And these days (for Australian brewers at least) it seems to often turns up as a sort of hybrid pale ale, ensuring it's got those hop highlights to complement the essential comforting malts.
Nice pour here, generates a fluffy head that's quite enticing but the aroma is a little different to some. There's a strange but not unpleasant note of fruitiness here a bit juicier than the norm. Possibly grape .. or melon, I'm thinking? Regardless, it turns out a nice quaffable drop, again quite hoppy for the style strictly speaking but with sufficient malt backbone to back it all up.
It occurs to me that ESB purists and beer competition judges probably find these hoppy notes out of place within the confines of the listed class. In the case of ESBs though at least I am starting to appreciate this outlandish new world approach. I'd make a crack likening this development to us Aussies taking cricket from our imperial overlords and improving it, if there was any chance we'd pick up an Ashes anytime soon.
Sigh. 7.5
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