Gale's HSB
Cask; Regular. Also available bottle conditioned (mainly for export). Canned version is pasteurised and listed separately.
History : Horndean Special Bitter (HSB) was first brewed in 1959 to meet a growing demand for a higher strength bitter. Sales growth was slow throughout the sixties when BBB and the cask milds were the predominant Gales beers. However, following the creation of CAMRA and the greater public interest in cask conditioned beer, HSB sales grew throughout the seventies and eighties and became Gales major brand. Production moved to Fullers in early 2006.
History : Horndean Special Bitter (HSB) was first brewed in 1959 to meet a growing demand for a higher strength bitter. Sales growth was slow throughout the sixties when BBB and the cask milds were the predominant Gales beers. However, following the creation of CAMRA and the greater public interest in cask conditioned beer, HSB sales grew throughout the seventies and eighties and became Gales major brand. Production moved to Fullers in early 2006.
3.2
253 reviews
Chiswick, England
Community reviews
Cask @Fullers Brewery, Londres 06/08/18
Color ambarino corona de espuma blanca, aromas maltosos caramelo, sabor maltoso, cuerpo medio, rica.
dark strong bitter good lasting head. smell of caramel and toffee malt. rich roasty sweet tasts with hint of tartness. decent
Nice dark brown body, some foam, good aroma of roasted barley. Refreshing dark bread flavour and medium finish. A good pub ale, pleasant change from several bad lagers I'd had the past few days.
From cask at The Parcel Yard, King’s Cross, London 24.05.18. Clear mahogany. Diminishing head and not much lacing. Fine aroma and taste of dark crystal malt, dried berries and moderate hops. Medium low bitterness. Good quaffability.
Pint on tap at some pub in Shoreham. Copper colour, thin white head. Good body, smooth and creamy. Lightly bitter, slightly zingy, some fruit. Finish is mildly bitter. Beautifullly balanced bitter.
Aroma: Medium-light chocolate. Light toffee.
Appearance: Brilliant amber body. Medium, off-white head. Good retention. Medium-large bubbles.
Flavour: Medium-light bitterness. Medium-light chocolate. Light bready. Dry finish with chocolate.
Mouthfeel: Medium body. Light carbonation.
Overall: Nice chocolate, but not something I associate with a bitter.
Cask
11B. Best Bitter
Bottle from the Fuller's Brewery shop. Clear dark chestnut brown with a white to beige head. Nose is nutty, fruity, dark fruits, slight caramel, barley grain chaff, earthy hops, Taste is nutty, dark fruits, ripe fruits, earthy hop, stewed apple, little papery, caramel, dry-ish hop, toasted grains
Pint in Tudor Tavern East Preston. Dark brown with a head that had disappeared by the time I got back with cash because they no longer take cards! Sweet toffee aroma. Continues in the taste - malty, faint hint of chocolate. Tastes weaker than it is. Empty calories!
This is a strong bitter that does not knock me off my feet because I have tried a few others. It is however strong in taste and a beer that is bound to leave a mark on the taster. A very distict bitter type beer that deservadly has it's own typology.
Half of cask on the Fullers brewery tour. A deep dark brown in the glass with a small and well laced head. The flavour was all malts with some nicely balanced bitter hops. This was a good, solid pint of beer. In fact, if I wanted to describe English bitter to someone then I would point them towards this beer.
Dark bronze, small head, transparent. Rotten fruit, sugary malts, some old basement notes. Watery, some ripe fruit and metal aftertaste. Not impressive at all
Cask at the GBBF 2017. Day 3. 10/08/2017. A clear copper reddy coloured pour with a. Loose sticky off white head. Aroma is apple, toffee, dried fruits, raisin cake. Flavour is composed of semi sweet nutty malts. Palate is semi sweet, moderate cask condition. Good. Decent enough.
Clear nutty color with a fine off white head. Ok lacing. Ok intensity in the aroma. Medium body and an average carbonation level. Ok balanced sweetness versus bitterness. Caramel malty, toffee and herbal grassy flavor. Not really exciting.
[Bottle at The Crown & Sceptre (Fuller’s) in Shepherds Bush - London, England]
Blind tasting with Dr. Beer. I seem to enjoy this style quite a bit lately. pretty complex and full in taste, yet easy drinkable. Nice !
Aromă medie, predominant malț, fructe ușor fermentate, puține fructe alterate, frunze uscate.
Gust ușor, predominant malț, fructe uscate, ușoară amăreală de frunze și ierburi uscate, frunze jilave.
Ușoară, puțin cam dură, dar bună.
Clear, copper, average head.
Aroma: jam, woody hops.
Taste: light bitterness, light tartness.
Flavour: spoiled jam, fusels, woody and herbal hops.
Simple but not bad.
Bottle - reddy brown with thin off White head. Rich fruity strong aroma. Slight ting on tongue - ok mouthfeel. Full flavour, fruity tasting, bit of caramel - overall decent beer.
Malty aroma. Good malty taste and bread. Okay bitterness that fills the mouth for a long time. Good beer. Follow me @ Kung av öl @ Facebook for more pictures and ratings.
BOTTLE 50 CL. Clear bright copper, creamy beige head. Very faint aroma of caramel, baked apples and sweet bread, Faint, yet somewhat harsh. Similar taste, light fruity sweetness, light bitterness with a glimpse of higher alcohols in it. Mediocre.
Cask@angle. Reddish clear. Some ripe red cherry fruits, thought I got some nuttyness too, red malty nose. Med bodied, smooth, bitter, bit mouthdrying finish. Ripe red fruit, malty. Bit herby earthyness in finish.
-- rated with beerbasher/winphone
At the Lamb & Flag. Cask. Dark amber color, served in a Fuller’s glass. Malt aroma and a very rich malt flavor, some sweetness wirh caramel. Great palate.
A clear deep amber colour with a medium sized thin off white head. Caramel malt and dried fruit aroma. Earthy sweet caramel malt, raisin and sweet spicy flavour combined with a mild woody spicy bitter finish.
Cask at Jolly Farmer, Worplesdon. 03/06/16. Peaty aroma, can just pick it up. Dark amber with a blotchy head, which at least doesn’t disapate. Really bland taste - light bitterness, something malty perhaps. Very smooth, medium body.
On tap at London’s Pride Heathrow. Nice amber body with healthy head. Nose is malty and caramel. Taste is caramel, and malts, and sweet notes and floral. Good stuff.
Tasting glass @ brewery tasting room. Looks darker than your average bitter. And there is also much more flavours than in your usual bitter. I really don’t know where the taste comes from, some micro-organisms in the process? It is not hops or just malts there something else from the yeast.
Cask at Fullers, Heathrow Airport. Clear dark chestnut-mahogany color with a sticky one finger cream-colored head. Aroma is black tea, fall leaves, and English toffee. Medium sweet flavor, caramel and toffee, with a mildly bitter leafy and herbal finish. Medium body and a very smooth feel. Quite legit.
One of my favourite beers of all time. I literally go out of my way for this fantastic, full bodied, reasonably strong, caramel dark and very quaffable, behemoth of an ale.
On cask @ Fuller’s pub at Heathrow Terminal 2. Smooth malty beginning. Soft and round with nice roast and smooth bitterness. Great Ale-characteristics, smooth but not too dry body. The aftertaste is smooth, malty and long. Very nice and round. Hints of nuts and caramel in the end. Nice!
0,3l from cask @ Harry’s. Pours deep amber with a medium soapy head. Aroma is sweet nutty malts. Flavor is nutty slightly roasted malts with some hops. Decent.
Cask @ Bishops Arms Hornsgatan. Clear amber, one-finger-sized head, good lacing. Vinous aroma, caramel and earthy and woody notes. Gently carbonated and smooth mouthfeel. Caramel taste without being too sweet, bread dough, red apples and hints of red wine.