What better way can there be to celebrate the 50th birthday of Fuller’s renowned Extra Special Bitter than a tasting, not only of the original but also of Moor Beer Company’s homage collaboration brew, ESB Revisited. Moor’s owner, Justin Hawke, hosted the evening at their Beer Vault in Bermondsey, along with John Keeling, Fuller’s former brewing director, who filled in ESB’s long history.
Back in the 1950’s, Fuller’s brewed a beer known as Old Burton Extra but, by the end of the 1960’s, sales were poor so the beer was replaced by a paler 5.5% ABV beer called Winter Brew. This was intended to be a seasonal beer and ‘big brother’ to London Pride. The beer quickly became much loved and was a real success but the name had to be changed if it was to be made available all year round, so ESB was born. “Not Eggs, Sausage and Bacon”, quipped John, “but Extra Special Bitter.”
Reg Drury joined Fuller’s in 1959, becoming head brewer in 1980 and recruiting John the following year. Over the years, Fuller’s production has grown from 70,000 barrels to 150,000 barrels per annum and their estate from 90 to 250 pubs, although the two sides of the business are now in separate hands. ESB gained an international reputation and now accounts for 90% of exports to the USA, although London Pride was originally the beer intended for export.
ESB evolved from being a beer brand to a beer style, with brewers in the USA wanting to copy the beer. John explained that he thought Fuller’s success in the export market was due to its closeness to Heathrow. “People would fly into the airport and come and see us. At that time it was really only Fuller’s and Sam Smith’s that were known in the States. Hook Island ESB was one of the first to copy ESB and the beer caught on. It’s now acknowledged as a style in its own right in the Brewers Association style guidelines.”
A few years ago, Fuller’s launched a range of collaborations with six breweries including Moor Beer. Justin (an American himself) has always loved British beers and their collaboration was ESB with a twist. Called Rebirth, it was a take on the 1971 recipe but, unlike the Fuller’s original, it is a hazy beer using hops from various countries. This was not the first time Moor had brewed a collaboration based on ESB. Back in 2016, Justin teamed up with Fernando Campoy of the Cerveza Domus brewery in Spain to create a beer named Relentless Optimism, but it was Rebirth which was brought back for the 50th anniversary.
Although nowhere near as old as Fuller’s, Moor Beer has now been brewing for fifteen years. All Moor’s beers are re-fermented and hazy, including those in cans. Justin recalled, “I had to persuade SIBA to allow hazy beer into their competition. Things have now changed and I was delighted to be included in CAMRA’s 50th Anniversary Awards.”
Catch the beer while you can! The Moor Beer Vault, as the tap room is called, can be found in a railway arch at 71 Enid Street, Bermondsey SE16 3RA. They also have a Beer Vault in Bristol (Days Road, BS2 0QS). For details of both, go here.
Christine Cryne