I thoroughly enjoyed my pizza and pale ale at the Bridgeport Brew Pub, so I thought I’d have another half pint before heading back to my hotel to pack. I had a great week at Full Sail Brewing for my Brewmaster Internship and had an awesome time at the Oregon Brewers Festival, but it was time to get ready to head home. However, I thought I’d give Bridgeport’s ESB a shot. The menu said, “BridgePort ESB is a rich, assertive ale that deftly balances its roasted malt flavor with a pronounced hop character. Robust malts and a generous dry-hopping of imported hops result in a flavorful bitter that recalls the great traditional ales of England.”
When it arrived, it had an amber/copper color and a thin creamy head. Despite the thin head, it had some very nice lacing as I drank it. The aroma was mostly sweet and malty with a bit of earthy hop smell as well.
The body was fairly light and it was crisp and refreshing. There was a light caramel malty flavor up front with a bit of fruitiness coming out as I drank it. There was a bit of a light earthy hop dryness in the finish, but not nearly as much as I was expecting.
My Rating: 
Reader Ratings[five-star-rating]
In true English style, I think this would go nicely with fish and chips with a nice malt vinegar. However, it would probably also go well with almost any pub fair – burger, pizza, etc.
The fruitiness that came through was a bit unexpected, and I think I was expecting a bit bigger hop flavor. However, I thought, overall, this was a nice beer. It was a nice beer and a good way to finish the day.
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