Robin Shepard
The beer list at Parched Eagle, a nanobrewery in Westport.
The Parched Eagle Brewpub opened in the town of Westport just north of Madison in April and has quickly established itself as a place to find good beer. It’s a small brewpub that does many things right in how it goes about brewing and what it puts on tap. It wears the label “nanobrewery” proudly, given its one-barrel brewing system and the half-dozen seats at the bar, in addition to a small dining room and a few outdoor patio tables. Its 1,500 square feet can accommodate only about 50 people on the busiest of nights.
Brewmaster and co-owner Jim Goronson takes full advantage of his small brew house, which really is just a large-scale homebrew system. Working at that scale he’s figured out how to optimize what his equipment can do and produce. He’s been turning out some great beers that rival those of much larger breweries, just at a much smaller volume — which means his beers don’t last long. He’s been able to keep a few core beers on tap that include a Kölsch, Pale Ale and IPA; however, seasonals and specialty beers can go quickly.
I’ve visited a half-dozen times since the pub opened its doors four months ago and have found only gems. On my most recent stop there, it was Grainne’s Special Bitter, an ESB, that convinced me this is a brewery not to just watch but one to visit more often.
Robin Shepard
Extra Special Bitter: Parched Eagle’s Grainne’s ESB.
What is it? ESB from Parched Eagle Brewpub of Westport.
Style: The ESB (Extra Special Bitter) is a derivation of the British bitter. It's a very common style served in English pubs. The "extra special" arose as a marketing label given to premium bitter beers, and eventually it became a recognized style in its own right. It’s a deep copper to bronze colored beer, with malty, sweet flavors and mild hoppiness. A good ESB should be balanced — that’s its signature. Some may have spicy and dry qualities from mild additions of hops, but despite its name, this isn't a very bitter beer compared to American pale ales and India pale ales. Fuller’s ESB from London is considered the reference for the style. At the Great American Beer Festival the ESB is divided among British and American versions, with the American relying more on U.S.-grown hops. Overall, the ESB is easy drinking, at 4.8%-5.8% ABV and 30-45 IBUs.
Background: With all the attention hoppy beers get, styles like the ESB sometimes get lost in the fray over who has the loudest, most audacious brew. That’s led to the ESB being underappreciated or, worse, forgotten. However, a good one can be memorable, a pleasant blend of malts and hops, flavorful and balanced. It’s an easy-drinking amber ale that’s versatile with food.
Robin Shepard
Jim Goronson is the brewmaster at the Parched Eagle.
“I’m just a fan of the style,” says Goronson, who made his first ESB about six years ago as a homebrewer. He’s also a big admirer of Fuller’s ESB, which he became acquainted with while traveling in England and France in the late 1990s. Goronson says the British pale ales eventually led him to special bitters and ESBs; all have similar characteristics and are related in their stylistic origins.
Goronson’s inspiration for making the beer in his brewpub arose after make a batch as a birthday present for a friend, Grainne (Gron-yea), for whom he named the beer. “Grainne is Irish, and she’s one of those who consider Fuller’s ESB a kind of nectar,” he says.
The Parched Eagle’s version of ESB is indeed very similar to Fuller’s. Goronson uses all English hops: Challenger, Goldings, and Northdown, the same varieties used in Fuller’s (which also uses Target hops). At the heart of this ESB is the British malt Maris Otter, known for giving beer an orange-copper color, along with bready and nutty flavors.
Grainne’s Special Bitter (ESB) is sold in pints for $5 at the brewpub. It finishes at 6.6 % ABV and around 45 IBUs (International Bitterness Units).
Tasting notes:
Aroma: Light bready maltiness.
Appearance: Clear, reddish amber color. A thick, bubbly, off-white to light tan head.
Texture: Medium-bodied, round with some softness.
Taste: Pleasant smooth soft maltiness with touches of bready and biscuit tones of the Maris Otter malt. A light floral-spice hoppiness in the background. Overall, this beer is flavorful and wonderfully balanced.
Finish/Aftertaste: There is still a nice balance to the overall flavor, but the hops lend a touch of dry spicy-herbal bitterness to the ending.
Glassware: I enjoy a heavy glass mug with a sturdy handle for the ESB, which seems to accentuate the solid malty backbone of the style.
Pairs well with: This is a nice beer with barbecue flavors and buttery cheeses.
The Verdict: This ESB has become my favorite beer of the summer. While I enjoy searching for limited, maybe overlooked styles like ESBs, I’m especially pleased when I find one made as well as Grainne’s. This beer meets my expectations for a traditional English ESB, where the malt is at the center of the flavor, yet it doesn’t overwhelm the profile. The English hops still do what they were intended to do, and that’s to complement by lending balance to the smooth bready base of Maris Otter malt. The result is a wonderful blend of flavors. If you want to discover, or rediscover, the ESB, put Parched Eagle on your list of local beer venues to visit. Parched Eagle makes its beers in one- to two-barrel batches, so this beer won’t last long. But if you miss it now, look for it to return in the fall.
