Great Divide HotShot ESB
HotShot ESB is an easy-drinking and remarkably smooth Extra Special Bitter, brewed in the classic-English style. More assertively hopped than ordinary bitters, light copper-colored HotShot showcases clean hop flavors, balanced by its slightly fruity nose and light-caramel malt character.
3.2
353 reviews
Denver, United States
Community reviews
I bit bland I guess you could say. This beer doesn’t have that great caramel toffee taste that most ESB’s do. It was certainly bitter, and very refreshing. An excellent session beer being that it has nice hop presence, and the hops taste very fresh, but there isn’t much kick or any memorable flavors to this drink.
Light amber color with a large rocky off white head. Taste is fairly nice bitter esb. It lacks some nice flavors in the middle, but overall it’s pretty nice.
Not much like GD’s other beers. I think they made this one for people who wear a lot of spandex out in public. Not a bad beer though: hint of hops, malt and earthy flavor. Decent beer.
really just kinda felt like another run of the mill esb. nothing special. but good. i wont buy it at home, but id drink it in a bar.
Feb. 2006 - I was digging it...not too bitter and nice and malty. Mouthfeel was nice and smooth. I could drink this every day. Nothing to knock me off my feet and say "wow", but a solid, well balanced, tasty brew. Not sure if it’s worth $9/sixer when I can get Flying Fish ESB, which is just as good, for at least $1.50/sixer less.
Biter beer with strong hoppy flavor and aroma. Not exceptional but like all the Great Divides I’ve had, I would drink it off the tap if I were in Denver
Bottle@Home. Very fruity American hops aroma. Light amber color, beige firm head, good lace. Sweet, fruity apples and grapes, floral, nice soft bitterness. Soft mouthfeel, light sticky, bit nasty bitter in the back of your throat. Flavorful and easy going.
I just bought this single at Total Wine in VA and didn’t know it was retired...brew date on bottle is Oct 2004...tried to pour the beer and the head is out of control....repoured (gently) and still the same, big mess...gold/orange color with some floaties (that don’t look like yeast)...gonna give it a try..... mellow aroma....I like the ESB style but this one has a musty taste ....and some good nice malt/nut goodness lingering in the background...may be that it doesn’t age well.....anyway its still better than most of the macros I spent years drinking
12oz bottle courtesy of performula. A spicey fruity bitter aroma. Hazy copper body with good head on pour. For an ESB like it that this one had more fruit flavor than the overpowering bitter and spice as most do. Enjoyable beer on the palate with a medium dry bitter aftertaste. Good Brew.
Looks very good as it is hazy. The head is large, I needed two glasses to pour a twelve ouncer. This is not my style of beer. This tastes like a sour apple juice/cider.
bottled, the rover, gothenburg. amber, reasonable head, simple aroma of caramel, modest bitterness, well-made but nothing special
Amber brew with off-white head. Caramel in nose along with a slight hoppiness. Smooth and sweet.
Bought ages ago at Merchants in Dearborn. Surprised to see it retired. A fairly decent ESB, though that style is not one of my favorites.
[i]Bottle at the Rover, Göteborg, Sweden[/i]. Hazy amber with a large and strong off-white head. Caramelly and toffeish malt aroma, quite one-dimensional, along with piney hops. Medium bodied and quite smooth. A bit sweet with a marked bitterness. A mediocre ESB, the bigger beers in the Great Divide portfoliio are so much better.
I guess I just am not a huge fan of ESB for one thing. I got this in the "Mix Twelve" pack and I am a bit pissed off that there are only 3 beer varieties in the bizox. Dick’s does 11 different beers in their mix pack. C’mon Divide! lay something on me --- all I got for $17 was Pale, ESB, and IPA. Oi!
Date: 06/15/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Roadtrip
murkey orange, whispy cream head that easily stirs into thick foam and a bit of drippy lace, soft floral hop aroma on a dry carmel malt base, creamy body, long mild bitter finish
Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **+/4
A little upset that they discontinued this one, but they still have it in stock at my local liqour store, so I may need to stock up. As far as the beer style goes, this is a great example. Pours a nice amber with a decent white head. A little hop profile and nice maltiness make this one a good brew that I’m sad to see go.
Bottle: Light hop aroma. This beer has a quick hit of heavy hops that fades very fast. Decent off-white fizzy head and clear body. Nice ESB.
Bottle Copper pour with a decent quick dying head. Decent lacing. Very light hop aroma followed by a good hop flavor. Odd aftertaste, smooth, decent session.
Pours a clear light copper with a frothy off-white head. On the nose are fruity hops, caramel malts, iced tea and faint Granny Smith apples. Light to medium bodied and relatively thin it finishes bitter and slightly metallic. Sweet and malty with a hit of earthy hop bitterness and a mildly bitter and almost nutty aftertaste. A decent ESB, but I’m not surprised to see Great Divide has dropped it from its stable of regular offerings.
Pretty good bitter. Poors a nice clear copper and is fairly bitter. How people get "rusty water" from this stuff is beyond me. I’ve never tasted rusty water... and don’t plan to.
350 mL bottle. Orange amber with a fizzy white head. Decent hoppy aroma. Smooth caramel malty taste with a mild bitterness to the finish.
12oz - Aroma of toasted malts, caramel and a touch of hops. Pours transparent copper with a medium head and great lacing. Flavor matches aroma with a lot of rusty water in the finish. Palate is smooth. Drinkable, but nothing special.
Bottle poured into a pint glass. Poured red with a average size frothy white head that was mostly diminishing and leaving good lacing. The aroma is very light caramel. The flavor is slightly fruity, grapefruit and pineapple. The body is light to medium with a dry and watery texture and lively carbonation.
I’m diggin’ this Beer...very refreshing with a long, bitter aftertaste...an excellent alternative and step up from Lagers and Pilsners...too bad YOU probably won’t be able to step up though...since it’s RETIRED and all...LOL!! @ YOU!!
I was a really big fan of this ESB. It was almost a strong red ale with bitterness the whole way through. Good balance of spices and hops.
Strawberry and lemon aroma, but not strong. Orange amber color, very little head. Grapefruit and orange peel taste, bitter but smooth. Vague and subtle spice is felt in the finish.
I just had some of this beer and am a little disapointed to see it retired. A pretty good flavor but a little hoppie. The carbonation is good with nice laceing.
Bottle. Orange with a thin white head and a little hazy. Aroma is hops, hops, hops. Quite bitter with some caramel sweetness, dry finish.
Very pleasant floral aroma. Nice slightly cloudy orange appearance with a medium off-white head. Flavor is predominantly floral hops with a slight hint of breadyness. Not very complex but also nothing offensive about it; decent but not spectacular.