Real Ale Phoenixx Double ESB:
Evening one and all and welcome to the beer merry-go-round. Today, lets head to the beautiful Texas hill country and dip our toes into the brew vats of Real Ale.  I’m honestly not that familiar with Real Ale, I know and enjoy their Firemans #4 Blonde Ale and have several others of theirs awaiting sampling in the zoo that I call a beer pantry.  For my first Real Ale review, I wanted to try the last beer I sampled at Big Texas Beer Fest, the Phoenixx Double ESB is a great brew, though I’m am drinking this way out of season (it’s a winter release).  First, let’s clear something up on the ESB front so there won’t be any other questions later.  ESB, or Extra Special Bitter a type of beer in the pale ale line that are so hopped up (HA!) in casks that they produce their own line of flavor and strength beyond those of the typical pale ale.  Usually a good one of these beers are around 7% ABV though they can get down to below 3% (called Boy Bitters); luckily Phoniexx is 7.2% ABV.  The beer pours a nice caramel color that reminds you of Shiner and gives you a nose of caramel and toffee with a bit of spice.  The taste of the beer is very hoppy and bitter with traces of caramel floating in and out of the sip.  The back-end of the beer is skunky and dry thanks to the abundance of hops and, contrary to it’s pale ale brethren, it finishes smoother than most pale ales out there.  As I said before, a good beer that is a great way to introduce the Real Ale into the review family.  If they keep up this standard, Shiner may have a run for their money on my favorite Texas brewery.