned up for the sake of being turned up. This pint has that proportion. Smooth. Off-dry in the malt, modest in the hop. It ends malty, and the bitterness lingers the way a bitter should, politely, then gone. Off-dry caramel against that modest hop is the whole pint, and it stays that way to the bottom of the glass. The proportion does not drift.
Drink it from a pint glass, cold, without a tasting-flight ceremony. The caramel is still the signature. The hop is English and quiet, which is the point of opening this can instead of a citrus IPA that happens to be brown. A second pint is the right use.
Any brown, malty beer can borrow the letters ESB. The hop here is too gentle for that trick, and the caramel is too specific. Subdued is the word that matters. Loud would have been easier. The bitterness does not scrape, the malt does not cloy, and the next sip is the same proportion, not a correction of the last one.
82 is typical of the 36 naturally low alcohol beer bottles we've tasted.
The bottle
Trade record, where to buy, and product facts.
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Athletic describes the process as proprietary.
Research notes
Chris Furnari, Sr. Communications Manager at Athletic Brewing, confirms in his October 19, 2026 follow-up that all Athletic brews are fully fermented to less than 0.5% ABV and can be labeled naturally low alcohol. The method is Withheld.
Where to buy
- Athletic Brewing
- Package
12 oz
$3.49 single (Proof No More); producer 6-pack sold out
- Also listed
- Athletic Brewing · Producer
- Availability
Limited release; online only at athleticbrewing.com (sold out at time of review)
Prices and availability are independently observed and may change. Retailer listings do not imply endorsement. A different package is labeled as a different format. Reader-service exceptions and commercial links are identified above; neither affects scores, rankings, classification, verification, or editorial coverage.
Product facts
- Producer
- Athletic Brewing Company (Milford, CT)
- Origin
- Milford, Connecticut, United States
- Bottle / can
- 12 oz serving (Athletic ESB product page)
Sources & verification
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Evidence at a glance
- Producer documented11 facts
- Retailer sourced1 fact
Sources
-
Producer athleticbrewing.com
Producer documentedNote
- ABV
- In his October 19, 2026, 12:02 PM follow-up, supplied by Karl Hill on October 20, Chris Furnari, Sr. The statement explicitly covers the range. The linked producer page supplies context; it is not a public copy of the email. The method is Withheld.
-
Note
- Production method
- The initial October 19 producer reply describes a proprietary brewing process. The 12:02 PM follow-up confirms the naturally low alcohol route for all Athletic brews without naming a specific technique. Correspondence supplied by Karl Hill on October 20; the linked help-center page supplies public context. The method facet remains undeclared.
Product record history Sourced changes and open disagreements. Prior claims stay on the record when sources conflict.
- ReviewedReviewed and published.
- UpdatedCatalog record updated from sourced research.
- Classification changed · ClassificationCorrected from no to yes. Chris Furnari’s October 19 follow-up explicitly confirms naturally low alcohol production for all Athletic brews. The classification now has primary producer evidence; the specific technique remains proprietary and undeclared.
Compare holds up to four. Want to try keeps a bottle in My Bottles.
Keep tasting
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