Discover the history, brewing techniques and unique characteristics that earned Hillman’s ESB a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival. Learn what makes this traditional British ale special.
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Mastering the Extra Special Bitter: Secrets Behind Hillman’s GABF Gold Medal Beer

In the world of craft brewing, few achievements carry the prestige of a Gold Medal from the Great American Beer Festival. At Hillman Beer, our ESB (Extra Special Bitter) has earned this coveted recognition not through following trends or pushing brewing boundaries to extremes, but by perfecting a traditional style that showcases balance, craftsmanship, and attention to detail. This classic British ale represents everything we value as a family-owned brewery – approachable quality, time-honored techniques, and creating beers that bring people together around our communal tables.

The Rich Heritage of the Extra Special Bitter

Before diving into what makes our ESB special, it’s worth understanding the style’s roots. Extra Special Bitter emerged in Britain as the premium version of the ordinary bitter – a cornerstone of British pub culture. Despite the name, ESBs aren’t actually very bitter by modern craft standards. Instead, they showcase a delicate balance between malt sweetness and hop character.

The style became popular in the UK during the mid-20th century as brewers created stronger, more flavorful versions of their standard bitters. When we decided to craft our own ESB at Hillman, we weren’t trying to reinvent the wheel – we were honoring a tradition of balanced, communal drinking that perfectly aligns with our pub-style approach to brewing.

What Makes Hillman’s ESB Award-Worthy

Our approach to brewing our Gold Medal ESB focuses on four key elements that separate a good beer from a great one:

Quality Ingredients

We start with premium British malts that provide the characteristic biscuity, caramel backbone. These malts aren’t flashy or exotic – they’re traditional varieties chosen for their proven quality and consistent flavor profile. Our hops selection leans on classic British varieties that offer subtle earthy, floral, and spicy notes rather than the intense citrus or tropical characters found in trendier styles. We’ve found that these traditional ingredients create a depth of flavor that’s often missing in more experimental brews.

Water Chemistry

One often-overlooked aspect of brewing traditional British ales is water composition. The famous brewing regions of Britain have distinctive water profiles that significantly impact their beer styles. We’ve carefully adjusted our water chemistry to recreate these conditions, giving our ESB an authentic foundation that would feel at home in a London pub.

Fermentation Control

Our ESB uses a traditional British ale yeast strain, fermented at precisely controlled temperatures to develop the subtle fruity esters that give ESBs their complex character without overwhelming the malt-hop balance. This patient approach to fermentation can’t be rushed, but the resulting depth of flavor is what helps our beer stand out on the competition table.

Commitment to Balance

Perhaps most importantly, we approach our ESB with a brewer’s commitment to balance. In an era where many breweries push styles to extremes, we find beauty in creating a beer where no single element dominates. The result is a beer that’s greater than the sum of its parts – complex enough to interest experienced beer enthusiasts but approachable enough to welcome newcomers.

Tasting Hillman’s Gold Medal ESB

When you sit down with a pint of our ESB at either our Asheville or Old Fort locations, here’s what you can expect:

The beer pours a brilliant copper color with remarkable clarity and a creamy off-white head that leaves delicate lacing down the glass. The aroma offers notes of toffee, fresh bread, and subtle earthy hops with a hint of orange marmalade. On the palate, you’ll find a beautiful interplay between rich malt flavors (think biscuits spread with caramel) and a perfectly balanced hop bitterness that cleanses the palate. The mouthfeel is smooth with medium body and a gentle carbonation that makes it incredibly drinkable.

What truly sets our ESB apart is how these elements come together in perfect harmony – no single flavor dominates, creating a complexity that reveals different nuances with each sip.

The Perfect Pairings

One of the joys of a well-crafted ESB is its remarkable food pairing versatility. At our brewery, we find it pairs beautifully with our scratch-made pub fare. The beer’s maltiness complements the richness of our grass-fed beef patty melt, while the hop bitterness cuts through and cleanses the palate. It also works wonderfully with our house-made falafel wrap, where the beer’s earthy hop character echoes the herbs in the falafel.